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John Travolta brought a new look to the Cannes Film Festival 2026.
The actor looked unrecognizable on Friday in a slouchy, cream-colored wool beret and a pair of glasses at the premiere of his directorial debut, “Propeller One-Way Night Coach.”
The 72-year-old looked dapper in a classic black suit over a knit vest, white shirt and tie.
He walked the red carpet and posed for photos with his 26-year-old daughter, Ella, who stars in the movie alongside her dad and looked glam in a black dress and diamonds.
The pair were joined by their 11-year-old co-star Clark Shotwell and Travolta’s co-producer Jason Berger.
Just before the film’s screening at the Debussy Theater, Travolta was surprised with an honorary Palme d’Or.
“This is beyond the Oscar,” an emotional Travolta — who was nominated for two Best Actor Academy Awards for 1977’s “Saturday Night Fever” and 1994’s “Pulp Fiction” — said as he accepted the award from Cannes director Thierry Frémaux, per Variety.
As the crowd cheered, Travolta continued, “I can’t believe this. This is the last thing I expected.
“You said this would be a special night, but I didn’t think you meant this,” he told Frémaux.
The “Grease” star called the honor “humbling” and thanked Frémaux for the Palme d’Or, which Peter Jackson and Barbra Streisand are also receiving at this year’s festival.
“When I met with you in November, I had no expectation that my film would be accepted,” Travolta told Frémaux. “And when Thierry said it was not only accepted, but it was making history because it would be the first film ever accepted that early, I cried like a baby because I just couldn’t believe it.”
Frémaux revealed that Travolta’s directorial debut, which is based on his own 1997 children’s book, was the first film chosen for Cannes 2026.
He also called Travolta “one of the greatest artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.”
“Propeller One-Way Night Coach” follows a young airplane enthusiast named Jeff (Shotwell) and his mother (Kelly Eviston-Quinnett), who go on a one-way, cross-country journey to Hollywood, according to Variety.
Ella plays a flight attendant in the film.
Travolta welcomed Ella in April 2000 with late wife Kelly Preston, who died of breast cancer at age 57 in 2020.
The couple also welcomed two sons, Ben, 15, and Jett, who tragically passed away at the age of 16 in January 2009 after suffering a seizure during a family vacation to the Bahamas.
Ella has made a name the fashion world, making an appearance on the cover of HardCopy Magazine’s “Fantazia” issue last November.
She made her acting debut in the 2009 Disney comedy film ” Old Dogs,” which starred her parents.
“Propeller One-Way Night Coach” premieres on Apple TV on May 29.
English (US)