Brad Pitt rocketed to stardom in the early ’90s after just a few short years climbing the ranks. These days, he’s a cultural icon, but he credits another star entirely for shaping him in his most formative years of acting. Pitt names John Travolta as hugely influential to him and gives a special shoutout to one of his most groovin’ films.
59-year-old Pitt began acting in 1987 but his role as the marauding cowboy in 1991’s Thelma & Louise made him a household name, and his career momentum never slowed down after. Travolta, today 69, had been working since ’72, and soon landed a role in Welcome Back, Kotter, which provided a foothold in the industry he’d maintain for decades.
Brad Pitt cites one John Travolta film as his biggest early inspiration
Ten years before he started acting, Pitt watched something that would change his life. “I loved Saturday Night Fever when I was a kid,” he shared, reflecting upon the most influential films in his life. “I couldn’t believe people talked that way. It was just a whole new culture I didn’t understand. I snuck into it. It was an R-rated film. So it holds a special place.”
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Travolta would be glad for this film in particular to be the one that resonated so early on because he saw in it an important message about interpersonal relationships and growth. “I think the screenplay realistically depicts the Italian-American community’s attitude toward minorities, but what I hope the audience will remember is that the character evolves to the point where he dispenses with that racism at the end of the film,” he explained.
Pacing things out
Travolta personally has several films that are meaningful to him in different ways. For instance, he appreciates the lessons in Saturday Night Fever while also knowing Danny from Grease “like the back of my hand.” But it’s actually 1980’s Urban Cowboy, directed by James Bridges, that Travolta calls “my favourite [sic] experience on a film.”
Travolta has stayed active as ever over the years, most recently appearing in this year’s Mob Land, with another film, Cash Out, in post-production.
Pitt has done similarly; however, he’s stepping away from acting in favor of exercising his creative muscles behind the camera. It’s an area of interest Pitt has indulged in for some time now, and he has served as producer for 2002’s She Said, 2010’s Eat, Pray, Love, 2018’s Vice, 2019’s The King, and several more. But he’s still taking on acting gigs as they come, with Pitt ready to appear in a film about Formula One in the near future.
What is your favorite movie starring each of these two powerhouses of talent?