Brad Pitt named his favourite John Travolta movie: “It holds a special place”
As one of the most celebrated figures in the film industry, Brad Pitt doesn’t just impact fans through his works but also through his opinions about cinema. Having worked with incredibly talented filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino, David Fincher, and Terrence Malick, Pitt’s filmography is a unique combination of critically acclaimed masterpieces and mainstream successes. Due to this versatility, the actor has the experience to reflect on the industry’s evolution.
Although Pitt recently announced that he was going to take a step back from acting and was going to focus on his role as a producer, he has continued to work on interesting cinematic projects. After starring in Babylon, Damien Chazelle’s epic love letter to Hollywood, Pitt is set to play the lead in an upcoming Joseph Kosinski movie revolving around Formula One. Due to the production being suspended in solidarity with the SAG-AFTRA strikes, details about its release haven’t been made public yet.
Pitt’s dedication to his craft is undoubtedly a result of his love and passion for cinema, which originated in his childhood. During a conversation with NPR, the actor was asked about the films that influenced him the most and have emerged as his favourites after such a long tenure in Hollywood. In addition to seminal gems such as Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove and Sidney Lumet’s Dog Day Afternoon, he named his favourite John Travolta film.
Reflecting on the movies that showed him the magic of cinema during his formative years, Pitt singled out Travolta’s iconic 1977 movie Saturday Night Fever as a major influence on his early love for the craft. He explained: “I loved Saturday Night Fever when I was a kid. 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.”
In John Badham’s beloved dance drama, Travolta conducts a fascinating portrayal of Tony Manero, a young man who tries to escape the harsh socioeconomic realities that govern his sad life by working on his moves at a local disco. Before Saturday Night Fever, Travolta had started garnering attention for his TV roles, but this was the project that completely transformed his career and turned him into a national icon.
During an interview, Travolta opened up about the film’s treatment of racial tension and racism: “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.”
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