Last year, I wrote about the worst movie I've ever seen, 2002’s Rollerball, noting how it was a remake of a far better film, the 1975 original starring James Caan. Horrible Hollywood remakes tend to outnumber the rare cases of remakes that are arguably better than the original, so it's never an expectation for modern iterations to stand taller. When it comes to the vast majority of them, though, I'd argue that most remakes are…just alright.

Such is the case for the 2009 remake of The Taking of Pelham 123, which I think is a serviceable enough movie with a cast of talented actors. However, it doesn't come close to the 1974 original with Robert Shaw and Walter Matthau, and here's why.

First, The Original's New York Setting Feels A Lot More Raw Than The 2009 Version

As a New Jerseyan, I love films set in New York City, and even though we didn't include this '74 classic in our list of great New York City movies, I would personally consider the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three to be one of the best representations of the Big Apple. Largely because the movie is so…grungy, so raw, so much like the New York City that I envision existed before I was born in 1983. Just like The Warriors, which is another favorite ‘70s film of mine.

It's just that everything about this film screams New York. The city streets, the accents, the “screw you” attitude, the dirty subways where I can practically smell the urine. It all just culminates in one of the most authentic and real portrayals of New York that I have ever seen.

And then, you have the Tony Scott remake. Wall Street this. Dow Jones that. I mean, sure, when it was released, it was a pretty decent representation of the New York financial situation at the time, but it already feels like a dated outlook on the city nowadays.

It doesn't have the same grit of the original; the same energy. Which is strange, since Tony Scott's version is way more frenetic than the original. And yet, it doesn't feel as authentic, or like it has the same spirit of the city. So, the remake is fine, sure, but the original truly feels like it has the heart of the city beating throughout its 104 minute runtime.

John Travolta Is Great In His Own Way, But He Can't Touch Robert Shaw's Performance

Look, depending on the movie, I like John Travolta as a villain. He was great in Face/Off. And, while I’m not in love with the Thomas Jane Punisher movie (I think there are far better versions of the character, you see), I think Travolta was a highlight of that movie as Howard Saint. However…

I don’t like him in this film. Besides the fact that he’s needlessly dropping F-bombs left and right, he’s just too erratic and loud for my liking. Take the scene where he wants Denzel Washington’s character, Garber, to get back on the line. Travolta’s character kills someone, and then, angrily starts counting down over the radio, practically yelling at them to meet his demands.

Robert Shaw did not have to yell. Not once. In fact, his quiet, almost stoic demeanor is what makes him terrifying. When his character, Mr. Blue, hijacks the train, he calls the transit authorities and patiently gives them his orders. All of his men wear fake mustaches and glasses, and when one of them gets out of line, Mr. Blue takes note of it, and then shoots him in the back later when they all get their money.

Shaw honestly makes this movie, but he’s got one hell of a protagonist to go up against.

I Also Love Denzel Washington, But I Much Prefer Walter Matthau In The Original

Now, while I like John Travolta in most movies, I LOVE Denzel Washington in ALL movies, and that's also the case here. He plays a subway dispatcher who's up to the challenge of playing both calm and ready for action when the time calls for it. He can pull that role off in his sleep.

That said, I’m not in love with how the movie often feels like a tug of war between Travolta and Washington’s characters. I much prefer Walter Matthau from the original as a transit police officer as he feels more like a cog in a very large wheel rather than the driving force. Matthau’s version of Garber doesn’t really seem too harried or like an action hero. He seems more like a man who came into work one day, and just so happened to had to deal with a terrorist situation.

Matthau is incredibly deadpan, often just siding with Mr. Blue because it seems like the most logical thing to do. When Blue says that he wants a million dollars or he’s going to start killing people, Garber is like, okay, get the mayor on the line, and let him handle it. Because what else is he supposed to do? This is way above his pay grade.

But, it’s not like he’s not willing to get his hands dirty. He actually goes into the subway terminal and confronts Mr. Blue, only for Blue to kill himself since he doesn't want to be taken in. Matthau does not give a bombastic performance, but he doesn’t need to. The movie is bombastic enough.

The Pacing Is Slower In The Original, But More Effective

As a film fan, I miss Tony Scott. Some of the best scenes of all time come from his body of work. Whereas his brother, Ridley, often makes slower-paced, somewhat atmospheric movies (which really depends on whether it's sci-fi or historical), Tony Scott usually made quick-paced action movies like Top Gun, Days of Thunder, and True Romance. So, I usually LIKE that aspect of Tony Scott’s filmography.

That said, not this time, as I think his remake moves way too quickly. The same frenetic energy in a film like True Romance doesn’t necessarily fit with this movie. Or rather, it works, but I think the slower-pacing of the original is way more effective.

The negotiation aspect back at transit feels like the true heartbeat of the film in the original, whereas the remake makes it seem like the more exciting aspects are on the ones on the subway train, which just isn't the case for me.

I also like the banter between Matthau and Jerry Stiller. I enjoy the sense of confusion back at base, and the constantly ticking clock. I like all of that. But, what I like the most is that the movie still feels like it’s moving even after the main antagonist is gone, which brings me to my last point.

And The Ending. You Just Can’t Beat That Ending

Lastly, the original movie has the perfect ending. After Robert Shaw's character is toast, there's still more to go for the movie, as there's one more survivor on the loose, but they have no clue who he is. They have some leads, but that's it.

However, throughout the film, Matthau overhears somebody sneezing whenever he talks to Mr. Blue, and every time, Matthau says “Gesundheit.” Well, by the end of the film, when Matthau is going from suspect to suspect, they find the real culprit, but they don't know it's him.

In fact, the culprit quickly gets Garber out of his apartment, and it looks like he's going to get away with it, but that's when he sneezes as Garber is stepping out the door, and Garber casually says, “Gesundheit.” But, that’s when he pushes the door back open and gives him the perfect “I got you” look.

It's one of my favorite endings of all time, and the remake just can't compare.

I wouldn't call my dad “a tough guy” by any stretch of the imagination (I mean, his favorite genre is musicals, and his favorite movie is My Fair Lady).

That said, one thing my dad will say, with certainty, is that he doesn't cry when watching movies. “Are you kidding me?” he’ll always tell me. “It's just a movie.” And, even though I'll openly admit that I've cried while watching plenty of films, my dad is adamant: “Movies don’t make me cry.”

That's actually not true, since I’ve SEEN him cry (even though he won’t admit it), and that was when we watched 1996’s romantic fantasy drama, Phenomenon, together. It’s one of my favorite John Travolta movies (Though probably not one of his best), and I think it’s still great today. Here’s why.

At First, It Seems Like It’s Going To Be A Sci-Fi Movie

Do you want to know a movie I really like? K-PAX, starring Kevin Spacey. I only bring it up since throughout its runtime, you’re not really sure if Kevin Spacey’s character, prot, is an alien or not, making this film almost a quasi-sci-fi film (I’d categorize it more as a drama). And, in a lot of ways, Phenomenon feels like a sci-fi movie, too, for a lot of its run-time.

John Travolta plays a mechanic named George Malley, who’s a nice man who has the hots for a single mother named Lace (Kyra Sedgwick). Malley is celebrating his birthday at a bar, and that night, he goes outside and sees a strange light in the sky, and then BAM! He’s knocked out. Perhaps it was aliens? Well, anyway, when he wakes up, he has strange powers and super intelligence. It’s almost like a superhero movie in a way since Malley has acquired telekinetic powers, which he uses for good.

The town benefits from his new abilities, but things start to go awry when the FBI thinks he’s some kind of code breaker since he can pick up on signals from an air force base. Then, his newfound intelligence, which seemed like a blessing at first, has become a curse.

However, later on in the film, we learn that it wasn’t aliens at all that gave him his powers, which I’ll talk about next.

When We Learn What It’s Really About, It’s Even More Interesting

Now, my dad doesn’t mind science fiction, but you won’t see him having a marathon of some of the best sci-fi movies of all time, because it’s not really his thing. In fact, he much prefers when there are elements of science fiction (such as The Twilight Zone, which my dad loves) rather than it being completely sci-fi, which might be a reason why he really loves Phenomenon.

Because even though we might be led to believe that the movie is science fiction, what with the glowing lights in the sky, and the acquiring of powers, we actually learn that Malley didn’t have an encounter with aliens at all, but rather, that he has a brain tumor. And, with that knowledge, the film turns from being fascinating to really sad (and perhaps even maudlin, which my dad is a sucker for).

This tumor diagnosis recontextualizes the whole movie. At first, we think that an alien race has gifted him with this ability to chay-yee-ange the world, but really, it’s something that’s existed inside of him the entire time. And, instead of him getting really sad about this and getting the medical help that is being offered to him (though, it's mostly as a means for doctors to get a better look at his brain), he’d rather go out on his own terms, spending his last days with his best friend, Nate (Forest Whitaker), and his newfound love, Lace.

In fact, this last aspect - the love between Malley and Lace - is what really makes this film special, as it brings it beyond just being a cool movie about a guy who develops powers. In fact, it’s mostly what makes this film a tearjerker in the first place.

The Love Story In-Between Is Really Sweet

Kyra Sedgwick may not be the main character of this film, but she’s definitely this movie’s beating heart. She plays a single mother of two children, and at first, she doesn't take to Malley's feelings toward her because you get a sense that her last relationship really must have hurt her.

And, the film does a good job of “will-they-won't-they” storytelling, as we're so wrapped up in what is happening to Malley, that this romantic angle hangs on the outskirts until we realize that this is what the movie is actually about. Lace starts to welcome Malley's presence once he becomes a brainiac, and it's not like she didn't like him before his change. Au contraire, we find out she always liked him, but he becomes irresistible once he changes.

Meanwhile, we also have the budding romance between Forest Whitaker's character, Nate, and a Portuguese woman he likes after Malley saves her son. Malley is pretty much Nate's wingman, and we see Nate’s and this woman’s relationship blossom by the end.

Honestly, as good as this movie is, it's the “romantic” part of this romantic fantasy/sci-fi drama that really makes it work, which only adds to the part that made my dad cry (despite what he says).

The End Made My Dad Cry, And It Is Pretty Sad

Now, I'm going to spoil a nearly 30-year-old film, but at the end of Phenomenon, Malley dies. The brain tumor gets the best of him, and despite the miracles he performed for the rest of the town, he can't save his own life.

Now, while Malley's death likely didn't break as many hearts as, say, Apollo Creed’s death, or Dobby’s (who was a free elf!), it certainly got my dad to unleash the waterworks, and it's for one primary reason. It's at the end when you see Malley's smiling face above the bar.

In fact, the only reason I knew my dad was crying was that I heard him sniffling in between Eric Clapton's singing (which I'll get to in a moment). When I turned my head, my dad's eyes were glassy. And, while I didn't see him wipe away any tears (because I wanted to see the ending, too), when the credits rolled, I distinctly remember my dad getting up very quickly and heading toward the exit.

And, do you know what? It is pretty sad. We come to love Malley, just as the town does, and to see the film end on his smiling face, well, it really does hit you in the feels. The music plays a large part in that as well, which I'll get into last.

That Eric Clapton/Babyface Song Is Still Fantastic

Lastly, I'm not sure if the ending would have been as effective as it is if not for the song, “Change the World” by Eric Clapton and Babyface, which is still (even separated from the film) a beautiful melody.

In fact, this was actually the first song by Clapton that I could identify as Clapton. I had been familiar with Babyface at the time, but aside from “Layla,” which I associated with a group called Derek and the Dominoes, I didn't even know who Eric Clapton was.

This song changed all that, though. And, even though I'm very familiar with Eric Clapton today, this is still my favorite song of his. It's absolutely wonderful.

Has Phenomenon made you (or a loved one) cry? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Celebrity couples have a way of capturing the attention of fans, just look at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. But one downside to fame is that it makes one's personal life into a very public matter. When Hugh Jackman and his ex Debora-Lee Furness announced their separation it broke the internet, and a new rumor claims she might be seeing another A-list actor in the midst of this divorce. Let's break it all down.

Back in May Furness officially filed for divorce, and there have been all sorts of reports about what's going on behind the scenes. Jackman's ex reportedly wasn't happy about Sutton Foster moving into their home, and a new report by Radar Online claims she's striking up a romance with another well-known movie star: John Travolta. As an anonymous insider alleges:

Talk about mind-blowing. While the public would be abuzz about anyone that Furness began dating, this rumor is sure to quickly viral. We should take it with grain of salt of the time being, but the idea of Jackman's ex pivoting and dating Travolta is a wild concept. We'll just have to see if this actually gets confirmed or not.

This is the first time we've heard any news about Furness dating since her separation from the X-Men icon. It comes after rumors the Broadway community knew Jackman and Foster were having an affair while he was still married.

The same anonymous insider spoke more about why Furness is reportedly seeking to date John Travolta. They claim:

Talk about a juicy rumor. While not actually confirmed by either party, this report claims that Travolta and Furness are getting quite close in the wake of her divorce from Hugh Jackman. Whether or not an actual relationship comes out of this remains to be seen, but I have a feeling that the general public is going to be paying attention and waiting for updates about this rumored romance.

Professionally, Jackman has a number of projects coming down the line on the 2025 movie release list and beyond. Of course, fan are hoping he once again returns as Wolverine in upcoming Marvel movies like Avengers: Doomsday and/or Secret Wars.

Every summer, the iconic Hollywood Bowl shows a host of famous movies for its crowd of 17,000 to enjoy all together through sing-along viewings. On Friday night, audiences turned up in their pink and leather jackets to rewatch 1978’s Grease. But imagine their surprise when John Travolta turned up as Danny Zuko to welcome the crowd? Travolta's getup not only thrilled attendees but also got stars like Hannah Waddingham and Rita Wilson talking.

It should be said that John Travolta still has that Grease Lightning! Check out the veteran actor going full Danny Zuko and getting the audience cheering over his unexpected appearance below:

The Oscar nominee may be 71 years old, but you wouldn’t know it given how well he pulls off the look for one of the best ‘70s movies. Travolta served with a salt-and-pepper version of his greaser do and of course, a black leather jacket. In the second slide, you can see the actor hitting the stage before quoting a scene from the movie where Danny tells Sandy he “thought [she] was going back to Australia,” to the cheering audience.

The celebrities who follow John Travolta were living for the appearance at the Hollywood Bowl just as much as any fan would. Check out what Desperate Housewives’ Teri Hatcher said about the event in the comments of Travolta's post:

Teri Hatcher was kind of the perfect age for Grease when it came out. She was thirteen and, as she shared, she knows “every word”. Hatcher wasn’t the only big name who was not afraid to share how much they loved seeing Travolta channel one of his famous roles. Check out some more comments below:

• Hannah Waddingham: "I would’ve CRIED MY EYES OUT!!!!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰"
• Rita Wilson: "John! I want to watch the movie right now!"
• Josh Lucas: "Goosebumps!"
• Mario Lopez: "🔥🔥🔥🔥"

Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham was having all the FOMO over not going to the Hollywood event, whereas Rita Wilson was inspired to go back and watch the movie as soon as she saw the social media post. Yellowstone’s Josh Lucas shared he had goosebumps, while media personality Mario Lopez simply commented with four fire emojis.

Other fans in the comments were talking about how they wished they were at the event and were patting John Travolta on the back for making so many attendees' dreams come true. The appearance follows his hilarious 2023 Super Bowl commercial that parodied Grease or that time when he and Olivia Newton-John reunited in their original costumes in 2019 for a Meet n’ Grease sing-along event. It's a shame that the Hollywood Bowl event was without Newton-John, who sadly died at the age of 73 back in 2022.

In any case, John Travolta certainly proved through his slick Danny Zuko reprisal at the Hollywood Bowl that he hasn't lost a step. I hope the fans in attendance will never forget that rockin' summer night!

Expect to see Jamie Lee Curtis at least a few times on our 2025 movie schedule this year–the icon’s first movie premiered yesterday! The actress and film producer has an entire catalogue of Curtis' best movies with plenty popular scenes but her movie Perfect has gone viral. The 66-year-old has recreated the classic gyrating scene from the romantic drama flick and proves that she continues to be a force in Tinseltown.

Curtis was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and had help from the NBC talk show host in returning to the 1985 scene. Before they shared the video with the world, the Freaky Friday alum talked about her Gia Coppola film, The Last Showgirl and the monumental and literal showstopping LA wildfires ripping through southern California.

The post, via a Jamie Lee Curtis fan Instagram, has a cut of the original scene alongside the 2025 reimagining. Both videos are of Curtis in the aerobics studio, in essentially the same leotard, and the 40-year-old difference takes a second to recognize because JLC has and always will be an icon. The caption reads: “40 years later, Jamie Lee Curtis brings back her iconic aerobics scene from Perfect (1985), proving some things never go out of style." Check out the Perfect star and video below:

Not many stars in Hollywood do what Jamie Lee Curtis does, and especially as a Hollywood vet. The new recreation has just as much heart as the ‘80s version along with a smile that says she’s having fun doing it. Commenters on the post are as into it as Curtis is, here’s just a peek of what they’re saying:

• The body🙌- marrdieguez
• She is simply the best! Always in a good mood, super funny and very kind-hearted - zacksharoon
• Ok but why did it take me so long to see the difference like wow Jamie Lee Curtis!!!!! - hkiitty_5
• I love JLC because she seems authentic. She went gray and didn’t give a shit what Hollywood thought. I love her attitude. She’s real. And she still looks fantastic -schriners_4
• I love how I couldn’t tell which was 80s and which was now. - roveneros

The comment section is full of similar sentiments praising the True Lies alum’s health, fitness, humor and general spirit of how she carries herself. And the stellar reputation of the Everything Everywhere All At Once alum isn’t just connected to her work on screen its been a constant throughout her career.

For instance, when Curtis met Pamela Anderson for The Last Showgirl the two had anxiety-melting and empowering moment, the Trading Places actress diffused any worries the Baywatch alum had. And this introduction took place after Curtis praised the model-actress for her no-makeup look at the 2023 Paris Fashion Week Event. Needless to say, you can feel the love and admiration between both women pretty well all thanks to that infamous JLC energy.

All in all, her getting back into a leotard to redo the exercise scene from Perfect is just perfect. That is why she will always be one of the best in the game, and this no-filter selfie she posted after wrapping Freakier Friday proves it.

Fans can watch the Jamie Lee Curtis classic Perfect for free on Tubi.

There is nothing more iconic than a good looking leather jacket on a movie star. There are as many styles of jacket as there are stars, which makes looking good easy. From Marlon Brando to Keanu Reeves, leather jackets have been a part of some of the most incredible looking costumes ever. So, here is our list of some of the most iconic leather coats and jackets in Hollywood history.

Marlon Brando In The Wild One

This list wouldn't be complete without including the O.G. leather look on Marlon Brando in The Wild One. The 1953 film about a biker gang was not only a big hit in theaters, but it was a huge influence on society. From the outlaw biker gangs who took inspiration from the look to regular folks who saw the leather jackets as the coolest of cool.

Wesley Snipes In Blade

Wesley Snipes is the coolest-looking superhero in Blade with his iconic look in leather and sunglasses. Everything about the costume and the character oozes cool and defines Blade's renegade nature.

Arnold Schwarzenegger In The Terminator Movies

Leather jackets definitely provide a look for someone to say "Don't mess with me," and nowhere is this more true in Hollywood than when Arnold Schwarzenegger wears one in the Terminator movies. Starting with the first movie, he's usually seen in one and you definitely don't want to mess with him.

Rooney Mara In The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Leather jackets have always been a symbol of rebelliousness in Hollywood. In The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, it's the perfect look for Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) to portray both her anti-social nature and her tough exterior. You can't imagine wearing anything else.

John Travolta In Saturday Night Fever

In the 1970s, no one was cooler than John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. The strut, the hair, the dancing, and the leather jacket all made that possible. The look is so iconic that people are still imitating it today, five decades later.

Carrie-Anne Moss In The Matrix Movies

It's safe to say that The Matrix movies would not be the same if the characters were dressed in anything but the coolest and toughest-looking leather jackets and coats. From Neo to Morpheus to, of course, Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) in her amazing looking long leather coat. It's just such an amazing bit of costume.

Brad Pitt In Fight Club

Not every leather jacket has to be black to look completely awesome. Tyler Durden's reddish-brown jacket in Fight Club has become one of the most famous looks in Hollywood. Of course, it's easy for Brad Pitt to pull off almost any look, but he might just look his coolest in Fight Club.

Hugh Jackman In The X-Men Films

Leather jackets have been used a lot over the years to depict both heroes and anti-heroes. Nowhere is this more clear than on Logan aka Wolverine, as depicted by Hugh Jackman in the X-Men and now in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Logan is anti-social to an extreme and his leather jacket definitely indicates that you don't want to pick a fight with him.

Olivia Newton-John In Grease

The costumes in Grease are amazing. Of course, the T-Birds' jackets are fantastic, but it's the leather jacket that Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) dons in the last act that looks the most amazing. She completely changes her look and the jacket is what inspires the whole thing.

Keanu Reaves In The John Wick Movies

Keanu Reaves loves to wear leather in his movies, but the brown leather jacket in the first John Wick movie is probably the coolest. It's great because it's cool as heck, but it's not too over the top for the retired assassin. It makes John Wick seem normal, yet completely cool and ready for anything.

Eddie Murphy In Raw

In his standup movie Raw, Eddie Murphy takes the cool leather look to the next level. Not only does he have an amazing purple leather jacket, he compliments it with matching leather pants. It wasn't the first time he wore a leather outfit on stage, he wore a similar red one in his first standup movie, Delirious, but the purple one in Raw tops the red one in every way.

Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Minds

Dangerous Minds isn't the best movie in Michelle Pfeiffer's filmography, despite having an amazing soundtrack, but for an actress who had a whole bunch of iconic looks in the '80s and '90s, her jeans and leather jacket look in the movie is one of the most memorable. It's a costume that tells you so much about the character without saying a word.

Steve McQueen In The Great Escape

It's hard to argue that Steve McQueen isn't one of the coolest stars in Hollywood history. Of course, you can earn that kind of praise without at least one leather jacket. In The Great Escape, McQueen's brown leather bomber jacket is the epitome of cool. Even when he is covered in dirt, he looks great, but it's when he's wearing the jacket that he looks his best.

Tom Cruise In Top Gun

In the '80s, there was no movie cooler than Top Gun and there was no cooler character than Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, played by Tom Cruise. The leather bomber jacket Cruise wore in the movie became so iconic and such a key characteristic of the role that when Top Gun: Maverick released its first teaser, the jacket was a big part of it.

Harrison Ford In Raiders Of The Lost Ark

There is something about a distressed leather jacket that brings authenticity to a character that few other costume pieces can. Nowhere in film history is this more true than with Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) in all of the Indiana Jones movies. The jacket, along with the hat and the whip, completely define the character in every way. Is there any other kind of jacket you could ever see Indy wearing? Of course not.

Uma Thurman In Kill Bill

There are a lot things that make Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill cool, but Uma Thurman's yellow leather motorcycle jacket tops the list. It's become an iconic costume over the years, and while not everyone could pull off the look, Thurman certainly does and everyone loves it.

Mel Gibson In The Mad Max Movies

As distressed leather jackets go, Mel Gibson's in the Mad Max movies is among the best looking. Looking into a dystopian future, it makes complete sense that leather jackets would still be part of the fashion. They are almost indestructible and have that classic look that almost no other piece of clothing has.

Joey Lauren Adams In Chasing Amy

This one flies a little bit under the radar, but it's an amazing look and deserves to be on this list. Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams) in Chasing Amy has a lot of "rock and roll" to her style and nothing says rock star like leather.

Samuel L. Jackson In The MCU

As Deadpool asks in the post-credits scene in the original Deadpool movie, "Did you expect Samuel L. Jackson in a saucy leather number?" Well, yes, frankly we might have, since Jackson, playing the cooler-than-cool Nick Fury often shows up in a fantastic-looking leather jacket in the MCU. It is something we expect (even if Deadpool wasn't in the MCU at the time).

Tom Hardy In The Dark Knight Rises

Great Villains are often in leather. In The Dark Knight Rises Bane wears one of the greatest leather coats ever. The fur-lined brown leather number is perfect for his character and it's a look that not every villain could pull off, but Bane (Tom Hardy) certainly does.

Halle Berry In Die Another Day

Halle Berry has a few iconic outfits in the Pierce Brosnan-led James Bond film Die Another Day and while her bikini may be the most famous, the red leather jacket she wears for a lot of the movie is one heck of a look too. Sure, the movie isn't the best Brosnan-era Bond film, but you can't deny how great Berry looks in her costumes.

James Dean In Rebel Without A Cause

Seven decades after his death in 1955, James Dean is still the epitome of cool. Though he only starred in three movies, his impact on pop culture is immense. His red leather jacket in Rebel Without A Cause is one reason why. Because Dean's career was so brief, we don't have a lot of "looks" from him, making the jacket that much more iconic.

Kurt Russell In Escape From New York

If you want to look cool and look like you just don't care about anything, a distressed leather jacket can tell a lot of people just how you feel without saying a word. Take the look of Snake Pilsson (Kurt Russell) in Escape From New York. Has anyone ever looked tougher, cooler, and more aloof in an action film? No, not really.

Sigourney Weaver In Aliens

Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is one of the most amazing characters in action movie history. Of course, that means she must look cool as heck in leather, and she does in Aliens. It's not her most iconic look, but come on, you can't deny how awesome it is.

Tom Cruise In Mission: Impossible

Let's be honest, Tom Cruise always looks good in a nice leather jacket, but if you're ranking his costumes by how good looking they are, the jacket he wears in the first Mission: Impossible is at the top. When he is doing his sleight of hand with the disc with the NOC list on it while wearing the jacket is one of the best non-action scenes in the whole series.

Peter Fonda And Dennis Hopper In Easy Rider

If you wanted to be a rebellious hippie in the late 1960s, a leather jacket was a good place to start with your look. Especially if you were on a motorcycle like Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda in Easy Rider. Fonda has a more traditional biker look with his black leather jacket, but Hopper's character goes for a sweet suede jacket with some awesome fringe. Both look amazing.

Anne Hathaway In Get Smart

Get Smart might not be the best movie that Anne Hathaway has ever been in, but her white leather coat looks fantastic in it. It's not the only time Hathaway has shown up in an iconic leather look, who could ever forget her look in The Dark Knight Rises, it is a unique look that you don't see in a lot of movies. Of course, she completely pulls it off.

Matt Dillon In The Outsiders

The greasers in The Outsiders are mostly known for their jean jackets, but one greaser, Dally (Matt Dillion) wears a leather jacket and he looks exactly the part in it. It's not the cleanest jacket in the world, we wouldn't expect it to be, but man it looks so cool!

Laurence Fishburne In The Matrix

Like many of the characters in The Matrix, Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) looks totally iconic in his leather duster. Sure it's not a "jacket," but there was no way we could leave it off of this list!

Jon Voight In Midnight Cowboy

Midnight Cowboy is a little bit of a forgotten movie these days, but it was a massive hit when it was released. Those who know, know. Jon Voight's suede jacket with the long fringe isn't a look everyone can pull off, and even in the movie it's not always the best look, but looking back, it's safe to say it belongs on this list as one of the best in Hollywood history.

Jason Momoa In Fast X

It's not hard for Jason Momoa to look cool, I think we can all agree. Still, in Fast X, that black and white snakeskin-looking leather jacket is simply amazing. It's not a look that anyone can pull off, in fact, many would look ridiculous in it, but not Momoa, not by a longshot.

Emma Stone In La La Land

Red leather is a fantastic look, though not everyone looks good in it. Emma Stone in La La Land isn't just anyone though. Stone just looks fantastic in the jacket and it, along with all the others on this list, has become iconic.

Think of your favorite movie character of all time. There is a good chance that the actor who ended up playing that part is not the first actor the studio approached. See for yourself by taking a look at this list of celebrities who decided to pass on a movie role that would turn out to make cinematic history.

Will Smith (Neo In The Matrix)

It is actually pretty easy for us to picture what the Matrix movies might have been like with Will Smith as Neo. However, the Academy Award winner seems to believe that Keanu Reeves was the better choice to play the chosen one in the mind-bending, dystopian sci-fi movie classic, claiming in a video on his YouTube channel that he would have "ruined it."

Jodie Foster (Princess Leia in Star Wars)

Fresh off her Academy Award-nominated breakthrough role in 1976's Taxi Driver, a teenage Jodie Foster was offered the chance to be a part of the Star Wars movies as Princess Leia Organa. As she revealed to Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, the two-time Oscar winner had a contractual obligation to an unnamed Disney movie, allowing Carrie Fisher to win the role.

Tom Hanks (Jerry Maguire In Jerry Maguire)

Tom Hanks was on top of the world with two Oscar wins (for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump) when he was offered to play a sports agent down on his luck in Jerry Maguire. He ended up passing on the eponymous role from Cameron Crowe's 1996 dramedy and later told Access Hollywood (via FandomWire), "I think you look at it now and it couldn’t have been anybody other than Tom Cruise," who would receive a nod from the Academy for his performance.

Leonardo DiCaprio (Patrick Bateman In American Psycho)

Christian Bale once told GQ that every one of his roles was first offered to Leonardo DiCaprio and one confirmed example is Patrick Bateman in 2000's American Psycho. The future Oscar winner told The Morning Call that he passed on playing the sadistic yuppie because he felt the script “didn’t mean anything in the end," but rumor has it Bale's stepmom, Gloria Steinem, convinced DiCaprio that it would be bad for his post-Titanic, romantic heartthrob reputation at the time.

Jean-Claude Van Damme (The Predator In Predator)

The titular terrifying alien enemy from 1987's Predator looked a lot different when Jean-Claude Van Damme was still in the role, according to THR's oral history. The Belgian actor star actually shot some footage in the original insect-like suit before deciding he would rather not be hidden in his own movie, leading to a redesign of the costume and the casting of 7'2" Kevin Peter Hall.

Jack Nicholson (Michael Corleone In The Godfather)

While we cannot imagine anyone other than Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, Jack Nicholson probably would have been great in the Godfather movies. However, the three-time Oscar winner refused the offer, explaining to Movieline in 2004 (via ScreenRant) that he believed "Italians should play Italians."

John Travolta (Forrest Gump In Forrest Gump)

When speaking with MTV News (via Collider), John Travolta revealed that he had no regrets about turning down the title role of the Best Picture Oscar winner Forrest Gump and it is no wonder why. Not only did Tom Hanks embody the role to Oscar-winning acclaim but Travolta found career-rejuvenating success with Pulp Fiction in 1994 instead.

Burt Reynolds (James Bond In Live And Let Die)

In 2015, Burt Reynolds told USA Today that, when approached to be Sean Connery's replacement in the James Bond films, he believed the public would not accept a 007 with an American accent. However, he would later come to believe that, "It was a stupid thing to say. I could've done it and I could've done it well."

Eddie Murphy (Winston Zeddemore In Ghostbusters)

While appearing on The Tonight Show in 2019, Eddie Murphy was asked by Jimmy Fallon if it is true that he passed on playing Winston Zeddemore in Ghostbusters. The comedian confirmed that it was true but added that it allowed him the opportunity to lead an even bigger hit from 1984: Beverly Hills Cop.

John Lithgow (Seth Brundle In The Fly)

Jeff Goldblum's iconic role from David Cronenberg's 1986 remake of The Fly was previously offered to John Lithgow, who told IndieWire that he said no, not wanting to play "something so grotesque.” Having witnessed Seth Brundle's transformation into a half-human, half-insect in the intense body horror movie, we cannot say we blame him.

Tom Selleck (Indiana Jones In Raiders Of The Lost Ark)

Having already worked with Harrison Ford three times before, George Lucas was reluctant to cast the Han Solo actor as Indiana Jones, opening up the opportunity for a rotation of actors, including Tom Selleck. As he recalled on Today, the actor was forced to pass on 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, due to his commitment to the CBS crime drama, Magnum P.I.

Christopher Lee (Dr. Loomis In Halloween)

While already a horror movie icon at the time for his acclaimed portrayal of Dracula and role in 1973's The Wicker Man, Christopher Lee could have added one of the all-time best horror movies, 1978's Halloween, to his resume. According to The Digital Fix, he would come to regret the decision to pass on the role of Michael Myers' psychiatrist, Dr. Sam Loomis, who was immortalized by Donald Pleasance instead.

Christina Applegate (Elle Woods In Legally Blonde)

Before Reese Witherspoon made Elle Woods an icon among fictional lawyers in Legally Blonde and among fictional politicians in the sequel, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, the role was offered to Christina Applegate. The former Married... with Children star later explained to Entertainment Tonight that she was afraid of repeating the ditzy blonde but jokes it was a "stupid move."

Emily Blunt (Black Widow In Iron Man 2)

Scarlett Johansson was perfect as Natasha Romanoff but Emily Blunt would have made a killing as the Avenger also called Black Widow. The English actor explained to Howard Stern that she could not originate the role for the MCU in 2010's Iron Man 2 because she was contractually obligated to appear in that year's adaptation of Gulliver's Travels.

Emma Watson (Mia In La La Land)

Playing Mia in 2016's La La Land earned Emma Stone her first Oscar win but the role of the aspiring actor had originally gone to another Emma: Emma Watson. The Harry Potter movies star said in a SiriusXM Town Hall interview (via Us Weekly) that her commitment to Beauty and the Beast and the hard work required to star in the musical led her to pull out.

Gwyneth Paltrow (Rollergirl In Boogie Nights)

Heather Graham made her mainstream breakthrough in 1998's Boogie Nights as "Rollergirl" – a role that was previously offered to Gwyneth Paltrow. The future Oscar winner told Howard Stern (via Us Weekly) that she passed because she feared the role, which required her to completely disrobe and simulate lewd acts on camera, would "kill" her conservative grandfather.

Jennifer Hudson (Precious In Precious)

Jennifer Hudson had previously said in her memoir, I Got This: How I Changed My Ways And Lost What Weighed Me Down, that she turned down the title role of Precious because she did not want to take a role that involved her weight. The Oscar winner later retracted that statement when speaking to The Huffington Post, explaining that Was not interested in what the role, which ultimately went to Gabourey Sibide, would have required her to do at that point in her career.

Matt Damon (Jake Sully In Avatar)

Sam Worthington became a household name when he led James Cameron's astonishingly successful sci-fi epic, Avatar, as Jake Sully – a role previously offered to Matt Damon. The Oscar winner once joked to Access Hollywood that not participating in the 2009 film cost the movie "a lot."

Ian McKellan (Albus Dumbledore In Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban)

The Lord of the Rings movies' Gandalf actor, Sir Ian McKellan, could have added another famous wizard to his resume and become the Harry Potter franchise's new Albus Dumbledore. Instead, the part went to Michael Gambon after, as he told BBC News, McKellan turned it down because he couldn’t “take over the part from an actor who I’d known didn’t approve of me,” referring to the late Richard Harris who was a vocal critic of the actor.

Drew Barrymore (Sidney Prescott In Scream)

Given Drew Barrymore's A-list status in 1996, audiences assumed that she was the lead of Wes Craven's Scream, which could have been the case, as she confirmed on Hot Ones. However, she requested to be killed off in the beginning as Casey Becker, knowing it would shock the audience, paving the way for Neve Campbell to become a Scream Queen in the role of Sidney Prescott.

Angela Bassett (Leticia Musgrove In Monster’s Ball)

Halle Berry became the first Black Best Actress Oscar winner for her performance in Monster's Ball as Leticia Musgrove – a role that was offered to Angela Bassett. According to EW, the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star felt the part of a Black call girl was too stereotypical.

Sean Connery (Gandalf In The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring)

Sir Ian McKellan mentions in an oral history about the Lord of the Rings series for The Independent that an earlier choice to play Gandalf the Grey was Sir Sean Connery. New Line Cinema executive Mark Ordesky notes that the former James Bond actor passed on the role of the wizard simply because he "did not get it."

Bette Midler (Annie Wilkes In Misery)

Despite having no qualms about playing an actual evil witch in 1993's Hocus Pocus, Bette Midler did have some reservations about playing Annie Wilkes in Rob Reiner's adaptation of Stephen King's Misery from 1990. The actor and singer told Variety that was interested in playing the sadistic nurse because of her violent, unfunny, and irredeemable qualities.

Warren Beatty (Bill In Kill Bill)

In 2003, Quentin Tarantino told BBC that he originally started writing the title role of Kill Bill with Warren Beatty in mind because he wanted to work with him and the Oscar winner was set to play the target of Uma Thurman's vengeful Bride for a bit. However, after realizing that David Carradine was a better fit, followed by consideration of the time commitment and martial arts training involved, the actor and filmmaker amicably agreed to part ways.

Michelle Pfeiffer (Clarice Starling In The Silence Of The Lambs)

Michelle Pfeiffer once told Today's Hoda Kotb (via People) that her reasons for passing on roles in the likes of Pretty Woman and Basic Instinct typically had to do with scheduling conflicts. However, she told The New Yorker she passed on playing Clarice Starling (which ultimately went to Jodie Foster) in 1991's The Silence of the Lambs because the “evil” in the film made her nervous.

Al Pacino (Han Solo In Star Wars)

In his memoir, Sonny Boy, Al Pacino reveals that, before Harrison Ford was cast in Star Wars, he was offered the role of Han Solo. The Oscar winner explains that he could not "make anything out of" George Lucas' script and chose not to play the pilot of the Millennium Falcon.

Bela Lugosi (The Creature In Frankenstein)

According to the book, The Immortal Count: The Life and Films of Bela Lugosi by Arthur Lennig (via SlashFilm), the star of 1931's Dracula had the opportunity to play two Universal Monsters in the same year, having also been offered to play The Creature in Frankenstein. However, the actor believed such a role was "beneath him," paving the way for Boris Karloff to rise up in the ranks of horror royalty as Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s creation.

Haley Lu Richardson (Dani Ardor In Midsommar)

Haley Lu Richardson, known for one of the best M. Night Shyamalan movies, Split, passed on the role of Dani Ardor in Ari Aster's 2019 sophomore effort, Midsommar. The A24 horror masterpiece was ultimately led by Florence Pugh, whom Richardson told Backstage she has nothing but praise for, despite not yet having the courage to watch the movie.

Julia Roberts (Annie Reed In Sleepless In Seattle)

The two most prestigious queens of the rom-com genre would have to be Julia Roberts and Meg Ryan but only one could play Annie Reed in Sleepless in Seattle. Roberts told InStyle (via ABC News) that she was offered the part but could not do it, adding that Ryan and Tom Hanks "are just such a jewel of a fit in that."

Jamie Lee Curtis (Regan MacNeil In The Exorcist)

Jamie Lee Curtis became horror royalty with her feature film debut in 1978's Halloween but her reign could have begun earlier if not for one thing: her mother, Janet Leigh. Curtis told EW that, when she was asked to audition for Regan MacNeil in 1973's The Exorcist (which would go to Linda Blair), the Psycho star spoke on the then-13-year-old's behalf and refused the offer.

Lee Marvin (Quint In Jaws)

Robert Shaw's performance as Quint in Jaws is nearly as famous as the man-eating shark itself but the English actor was actually not Steven Spielberg's first choice. The filmmaker told Vanity Fair that he previously approached Lee Marvin but the Dirty Dozen star was not interested.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Amber In Clueless)

Elisa Donovan's character in Clueless, Amber, very nearly went to the future star of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar. Adam Schroeder, the co-producer of the 1995 high school movie classic, told Vanity Fair that the actor's commitment to the soap opera All My Children at the time forced her to recede from consideration.

Even the greatest actors have ups and downs in their careers. For some, it's more dramatic than others. John Travolta was virtually forgotten about before Quentin Tarantino cast him in Pulp Fiction, for example. Then there was "The McConaissance," when Matthew McConaughey roared back to prominence. Those two are hardly alone in finding roles that brought them back. Here is our list of 32 roles that saved actors' careers. 

Pulp Fiction - John Travolta

This was a big one. In the late '70s, there wasn't a bigger star than John Travolta. On the strength of a hit TV show (Welcome Back, Kotter), and two huge hits at the box office with Saturday Night Fever and Grease, Travolta was on top of the world. Then, almost all of a sudden, poof, he was gone. In the 16 years between Grease in 1978 and 1994, he appeared in only 11 movies, and three of those were Look Who's Talking movies and most of them bombed. Then Tarantino came along and cast him as Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction and once again, Travolta was on top of the business and he's never looked back. 

Dallas Buyers Club - Matthew McConaughey

Matthew McConaughey exploded onto the scene in the early '90s in Dazed And Confused, where he delivered some of the most iconic quotes. In the mid-90s he started playing more dramatic roles in movies like A Time To Kill, Contact, and Amistad. By the early 2000s, he established himself as a popular lead in rom-coms. Then, after a few of his movies struggled to make an impact in the late 2000s, his star faded a little. That all changed in 2013 when he starred in, and won a Best Actor Oscar, for Dallas Buyers Club and The McConaissance was born. 

Stranger Things - Winona Ryder

With movies like Beetlejuice, Heathers,  The Age of Innocence, and Little Women, Winona Ryder was a superstar in the late '80s and early '90s. But in the early '00s, after some bad press for her shoplifting conviction, Ryder's star had fallen quite a bit and she even took a short break from acting. Though she never fell off the map completely, it wasn't until she starred in Stranger Things starting in 2016, that Ryder returned to the top. 

Judy - Renée Zellweger

Between Jerry McGuire in 1996 and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason in 2005, Renée Zellweger was one of the most popular and successful actors in Hollywood. With a slew of hits and awards,  Zellweger could do no wrong. Then, after a few less-than-successful movies, the industry showed how fickle it could be and she fell off the A-list. That all changed in 2019 with Judy, followed up with the TV series The Thing About Pam.

The Whale - Brendan Fraser

the 1990s were Brendan Fraser's decade. He had some massive hits, most notably The Mummy in 1999, but soon after, it's like everything dried up. He worked still, but barely and it left the world asking what had become of the heartthrob. He answered every one with his amazing performance in The Whale, winning the Best Actor Oscar and roaring back to the top. 

Birdman - Michael Keaton

In the 1980s, Michael Keaton delivered some of the funniest lines in some of the funniest movies. In the mid-90s and early 00s, his career slowed a bit. He was still working but wasn't the big star he'd been when he got the role in Tim Burton's Batman. That is, of course, until he starred as an actor much like himself in Birdman and brought the great actor back to the top of the A-list. 

House Of Cards - Robin Wright

When she burst onto the scene in The Princess Bride, the sky was the limit for Robin Wright. She reached new heights with her role as Jenny in Forrest Gump but found herself a tabloid regular with her marriage to Sean Penn. Ultimately, she found perhaps her greatest fame when she landed the role of Claire Underwood in Netflix's House Of Cards. 

Everything Everywhere All at Once - Ke Huy Quan

Has there ever been a feel-good story in Hollywood like Ke Huy Quan's return to fame after winning an Oscar for his role in Everything Everywhere All at Once? After decades of virtually not working in the industry, having found fame as a kid, Quan was once again the toast of the town. 

Halloween (2018) - Jamie Lee Curtis

She's been called the original slasher film "final girl" for her role in the original Halloween, and Jamie Lee Curtis rode that fame to the top of Hollywood. You might not remember, but in 2006 she actually announced her retirement from acting. Though she didn't give it up completely, she was very selective about roles, mostly playing supporting characters. That changed with 2018 Halloween when she roared back into the business head first. 

Sin City - Mickey Rourke

People forget just how huge Mickey Rourke was in the 80s. Men wanted to be him and women wanted to be with him, as they say. Then, he decided he'd put acting on the back burner and become a boxer. After a somewhat successful run, he returned to acting, and with Sin City and The Wrestler, Rouke was back on top in Hollywood

Scream - Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore became a huge star as a kid in the 1980s with movies like E.T. and Firestarter. In her teens, some personal problems derailed things a little, but when she starred in Scream, it brought her completely back and she's never looked back. 

Wild - Reese Witherspoon

When Reese Witherspoon won the Academy Award for her performance in 2005's Walk The Line, she was on top of the world. Just a few years later though, after a string of poorly performing romance movies Witherspoon dubbed her "love triangle period," her career hit a valley. Then came Wild which marked not only her resurgence as an actor but her transition to big-time producer as well. 

Iron Man - Robert Downey, Jr

There probably isn't a more famous comeback story than Robert Downey, Jr. After years of personal problems and addiction, his career looked like it was going to be completely wasted. Then Downey sobered up and landed the role of a lifetime as Tony Stark/Iron Man and the rest is history. 

Arrested Development - Jason Bateman

Jason Bateman has had quite a few ups and downs in his career. In the '80s, he was a teen star on the verge of big things, but then his career hit a serious lull. It really wasn't until the cult success of Arrested Development that Bateman once again commanded must-see TV. 

Ryan Reynolds - Deadpool

With big roles in 90s TV shows like Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Two Guys And A Girl, Ryan Reynolds was poised for huge success. At first, that's what he found, but it started to fizzle out with a string of forgettable movies in the late '00s and early teens, including the disaster that was The Green Lantern. Then came another superhero movie in 2015 called Deadpool and now he will be doing that until he's 90. 

Yellowjackets - Christina Ricci

By no fault of her own, Christina Ricci's career hit a string of bad luck with projects that she shined in, but for one reason or another didn't capture the attention of audiences. That changed, obviously, with Yellowjackets starting in 2021. 

The Godfather - Marlon Brando

People forget that when Francis Ford Coppola cast Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone, Brando was on the outs in Hollywood. It's well-known lore at this point that Coppola had to fight to get the legend in the movie, but we're all grateful he did. 

24 - Kiefer Sutherland

With roles in Stand By Me, The Lost Boys,  and the two Young Guns movies, the late '80s and early '90s were big for Kiefer Sutherland. The mid and late '90s saw a bit of a lull with some box office disappointments. In 2001, Sutherland took on the role of Jack Bauer in 24, which quickly became one of the most popular shows on TV and Sutherland rode it to a new level of fame. 

 Orange Is The New Black - Natasha Lyonne

Legal and personal problems almost completely derailed Natasha Lyonne's promising career in the '00s. Thankfully, she got the help she needed and cleaned up, she scored a role on the Netflix hit Orange Is The New Black and she's continued to crush in a number of roles since. 

This Is Us - Mandy Moore

Around the turn of the century, Mandy Moore was unstoppable, starring in hit movies and charting on the Top 40. It was in 2016, however, when she was cast as the matriarch in This Is Us that her fame shot to an entirely new level. 

The Town - Ben Affleck

After a big decade in the '90s, Ben Affleck's fame in the '00s was more about the tabloids than it was about his filmography. It took a few years, but eventually, he proved to everyone how great a filmmaker he was with The Town in 2010, and ever since, he's been crushing it. 

Monster-in-Law - Jane Fonda

There weren't many bigger stars in Hollywood than Jane Fonda in the '70s and '80s. Then, in 1991, she announced she was retiring from acting, coinciding with her marriage to Ted Turner. She returned, to everyone's delight, in 2005's Monster-In-Law alongside Jennifer Lopez and has scoring hits ever since. 

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle - Neil Patrick Harris

Like his character on Doogie Howser, MD, Neil Patrick Harris was a prodigy. However after the hit show ended, he struggled to move into more adult roles. Surprisingly, it was playing a fictionalized version of himself in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle that landed him back on audiences' radar screens, and then he landed his most famous gig on How I Met Your Mother

Bohemian Rhapsody - Mike Myers

Mike Myers was everywhere in the 1990s. From SNL to Wayne's World (one of the best movies based on an SNL character) to Shrek to Austin Powers, he was on top of the world. In 2010, after a string of box office misses, he retreated from the scene, only to emerge with a glorious role in 2018's Bohemian Rhapsody. 

John Wick - Keanu Reeves

After proving to be box office gold for a couple of decades, Keanu Reeves had a string of misses in the late '00s, but when he teamed up with director Chad Stahelski for John Wick in 2014, he helped launch a whole new franchise that continues to pump out hits. 

Unfaithful - Diane Lane

Diane Lane has always been selective about her roles, going back to her early days in Hollywood in the '80s. This has led to multiple career "revivals" but the most notable has to be her turn in the hit Unfaithful in 2002 which earned her a Best Actress nomination at the Oscars in 2003. 

Airplane! - Leslie Nielsen

For a generation of audiences, Leslie Nielson will forever be known for his roles in some of the best parody movies like Airplane! and The Naked Gun. But before Nielson was delivering hilarious lines in those movies, he was known for his dramatic acting., though his career had slowed before he reinvented himself in the first Airplane!  

Striptease - Burt Reynolds

Burt Reynolds was one of Hollywood's biggest stars in the '70s, but a few poorly received movies in the '80s knocked him off that lofty perch. While many might point to his role in Boogie Nights in 1997 as reviving his career, it was really his hilarious performance in Striptease from a year earlier that put him back on the map.

No Country For Old Men - Josh Brolin

After finding success as a young star in the 1980s in movies like The Goonies, Josh Brolin hit a career drought that lasted more than a decade and left him wondering if he'd ever regain his earlier success. He did so and more after his amazing turn in No Country For Old Men in 2007 and has been one of Hollywood's best ever since. 

Trading Places - Don Ameche

With an amazing career that had started in the 1930s, Don Ameche's bookings dried up in the 1970s. Luckily for all of his, he landed a role as one of the Duke Brothers in Trading Places and he once again was a huge star, this time with a whole new, younger, generation of fans. 

Sea of Love - Al Pacino

It is easy to forget that even the greatest sometimes find themselves in slumps. Such was the case with Al Pacino in the mid 1980s. After all the incredible success of the '70s, he learned how fickle Hollywood can be and it wasn't until 1989's Sea Of Love that Pacino regained his rightful spot among the elite. 

Rocky Balboa - Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone is responsible for some of the biggest franchises in Hollywood history, but even the great ones stumble. Stallone had a pretty rough run of bad movies in the late '90s and early '00s, but when he returned to his roots in 2006's Rocky Balboa, he once again found his footing and not only starring in Rambo, reviving his other monster franchise, but he launched a new one with The Expendables.

Your favorite movie and TV star had to start somewhere and, sometimes, that somewhere is appearing in commercials. There have also been some cases in which an actor has already made it to the top but decided to lend their star power to a TV ad. You can find both kinds in the following collection of TV commercials featuring some huge celebrities.

Ben Affleck (Burger King)

An early blip in Ben Affleck's acting career was a commercial for the popular fast food chain, Burger King. The future live-action Batman actor and Academy Award-winning filmmaker plays a teen who accidentally invents Door Dash when his car phone intercepts a car from a girl who wants to order a whopper.

Cameron Diaz (Coca-Cola)

When Cameron Diaz was still a model primarily, one of her first experiences with acting – before making her feature debut in The Mask – was in a TV ad. The future Shrek movie star shines in an early '90s Coca-Cola commercial that feels a lot more like a perfume ad from the era in its alluring direction.

Paul Rudd (Super Nintendo)

All of Paul Rudd's versatile talents – from making us laugh in movies like The 40-Year-Old Virgin to thrilling us as Ant-Man in the Marvel movies – can be traced back to a Super Nintendo commercial he did in the early '90s. He plays a very enthusiastic video gamer who attracts a crowd when he, somehow, hooks up his console to a drive-in theater projector for the ultimate experience of playing The Legend of Zelda and other favorites.

Jennifer Lawrence (My Super Sweet 16)

Jennifer Lawrence got to be the original My Super Sweet 16 girl without appearing on the actual reality TV series that documented wealthy young women's extravagant birthday celebrations. MTV ran dramatized promos for the then-new show starring the future Academy Award winner and Hunger Games movie star as the birthday girl who encounters a few mishaps during her festivities.

Brad Pitt (Pringles)

Years before he starred in Super Bowl Heineken ad helmed by his Fight Club director, David Fincher, the then-up-and-coming Brad Pitt got a taste of commercial acting by starring in a 1988 Pringles spot. He plays one of three surfer dudes who become stranded on the side of a California road when a trio of lovely women approach them for an impromptu Pringles party.

Amy Adams (Commercial Federal Bank)

Mainstream audiences first became aware of Amy Adams' impeccable singing talent in 2007's Enchanted but customers at Commercial Federal Bank were really the first to discover her. In 1997, the multi-Oscar nominee starred as an Olvia Newton-John lookalike in a parody of 1978's Grease for the bank.

Steve Carell (Brown's Chicken)

Steve Carell's channeled his inner Michael Scott long before leading NBC's The Office cast when he was just starting out acting in commercials. In the early 1990s, he played a Brown's Chicken employee whose clumsy mistake while setting up a marquee advertising "cholesterol-free cooking" accidentally convinces customers the food will cost them nothing.

Drew Barrymore (Pillsbury)

It must have been clear to anyone who spotted Drew Barrymore in her early Pillsbury commercial that she was destined to capture our hearts in E.T. the Extra-terrestrial just a few years later. The 1979 ad stars the then-four-year-old as a little girl whose mother cheers her up on a rainy day by making chocolate chip cookies.

Leonardo DiCaprio (Bubble Yum)

Before breaking out with his supporting role in Growing Pains and really hitting big leading the Titanic cast, the up-and-coming Leonardo DiCaprio did a few commercials. One sees the future Oscar winner demonstrate his natural charisma while demonstrating the powerful flavor of Bubble Yum bubble gum.

Arnold Schwarzenegger (Alinamin V)

You may never be able to look at Arnold Schwarzenegger the same way again after witnessing the series of gobsmackingly bizarre ads the Terminator star filmed in Japan long after his big break. As the spokesperson for an energy drink called Alinamin V, the future California governor puts on a maniacally large smile and is sometimes seen riding the beverage's bottle into space or popping out of it like a genie.

Mila Kunis (Telephone Tammy)

Had Mila Kunis' Jackie Burkhart been a child of the '90s, Telephone Tammy – a doll who responds to your call with an included play phone – sounds like the kind of toy she would have grown up with. Not to mention the fact that the future That '70s Show cast member appeared in a commercial for Mattel when she was just starting out.

Morgan Freeman (Polaroid)

Future Academy Award winner and voice-over extraordinaire Morgan Freeman starred in a number of TV commercials early on in his career. One such ad was a 1970s spot for Polaroid, not as the man holding the camera that instantly prints out photos but the man telling the amateur photographer to cool it with the reshoots.

Britney Spears (Maull's)

Die-hard fans of pop superstar Britney Spears know that she started out as a child actor who worked with Ryan Gosling on The Mickey Mouse Club, among other rising stars. One of her earlier roles was a young girl who was apparently very excited to eat a home-cooked hamburger in a commercial for Maull's Barbecue Sauce, a local St. Louis brand.

Mark Hamill (Kodak)

Before playing Luke in the Star Wars movies made him familiar with technology from a galaxy far, far away, Mark Hamill represented what must have felt like a futuristic innovation at the time. He starred in a 1975 commercial for a Kodak camera that takes high-resolution photos from far away, allowing him to snap a shot of his girlfriend (and her mother) on a balcony while he stays on the ground.

Anne Hathaway (Better Homes And Gardens Real Estate)

Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway first showed her talent for performing in romantic dramas like One Day and The Idea of You in a 1996 commercial for Better Homes and Gardens. She plays a young woman who believes she and her boyfriend will still have time to spend before his family moves away until they learn the real estate agency has already sold the house.

J.K. Simmons (Farmers Insurance)

From his memorable roles in HBO's Oz and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies, J.K. Simmons was pretty well known by the time he was cast as Professor Nathaniel Burke of the University of Farmers for a long-running Farmers Insurance ad campaign. When he won his Oscar for Whiplash, host Neil Patrick Harris sang an impromptu parody of the company's commercial jingle.

Harrison Ford (Kirin)

Playing Han Solo in Star Wars and the title hero of the Indiana Jones movies made Harrison Ford an international star and one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He would also increase his notoriety in Japan by starring in a series of commercials for a regional brand of lager called Kirin.

Keanu Reeves (Corn Flakes)

Before playing a master of kung fu in The Matrix, a master of gun-fu in the John Wick movies, and a master of excellency in the Bill & Ted movies, Keanu Reeves played a master of sneaking a bowl of cereal for himself. The role of a waiter who enjoys some of the breakfast food he has been hired to serve comes from an '80s-era ad for Kellogg's Corn Flakes.

Betty White (Snickers)

Snickers had a funny ad campaign starring well-known actors as metaphorical representations of the out-of-character behavior of hungry people. One of the earliest, and funniest, stars the legendary Betty White as a dude who needs a bite of the protein-loaded candy bar when his performance in a casual football game is off.

Bruce Willis (Seagram's Coolers)

When he was best known for Moonlighting and before starring in one of the all-time greatest action movies, Die Hard, Bruce Willis had another claim to fame: Seagram's Golden. He served as the adult beverage's spokesperson in a series of ads, some of which utilized his musical talents.

Jeff Goldblum (Apartments.com)

It's a little strange how a performer as widely recognized and beloved as Academy Award nominee Jeff Goldblum would be hired to star in an ongoing ad campaign as an original character and not just as himself. Nevertheless, the star of Jurassic Park and The Fly is dazzling and dazzling in the Apartments.com commercials as Brad Bellflower.

Sharon Stone (Finesse)

In the 1990s, films like Basic Instinct and her Academy Award-nominated role in director Martin Scorsese's Casino made Sharon Stone one of the most esteemed, and desirable, actors of her time. In the 1980s, her looks helped sell Finesse shampoo as one of the most desirable brands in the hair care market.

Jack Black (Pitfall)

It appears that Jack Black's charismatic, high-energy sense of humor was something he possessed from a young age. Exhibit A: his appearance in a 1982 commercial for Atari's Pitfall, as a wide-eyed child in a safari hat enthusiastically recalling his experience in the jungle-set video game, years before he played a jungle-set video game character in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Burger King)

No one would have believed, in 1983, that an adorable six-year-old girl who became a recurring spokesperson for Burger King would grow up to become one of the fiercest horror Scream Queens in the genre's history. Yet, that would become Sarah Michelle Gellar's destiny after leading the Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast as the titular defender against evil.

Tobey Maguire (Tropicana Twister)

In 1991, when he was still a teen, Tobey Maguire did an ad for a blended juice drink from Tropicana called Tropicana Twister. The future Spider-Man actor only briefly appears as a kid who breaks the fourth wall, suggesting that broccoli be added to the next unique flavor combination.

Courteney Cox (Tampax)

Before starring in the Friends cast as Monica Gellar, Courteney Cox was best known in the 1980s for dancing with Bruce Springsteen in the "Dancing in the Dark" video. However, did you catch the future Scream movies star's appearance in a Tampax ad as a gym patron?

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Pop-Tarts)

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is one of the most acclaimed former child stars who still act, with film and TV credits that back to the late '80s and early '90s like Angels in the Outfield and, of course, 3rd Rock from the Sun. If you go back even earlier than those classics, you can see the future Looper and Inception star in a 1991 ad for Kellogg's Pop-Tarts as a child who child urging his father to have breakfast before he leaves for work and offers him the toaster pastry.

Bryan Cranston (Preparation H)

Four-time Emmy winner and one-time Academy Award nominee Bryan Cranston has worn many faces throughout his career, from a hapless suburban dad in the Malcolm in the Middle cast to a ruthless drug lord as the lead of the Breaking Bad cast. Years before then, he wore the face of a spokesperson for Preparation H in a commercial from the early 1980s.

Willem Dafoe (Mercedes Benz)

With roles like one of the best Spider-Man movie villains, Green Goblin, and others, Willem Dafoe has proven time and time again that he plays an exceptional bad guy. Thus, he was the perfect choice to star in a Super Bowl ad for Mercedes Benz as the Devil, who almost convinces a young man to trade his soul for the car until he learns how affordable it is.

Geena Davis (WMET)

With an eclectic career that includes her Academy Award-winning role in The Accidental Tourist, the horror-comedy movie favorite Beetlejuice, and plenty more, it is clear Geena Davis can be anything. So, we imagine early '80s TV viewers who lived in the region where WMET broadcasted had no trouble accepting her as the voice of the local rock radio station when she starred in its enchanting commercial.

Jeremy Renner (Duracell)

Before he was defending the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the Avengers, Jeremy Renner made a living as a commercial actor. One of his greatest hits was a 90s-era Duracell ad in which he plays a tourist in Mexico whose stereo battery harnesses the power of a herd bulls.

John Travolta (U.S. Army)

Years before he played Santa in a Capital One ad and sent up his role in Grease for T-Mobile, John Travolta starred in an Army recruitment promo in 1973. Just four years later, his Academy Award-nominated lead role in Saturday Night Fever made him one of the biggest stars on the planet.

Actors make good movies and actors make bad movies. It’s just the law of averages and part of the game. However, sometimes an actor shows up in a movie so repugnant that it becomes a detriment to their career or ruins it entirely. One day you’re winning the Oscar for Best Picture, the next you’re taking home some Razzies.

Come with us as we break down 32 movies that ruined an actor’s career and what made them so bad. The perennial A-listers who ran out of steam and up-and-comers whose rise to fame was cut short on this list are wild, to say the least.

The Love Guru (Mike Myers)

Mike Myers had a stellar career on Saturday Night Live and was one of the funniest movie stars of the latter part of the 20th century thanks to ‘90s comedy movies like Wayne’s World and Austin Powers franchises, but the 2000s weren’t as kind to the comedian. After a string of duds, Myers starred in 2008’s The Love Guru, a “comedy” so bad, so tasteless, and so unfunny that Myers never really rebounded outside of voice roles.

Showgirls (Elizabeth Berkley)

Elizabeth Berkley seemed like a star on the rise after ending her run on Saved by the Bell in the early ‘90s, but that all came crashing down after taking the lead role in Paul Verhoeven’s erotic drama, Showgirls. Sure, the movie about a young drifter finding her place in Las Vegas’ showgirl scene is considered a cult classic years later, but there’s a reason we didn’t see too much of Berkley on the big screen after this one.

Batman & Robin (Alicia Silverstone)

Alicia Silverstone was one of the “it” girls of ‘90s cinema thanks to iconic performances in the likes of Clueless, The Crush, and all those Aerosmith videos, so it only seemed natural for her to land one of the lead roles in Batman & Robin. Unfortunately for Silverstone, and everyone else involved, the movie was abysmal and resulted in a complete reboot of the franchise, one that wouldn’t arrive until Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins debuted nearly a decade later.

The Master Of Disguise (Dana Carvey)

Both before and after his SNL run, Dana Carvey appeared in classics like This Is Spinal Tap and Wayne’s World. That success would run dry with the 2002 release of The Master of Disguise, a movie that showcased Carvey’s zany characters, but not much else. 

Rollerball (Chris Klein)

Remember when Chris Klein seemed like a star in the making after great performances in Election and American Pie? Well, that was all ruined with the 2002 release of Rollerball, a remake of a better and more cohesive ‘70s movie of the same name. 

Norbit (Eddie Murphy)

Some of Eddie Murphy’s best movies were those where he played multiple characters, but Norbit is no Coming to America or The Nutty Professor. This 2007 comedy saw Murphy play an unhappily married couple and was received so poorly that people are still not convinced it didn't cost him an Oscar for his Dreamgirls performance.

Superman Returns (Brandon Routh)

It’s not like Brandon Routh never acted again after playing the titular hero in Superman Returns, but it’s safe to say his career never reached great heights after the 2006 movie either. He was great as Todd Ingram in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, but Routh hasn’t had a remarkable go of it after having such a grand start.

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (Ahmed Best)

It’s not Ahmed Best’s fault Star Wars Episode I – The Phantom Menace was so bad. It’s not Ahmed Best’s fault Jar Jar Binks has become one of the most detested characters in the galaxy far, far away. And it’s not Ahmed Best’s fault his career was ruined by the 1999 prequel film. 

In The Cut (Meg Ryan)

Meg Ryan was coming off a string of appearing in some of the best romantic comedies of all time when she took on a more dramatic role in the 2003 thriller, In the Cut. But for some reason, Jane Campion’s thriller about a woman getting wrapped up in a series of murders just didn’t work.

Battlefield Earth (John Travolta)

Battlefield Earth, with all of its Dutch angles, terrible lines, and over-the-top performances was so bad that it canceled out all the goodwill John Travolta earned with Pulp Fiction not even a decade earlier.

Soul Man (C. Thomas Howell)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Outsiders, and  Red Dawn all made C. Thomas Howell one of the brightest young Hollywood stars in the early-to-mid ‘80s, but then came Soul Man, a movie in which he wore blackface. Howell’s been in scores of movies since, but most are direct-to-video or bargain bin material.

Son Of The Mask (Jamie Kennedy)

A sequel no one wanted, Son of the Mask brought in Jamie Kennedy to try and recapture the energy of Jim Carrey more than a decade earlier. Despite his best efforts, the Malibu’s Most Wanted and Scream star just couldn’t do it (maybe the script is to blame), and he never really rebounded. 

Sahara (Matthew McConaughey)

Though not Matthew McConaughey’s worst movie, Sahara is far from being his best. Released nearly a decade before the Dallas Buyers Club and True Detective star won all kinds of awards during the peak of the “McConaissance,” this 2005 dud was one of the straws that broke the camel’s back.

Abduction (Taylor Lautner)

Remember when Taylor Lautner seemed like one of the biggest stars on the planet and then abruptly disappeared? Well, we probably have Abduction, his 2011 action thriller to blame for that. Though he would have a few movies after the Twilight saga ended the next year, but Grown Ups 2 and The Ridiculous 6 finished off what Abduction started.

John Carter (Taylor Kitsch)

John Carter was supposed to be the biggest movie and Taylor Kitsch was going to become the biggest action star, but neither happened after this 2012 box office disaster happened. The Friday Night Lights star would show up some more on the small screen in the years that followed with True Detective Season 2 and the bonkers Waco limited series.

The Godfather Part III (Sofia Coppola)

Before becoming one of the big filmmakers of her time and crafting movies like Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, and Priscilla, Sofia Coppola began as an actress, appearing in many films by her father, Francis Ford Coppola. But that acting career pretty much came to an end following the release of The Godfather Part III, in which she replaced Winona Ryder and was then torn apart by critics.

Josie And The Pussycats (Rachael Leigh Cook)

In the late ‘90s, Rachael Leigh Cook became a massive star thanks to her take on Laney Boggs in She’s All That. But then came the 2001 adaptation of Josie and the Pussycats, a movie so bad that no one was safe from its fallout outside of Rosario Dawson and Parker Posey.

The Postman (Kevin Costner)

Kevin Costner was on top of the world when he decided to direct and star in The Postman. But unlike Dances with Wolves, which earned him multiple Oscars and a ton of praise, this 1997 sci-fi epic didn’t impress anyone and set the actor back a bit. He’s since rebounded, but it’s not hard to imagine “what if” in this case.

After Earth (Jaden Smith)

With memorable performances in The Pursuit of Happyness and The Karate Kid, Jaden Smith seemed like the next second-generation star to take over Hollywood. But then came After Earth, a forgettable (at best) sci-fi thriller alongside his dad, Will Smith. 

Pinocchio (Roberto Benigni)

For a while there, it seemed like Roberto Benigni couldn’t do anything wrong as both an actor and filmmaker. Well, that all changed with his 2002 adaptation of Pinocchio, specifically the English dub, which earned a stunning 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes. He’s only appeared in a handful of movies since, including the 2019 adaptation of Carlo Collodi’s classic tale.

The Passion Of The Christ (Jim Caviezel)

Though he’ll always be recognizable thanks to his portrayal of Jesus in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, Jim Caviezel’s career was never the same after this historic film. He’s still making movies, but not on the same level as The Thin Red Line, The Rock, or G.I. Jane, though his run on Person of Interest was impressive.

Cutthroat Island (Matthew Modine)

A few years before the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise took the pirate genre to new heights, Matthew Modine starred in 1995’s Cutthroat Island, a movie that would prove to be detrimental to his career for years to come. Modine would later find success again after working on shows like Weeds and Stranger Things, but it would take many years to get there.

Catwoman (Halle Berry)

Halle Berry was an Oscar-winning actress when she took on the lead role in Catwoman, which is often considered one of the worst superhero movies of all time. And while it would take a few years for the stink to wash off, Berry did have some fun with the experience and even accepted her own Razzy.

The Lone Ranger (Johnny Depp)

The Lone Ranger somehow received an Oscar nomination, which doesn’t make sense considering it stopped Armie Hammer from becoming a massive action star and cooled off Johnny Depp’s incredible box office run. Aside from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Depp hasn’t had a whole lot of success since.

The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Sean Connery)

Sean Connery famously retired from acting after appearing in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which is a shame because the late James Bond actor’s swan song was out of tune and off-key, to say the least. This abysmal book-to-screen adaptation of one of the best graphic novels of the 20th century is often forgotten 20-plus years after its release, and it’s probably for the better.

Welcome To Mooseport (Gene Hackman)

Gene Hackman has had one of the best careers in Hollywood history, but that all came to an end after the release of Welcome to Mooseport. Hackman, who seems to be living a quiet and reclusive life these days, hasn’t been on screen since this 2004 comedy starring Ray Romano. Though not the worst movie ever made, this box office and critical dud didn’t do anyone any favors.

Howard The Duck (Lea Thompson)

An ‘80s movie that has not stood the test of time, Howard the Duck is one of those comic book movies that came out before Hollywood figured things out when it came to the genre. Though Robin Williams jumped ship and salvaged his career, Lea Thompson wasn’t as lucky and went through a tough stage before finally rebounding.

Freddy Got Fingered (Tom Green)

Freddy Got Fingered was never supposed to be a good movie, but Tom Green’s bonkers big-screen gross-fest was enough to turn people off to the idea of the MTV personality and prankster ever getting a large sum of cash ever again. Those who have seen it know why, and those who haven’t should be warned.

Chairman Of The Board (Carrot Top)

Carrot Top is still making the rounds as a prop comedian, but the eccentric showman has not been given the lead role in a movie since the disaster of Chairman of the Board. Forgettable even by ‘90s standards, this movie was made for an audience of one: its star.

Boat Trip (Cuba Gooding Jr.)

Cuba Gooding Jr. in the ‘90s: Boyz n the Hood, A Few Good Men, Jerry Maguire, As Good as It Gets. Cuba Gooding Jr. in the 2000s: Rat Race, Snow Dogs, Boat Trip. That last film was tasteless, awkward, and just about killed the Oscar winner’s career.

Corky Ramano (Chris Katan)

Though not everyone from SNL can become a Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, or Bill Murray, it at least seemed like Chris Katan would find some success outside of Studio 8H. However, he had to go make Corky Ramano, which is probably the worst comedy to come from the group.

The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin)

The Great Dictator is a great movie, and perhaps one of the best of Charlie Chaplin’s career. However, it now has a legacy of poking fun at Adolf Hitler during a time in which the Nazi leader was systematically exterminating tens of millions of innocent souls across the Atlantic.

Zac Efron’s latest role in Netflix’s A Family Affair has The Iron Claw star playing a fictional actor whom the public cannot get enough of. In one scene, his character, Chris Cole, is stopped in the midst of his assistant getting medical care by the doctor after she walks in on her boss getting intimate with her mother (played by Nicole Kidman). The medical professional gets completely sidetracked by Cole being there and stops to ask him how he did a specific scene in one of his movies. Of course, Efron must deal with this all the time!

So when I sat down with the actor and his co-star Joey King, I asked them what they have gotten stopped for that perhaps they were not expecting. Here’s how the answer played out:

Zac: “I think yeah, anything from when you're a lot younger. It's funny 'cause you like have to go back there in your mind.”

Joey: “Do people talk about 17 Again?”

Zac: “Yeah…”

Joey: “I thought it was special.”

Zac: “I mean that was such a fun experience to work with. Matthew Perry of course was magical and a lot of people wanna know what John Travolta was like for Hairspray.

Joey: [Goes into impression of him] “And, I am Link!”

Zac: “I think I did that like a hundred times.”

Joey: “I love it so much.”

Zac: “That was so fun. Such a dork.”

Joey: “No, it’s my favorite every time. It's so funny, literally when that movie came out, I screamed when you did that. I was like ‘Ah!’”

Zac: "Aw, you made my day."

A “dork”? Excuse me?!!? Much like myself, Joey King grew up at a time when Zac Efron was the heartthrob of heartthrobs. It, of course, started with the phenomenon of the High School Musical movies and continued to grow as he booked more Hollywood roles.

Efron shared that the “deep cut” references that people come up to him about that often shock him have to do with what he did in his younger years, because at this point, that was a long time ago for him. But I’m absolutely shocked that the actor thinks of himself as a “dork” and actually hid his face in embarrassment over mention of the role. It goes to show that no matter who you are, we’re all dealing with our own stories in our heads about not being good enough. That being said, it was funny to see Efron cringe a tad about his younger self, because don’t we all?

Joey King jumped in to ask if asking about 17 Again is popular, which definitely seemed to be the case. It also feels like following the death of Matthew Perry last year, more people, including himself, treasure that film. As Efron pointed out, he’s approached quite a bit for his role in 2007’s Hairspray, particularly for co-starring in one of John Travolta’s best movies. I think a rewatch of Hairspray is in order!

You can stream A Family Affair with a Netflix subscription starting June 28. Check out what other Netflix movie and TV show releases dates are headed our way this summer.

This week, actress Susan Buckner passed away at the age of 72. She was best known for playing Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical, Grease, as well as a handful of other titles like Wes Craven’s Deadly Blessing alongside Sharon Stone, and shows like The Hardy Boys and The Love Boat. She was also a pageant queen, who was crowned Miss Washington in 1971. Of course, she will most be remembered for the sensation that was Grease, and John Travolta posted a sweet tribute honoring the late actress on social media.

Travolta and Buckner had limited screen time together in Grease, as the Patty character mostly was in scenes with the girls of Rydell High, and as the lead, Travolta had many solo scenes with Olivia Newton-John and the rest of the T-Birds. But this doesn’t mean Buckner didn’t make an impact. Travolta seems to remember his time shooting with Buckner fondly, saying on his Instagram story: 

Travolta accompanied his kind words with photos of Buckner from Grease, as well as a more recent photo. It’s been 45 years since the release of Grease, but the family-like filming atmosphere seems to live on in the hearts of the cast, and is definitely one of Travolta’s best films. It’s a special movie to many, with a very talented cast at the center. Susan Buckner, who was in such musical numbers as “Summer Lovin” and in the big school dance competition scene, was a big part of that.

Buckner stepped away from acting in the 80s to live a more quiet life. According to The Guardian, the former actress became a teacher, led dance classes, and even directed children’s plays in Coral Gables, Florida. She may have left Rydell High in the 70s, but the community spirit seems to never have left Buckner. She was one of the best dancers in Grease, with many of her big cartwheels being the highlight of Grease choreography, so she probably had a lot of knowledge to share as well as her talents. 

Sadly, the cast of Grease has faced a number of sad losses over the years. Most notably, Sandra Dee herself, Olivia Newton-John passed away in 2022. Travolta also posted a tribute to their time in Grease as well, which was clearly a special time in his life. Grease made Travolta a movie star, and he clearly hasn’t forgotten the ensemble of people who made that experience so wonderful and made the movie so iconic. Both Olivia Newton-John and Susan Buckner are dearly missed. 

You can revisit Susan Buckner alongside John Travolta in Grease, which is currently streaming now with a Max subscription. The streamer has a number of classic titles available on the service, so make sure to check out our feature on the best movies on Max for more information on other great films. 

Yes, I'm well aware that Father's Day is still a ways off. But, as a father myself, and as somebody who is enamored with the best action movies of all time (and projecting myself into said movies), I'm always a sucker for good dads in action flicks.

Unsurprisingly, I'm not alone, as there are a multitude of fighting fathers at the multiplexes, which just proves that ass-kicking daddy is a popular sub-genre, and definitely wish fulfillment. 

Sure, it's cool to imagine yourself on the big screen (or in an action movie that went right to streaming), being an ass kicking ladies man, a la all those James Bond movies. But, it's even cooler imagining yourself as a papa who could also whoop some ass. So, here are some of the best dads in action movies. Oh, and son. Hold my beer.  

John McClane (Die Hard Series) 

We don’t learn much about John McClane’s children until Parts 4 and 5, which are Live Free or Die Hard, and A Good Day to Die Hard, respectively. But, they’re very interesting relationships, nonetheless. 

His daughter, Lucy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), is not a fan of her father in Part 4, even going so far as to change her last name. But, when she gets taken hostage by a cyberterrorist, you know Papa John is coming to the rescue. And rescue her he does! They’re back on speaking terms after these heroic events. 

In Part 5, which is my LEAST favorite movie of the Die Hard series, we get introduced to his son, John, or Jack, played by Jai Courtney. John is actually as badass as his father, who fights with him in Russia. But, one thing is certain about John McClane, played by the incomparable Bruce Willis (Who our very own Sean O’Connell wrote a whole book about!): Whoever you are, you do not mess with his kids.  

John Matrix (Commando) 

In the greatest action movie of all time (I said what I said), Arnold Schwarzenegger plays John Matrix, a mountain of a man who will stop at nothing to rescue his daughter, Jenny (Alyssa Milano). Here’s the plot: A dictator wants to use John in order to get back into power, and he’s going to kidnap Matrix’s daughter as a means to fulfill his goal. But, he messed with the wrong dude.

Because you just can’t stop John Matrix! Sure, you can try to take him hostage on an airplane, but he’s the kind of man who will break the guy’s neck next to him, and then get off the plane from the wheel compartment. Hell, you’re going to need a small army to keep him from his daughter, and not even that will help you.  

Bryan Mills (Taken Series)  

We all know this, but Bryan Mills’ victims might not be aware that he has “a very particular set of skills.”  But, they soon learn as such when they kidnap his daughter, Kim, played by Maggie Grace. It sets Mills (Liam Neeson) off on a trek to kill the people who kidnapped her.

Mills is the kind of dad you don’t want to bring your boyfriend home to. He seems pleasant enough, but he’s also so protective of his daughter, that you would be walking on eggshells anytime you’re around him, especially if you’re in a kitchen full of knives. Funnily (or stupidly) enough, another bad guy attempted to take his daughter in Taken 3. But, we all know how that ended, and it definitely wasn’t in the bad guy’s favor.  

President James Marshall (Air Force One) 

You wanna talk about fathers? Well, how about our founding fathers, with one of them being George Washington. Known for his bravery and cunning, many Americans consider Washington to be one of America’s greatest presidents, and (check out this segue), one could argue that James Marshall, played by Harrison Ford, is one of America’s greatest movie presidents. 

Quite frankly, Marshall does not negotiate with terrorists. Which is bad news for Egor Korshunov (Gary Oldman), as Marshall isn’t just some pushover president. Nah. He fought in Vietnam and even won the Medal of Honor for his duties. So, mistake #1 was hijacking the plane, but mistake #2 (and this was the even bigger mistake), was taking his wife and daughter hostage. Because that’s what really set him off. Of course the bad guys lose and the good guy wins, because America. Amirite?  

Cameron Poe (Con Air) 

Since we’re already on the topic of planes, let’s talk about Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage), in the awesome (but sometimes nonsensical) ‘90s movie, Con Air. Poe, who went to jail for defending his wife, is the kind of father who will make sure you die if you even dare tamper with the bunny (Just put it back in the box!) that he got for his daughter. 

In a lot of ways, everything he does here is to be back home with his family. Because he was locked up for eight years, he’s going to be coming home to a daughter he didn’t really get to watch grow up. So, that’s why there’s nobody on earth (Or in the air!) who’s going to stop him from seeing his daughter.  

Sean Archer (Face/Off)  

Since we’re on the topic of Nicolas Cage, who I’m always happy to talk about, why not transition over to another ‘90s classic, Face/Off, starring Nic Cage and John Travolta? 

Now, this is going to be a tricky one to describe if you’ve never seen the movie, but John Travolta plays Sean Archer, whose son dies early on, due to Castor Troy, a terrorist played by Cage. Due to a series of events, though, Travolta’s face gets swapped with Cage’s so their roles flip. Now, Cage becomes “the good guy,” and Travolta is bad.

No matter whose face he has, Sean is a good dad (even though he’d been neglecting his wife and daughter while going after Troy). When he realizes how he’s been so single-minded in his pursuit, he learns the true value of being a parent. So much so, that he’s even willing to adopt his rival’s son just to keep him from a life of crime. What a mensch! 

Roger Murtaugh (Lethal Weapon Series)  

Okay, enough of the ‘90s. Let’s talk about the ‘80s, and Lethal Weapon! Roger Murtaugh, played by Danny Glover, is a family man, through-and-through. He’s a Vietnam vet, and will do anything for his kids, such as try to rescue his daughter, Rianne (Traci Wolfe), who gets kidnapped in the first movie by a cartel.

Or, how about how awful he feels in Lethal Weapon 3, when he kills his son’s friend, and then declines mentally due to his guilt? In every way, Murtaugh is the kind of dad who isn’t perfect, but tries his damn best each and every day. And, I can relate as a parent. Because just like Murtaugh, I’m getting too old for this ish.  

Ogami Itto (Lone Wolf And Cub Series) 

On the surface, Ogami Itto (Tomisaburo Wakayama) seems like he might actually be a bad parent. I mean, what kind of dad brings his child into combat where he could die at any point? But, Itto actually presented his baby with an ultimatum: Choose the sword, and he could come with him. Choose the ball, and he would die at his father’s hand. 

Yeah, that still sounds pretty bad, but at the same time, bringing a baby carriage into combat is certainly a hindrance. Itto is ride or die now that he’s committed to taking his son along on his quest for vengeance. Hey, his kid even contributes, killing along the way as well. You know what they say! The family that slays together, stays together. That is what they say, don’t they? 

Dr. Henry Jones Sr. (Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade)  

While I’ll debate with you all day which is the better Indy sequel–Last Crusade or Temple (It’s Temple!), what I won’t debate with you is what a fascinating father Dr. Henry Jones (Sean Connery) is to Indy (Which was the dog’s name!). At first, he seems aloof to his child, as they don’t quite see eye-to-eye. But, throughout their journey together for the Holy Grail, we learn just how similar they actually are to each other. 

It’s also worth noting that Senior truly loves his son, and that it was hard for him to deal with his wife’s death. In turn, Indy truly loves his dad. But, like many contentious families, they’re more alike than they’re ever willing to admit. 

 Who’s your favorite dad in an action movie?  

Believe it or not, 30 years have passed since the release of Quentin Tarantino’s acclaimed action movie and one of the best films of the 90s, Pulp Fiction. Known for its unique mix of wit and stylized action, one of Tarantino’s top-ranked movies continues to be cherished in fans' hearts and minds. Celebrating the milestone, the cast gathered to celebrate its 30th anniversary. One key player was notably absent: Bruce Willis, who retired from acting due to health issues. Amidst the fanfare and nostalgia of the reunion, his co-star, John Travolta, took a moment to warmly reflect on their deep-seated friendship.

The 70-year-old Saturday Night Fever star appeared at a special screening celebrating the 30th anniversary of Pulp Fiction. This event was a highlight of the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival's Opening Night at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Accompanied by his daughter 24-year-old daughter, Ella, he graced the red carpet and took the opportunity to engage in a conversation with ET. During the chat, he fondly recalled moments from the filming days, paying particular attention to his experiences working alongside Bruce Willis:

The friendship between the two stars might have begun on the set of the surprising box office hit Look Who’s Talking but was further cemented during the filming of the Tarantino-helmed crime caper. Pulp Fiction revived John Travolta's career and solidified Bruce Willis' reputation as a versatile actor capable of transitioning from action-packed blockbusters to more nuanced, dramatic roles. 

The iconic Blow Out actor noted the ease and genuine care present between the two actors, expressing gratitude for being part of such a remarkable film. He continued:

Due to his battle with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), Bruce Willis could not be present at the screening. Nonetheless, his presence was felt through his wife, Emma Heming Willis, and his daughter, Tallulah Willis, with whom he shares with former spouse Demi Moore. Both women in his life attended the event on his behalf and definitely represented.

Pulp Fiction made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1994, securing the prestigious Palme d'Or. It was released in American cinemas in October of the same year to widespread praise. The film was a contender for seven Academy Awards, with the Get Shorty star receiving a nod for Best Actor. It did bring home the gold by winning Quentin Tarantino and his writing partner, Roger Avary, the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Following Bruce Willis' retirement announcement, Quentin Tarantino paid homage to the celebrated actor's career. He noted how the Golden Globe recipient utilized his fame to collaborate with a diverse group of filmmakers, leaving behind a legacy of standout performances. It goes without saying that the 1994 action film wouldn't have been what it was without Willis' Butch Coolidge. With that in mind, it's wonderful that the likes of John Travolta and Quentin Tarantino continue to honor Willis, not just for his skills as an actor but for his character as a person.

You can revisit Pulp Fiction and enjoy the outstanding performances by John Travolta, Bruce Willis and co. by streaming the movie with a Max subscription. And be sure to look at our 2024 movie schedule to see what other movies are headed to a theater near you. 

Anyone who has seen Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation must wonder for at least a second if there is truth in Bill Murray’s character of a famous American actor in Japan to film a commercial. Well, there definitely is. Huge American and European stars have been hawking products in Japanese commercials for decades. 

Some of the biggest names in Hollywood, some of whom you’d never expect to be selling cars and shampoo in the States, are happy to do it in Japan. While there was a time those stars may have been labeled as “sell-outs” in the U.S. for doing commercials, it was very lucrative to appear in ads in Japan, without the baggage. Here are just a few of the celebrities who have made those Japanese ads. 

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman is known in the U.S. for her Miss Dior perfume commercials, but in Japan, she’s better known for selling Lux shampoo. The commercial we found is a pretty standard shampoo commercial, very similar to one you’d see in the States with long, flowing locks being flung to and fro. 

Jodie Foster

Two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster is one of those actors you’d least expect to see in a commercial, but in the ‘90s, Foster starred in a campaign for Honda Civics. The commercials are pretty bland, with lots of shots of a smiling Foster standing near the Hondas she was selling. 

George Clooney

He may be one of the biggest movie stars of all time, but George Clooney isn’t above slinging coffee in Europe or doing extensive voice-over work on American commercials. In Japan, he’s the face of Kirin Beer in at least a couple of commercials, co-starring with some CGI songbirds. 

Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves has developed a reputation for being one of the nicest guys in Hollywood. It makes sense that a product would be interested in having him as a spokesman. In the United States, he occasionally does a commercial or two, most notably for Squarespace. In Japan, he’s also popular. Like a lot of Western celebs, he’s been hired by the whiskey maker Suntory to do commercials. As always, he looks cool doing it. 

Madonna

At the height of Madonna’s fame in the ‘80s and ‘90s, it would’ve been very rare to see her endorse a product on TV in the United States, but in Japan, she was part of a big campaign for Takara, a whiskey made by Blanton’s for the Japanese market. The commercials don’t look like they took up much of the Material Girl’s time, however, as they are just cuts from her music videos spliced with buzzwords and shots of the bourbon. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Lately, Arnold Schwarzenegger has been showing up in more and more commercials. At the 2024 Super Bowl, he was in a State Farm ad, for example. It seems the former Governator likes the idea of picking up a nice paycheck for a minimal amount of work, and who can blame him? It’s something he’s been doing in Japan for decades, going back to the pinnacle of his fame in the ‘90s when he endorsed an energy drink called Alinamin V. These might be the strangest of all the commercials too, featuring Schwarzenegger’s giant head popping out the bottle and other over-the-top images. 

Miles Davis

No one defines “cool” quite like Miles Davis did. The late jazz legend had a reputation for being prickly, but fans still wanted to be him. His sound on trumpet was unique, as was his style, and it all oozes authenticity. Endorsing products in the U.S. might have branded him a “sell-out” to his fans, but in the ‘80s, he could go to Japan, where he was also a big star, and shoot commercials for Honda Scooters, and no one would be the wiser in North America. 

Britney Spears

Britney Spears might be the least surprising person on this list. At the height of her fame in the late ‘90s, she’s exactly the kind of celebrity that would be huge in Japan. Spears took advantage of that fame, starring in a series of commercials for Go Go Tea. The pop star also appeared in an ad for Mikakuto Gummy Candies as well. 

Harrison Ford

Back in 1996, Entertainment Weekly reported that Hollywood stars could make anywhere from $500K to $2 million for a couple of days’ work on a Japanese commercial. It explains why actors like Harrison Ford, who no one would have expected to see in an ad in the ‘90s in America, would spend a few days in Japan shooting commercials for Kirin beer. We don’t know how much he made, but it’s safe to assume the Star Wars star made enough to pay Jabba back and then some. 

Cameron Diaz

SoftBank is one of the largest holding companies in Japan and it loves to bring over American stars to promote its services. One such star was Cameron Diaz, who in the mid-’00s starred in commercials and print ads all over Tokyo for the cell phone giant. No doubt such a campaign made it possible for the actress to semi-retire in 2014. 

Brad Pitt

Coffee, specifically canned coffee, seems to be one of the more lucrative areas of advertising for Western stars in Japan. None other than Brad Pitt even showed up in one in the ‘90s. Pitt stars as an office worker getting more work done after drinking a can of Roots Coffee. 

Bruce Willis

Bruce Willis is big in Japan. He’s been spotted selling everything from cars to financial services. Daihatsu and SoftBank have both hired the Die Hard legend to hawk their wares. He even learned a phrase or two in Japanese for the spots. 

Sharon Stone

Just as in America and Europe, Japanese beauty brands love to hire a famous actress to taut their product’s ability to make everyone as beautiful as they are. Sharon Stone was a major spokeswoman for Vernal soaps, for example. Stone also appeared in commercials for jewelry and other luxury wares. 

Ben Stiller

When you watch the Kirin ad Ben Stiller did back in the late ‘90s, it makes you wonder if it was the main inspiration for Zoolander. It feels like an outtake from the movie about a male model, it’s so goofy. Don’t get it wrong, it’s supposed to be over-the-top and funny, so it fits the character of Derek Zoolander perfectly, even if Stiller wasn’t actually playing the role. It’s also better than Zoolander 2.

Francis Ford Coppola

Of course, the most famous example in the West of a star doing Japanese commercials is the fictional Bob Harris (Bill Murray) doing Suntory ads in Lost In Translation. The inspiration for the film, or part of it, had to be Sofia Coppola’s father, Francis Ford Coppola doing ads in Japan in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Including one for Fuji Cassettes, and yes, Suntory whiskey. 

Sylvester Stallone

Rocky star Sylvester Stallone got on the Japanese advertising train back in the mid-’90s, including doing some very strange commercials for Bayern Sausages. An Italian-American doing ads for German sausages in Japan. It’s the UN of commercials! 

Brooke Shields

Back in the ‘80s, Brooke Shields was huge. For much of the decade, she found a lot of work in Japan in ads for everything from tissues to coffee to stereos. No doubt that helped her pay for her Princeton education, where she studied during a break from her career in the mid-’80s. 

Richard Gere

In 2009, Japanese company Suntory bought Orangina, the sparking orange beverage from France. Almost immediately, Suntory did what they had done so often in the past, they hired an American actor for an ad campaign. Richard Gere starred in a few commercials for the brand at the dawn of the 2010s, playing a classic Japanese comedy character from the ‘60s and ‘70s named Tora-san.  

Audrey Hepburn

By the early 1970s, Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn had already semi-retired from acting, starring only sporadically in a few movies in the ‘70s before bowing out completely. Still, she did work in Japan occasionally in commercials, including one for wigs from 1970, which seems pretty odd, but hey, it’s Audrey Hepburn, so who are we to question it?

Leonardo DiCaprio

Even the great Leonardo DiCaprio has gotten in on the Japanese ad business, hawking credit cards in the ‘90s and Jim Beam more recently. You might expect the latter, but definitely not the former, in the United States. 

Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway is another glamorous actress who has been known to pop up in luxury and beauty ads in Japan. One product, Lux Shampoo, is well known for using American stars in its ads for its products. The rom-com star pitched for the company a few times in the mid-’00s. 

Sammy Davis, Jr.

Suntory Whiskey definitely takes the win for grabbing some of the biggest stars from the U.S. to sell its products. Even way back in the ‘70s, it was paying Sammy Davis, Jr. to do commercials for them. They even got him to scat for one of them, and it’s a gem. 

Tommy Lee Jones

Tommy Lee Jones has been a regular in Japanese commercials for a long time, and watching some of the more bizarre ones, he’s clearly having a lot of fun. It definitely references his role in the Men in Black series, but beyond that, it’s hard to pin what they are about, exactly, except that he’s selling coffee. 

Nicolas Cage

It’s no surprise to find Nicolas Cage on this list, now is it? Going back a couple of decades, the actor did a series of commercials for Pachinko games, which are Japanese slot machines and pinball machines.

Kyle MacLachlan

In what might be the absolute best and most bizarre entry on this list, Kyle MacLachlan starred in a whole series of commercials for Georgia Coffee as Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks. The commercials played out like a bizarre mystery, just like the show, and also featured other characters from the show, and the famous intro. It’s truly awesome… and weird… and awesome.

Sean Connery

If you want someone elegant and cool to advertise your whiskey, why not hire James Bond himself, Sean Connery? That’s exactly what Suntory did in the early ‘90s and he’s everything you want him to be in the ad. 

Hugh Jackman

When you have the talents of a true song-and-dance man like Hugh Jackman, it’s smart to take advantage of that. It’s what Lipton Ice Tea did in 2010 to amazing results with the Deadpool & Wolverine star dancing around a Japanese hotel. 

Cindy Crawford

Cindy Crawford was the most famous model in the world in the ‘80s and ‘90s, so it’s no surprise she’d been seen on Japanese TV selling lots of stuff, as she was virtually everywhere else in the world. For example, in Japan, she hawked a sports drink called Pocari Sweat. Sweat seems like an odd thing to name your drink, but Crawford could sell anything in those days. 

John Travolta

Canned drinks are huge in Japan and the competition for customers is intense, which has led to a lot of American stars getting lucrative gigs. John Travolta is one such star, who was hired to appear in an ad for Tokyo Drink. Naturally, he danced his way through it. 

Hulk Hogan

Professional wrestling has long been hugely popular in Japan. American wrestling stars like Hulk Hogan have been traveling to Japan to work for decades. With that fame, came commercials for the Hulkster, like one in the early ‘90s hawking Hitachi Air Conditioners. 

Quentin Tarantino

It’s not always just actors either. Quentin Tarantino, whose Kill Bill movies are a tribute to Japanese culture, popped up in an ad for SoftBank’s cell phone service. The director looks like he had a blast making the spots, too. 

Kiefer Sutherland

When 24 debuted, it instantly became one of the biggest hits on TV, and that success translated to Japanese TV as well. So much so, that Kiefer Sutherland was hired by the energy drink Calorie Mate to star in a series of commercials in the style of the spy show. 

There was a time when “selling out” was a real concern for artists and their fans. It’s far more common today to see big stars in commercials. Before it became okay to be seen selling stuff on TV, those big names could head to Japan for a nice paycheck, without retribution from hardcore fans. Until the internet, it was rare for an American or European to even know the stars had done it. Now with the internet, we get to see all these great commercials they were doing. 

Fame is a tricky thing, and sometimes the biggest stars in the world can lose it all. Personal problems, changing times, and other factors can lead to a once-promising career disappearing almost over night. These stars, however, reversed their trajectories and came out on top after enduring rough times, in this list of actors who made remarkable career comebacks. 

Robert Downey, Jr.

Robert Downey, Jr was one of the most promising young actors in Hollywood in the 1980s, starring in films like Less Than Zero, Chaplin, and Natural Born Killers. In the mid-90s his life went infamously went off the rails with substance abuse problems. When it looked like he'd thrown it all away, he cleaned up and his fame exploded as he became one of the highest-paid actors in the MCU.

Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda has had a few ups and downs in her career. After breaking out as a star in the '60s, she was later shunned by many for her notorious trip to North Vietnam during the war. She rebounded and starred in hits like 9 to 5 and On Golden Pond. In 1991, Fonda married Ted Turner and completely stepped back from acting. She didn't appear in anything at all until after their divorce in 2001, but roared back to prominence in the 21st Century. 

Rob Lowe

As a member of the "Brat Pack" in the 1980s, Rob Lowe was on top of the world. That all came crashing down when a videotape of Lowe in a compromising situation was leaked. His hard partying had caught up to him, and though he got sober in 1992, he would spend much of the decade playing smaller roles or in direct-to-video movies. In 1999 he landed the role of Sam Seaborn in The West Wing and was once again on top, where he's stayed ever since. 

John Travolta

In the late '70s, there was no bigger star than John Travolta. From Welcome Back, Kotter to Grease and Saturday Night Fever, Travolta was in some of the biggest pop culture touchstones of all time. Then the '80s came and his career hit a serious lull. While he was in the hit Look Who's Talking and its sequels, it was 1994's Pulp Fiction that vaulted Travolta back to the top. 

Natasha Lyonne

In the late '90s, Natasha Lyonne was one of a group of budding stars in American Pie and other movies like Slums Of Beverly Hills before health and addiction problems derailed her career. Thankfully for all of us she came out of those those stronger and has since starred in fantastic shows like Orange is the New Black and Russian Doll. 

Brendan Fraser

Brendan Fraser winning the Oscar for 2022 The Whale capped off one of the greatest comeback stories in Hollywood history. His work had all but completely dried up in the late '00s and 2010s, but his career has had the most incredible resurgence in the 2020s. 

Winona Ryder

Winona Ryder defined "movie star" for late Gen Xers in the '90s, but after her infamous arrest for shoplifting in 2001, her career nosedived and she didn't appear in a movie for about three years after. For the next decade or so, she worked steadily but didn't regain her star power from early in her career. That changed when she starred in Stranger Things, starting in 2016, and she once again became a huge star. 

Dave Chappelle

In 2003 Dave Chappelle debuted Chappelle's Show on Comedy Central and it became a massive hit. Despite the network throwing tens of millions of dollars at the comedian to keep the show going, he turned it down and walked away. Chappelle stayed away for most of the next decade before reviving his standup career, and while Chappelle continues to garner controversy, it's safe to say he's as big as ever. 

Betty White

When Betty White died in 2021 she was mourned by millions. The beloved actress had been a television star since the 1940s, but not all of those years were in the spotlight. After early success in the '50s in Life with Elizabeth and other sitcoms, White's career hit a lull for more than a decade. She returned to the big time with her role on The Mary Tyler Moore Show in the '70s, The Golden Girls in the '80s, and then later with Hot in Cleveland in the 2010s.

Ke Huy Quan

There is no more heartwarming story than that of Ke Huy Quan's resurgence. the actor, who first found fame as a child in The Goonies and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, completely disappeared from Hollywood. For twenty years, he appeared in not one TV show or movie, before returning in 2021 with a role in Finding ʻOhana, and then winning an Oscar for his performance in 2022's Everything Everywhere All At Once. 

Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton was a controversial choice when he was cast as Batman in Tim Burton's Batman in 1989, but it shows just how famous he was at that time. After Batman Returns, Keaton's star faded and he starred in a run of films to mixed reviews. In 2014 Keaton starred in the very meta Birdman, as a former superhero star looking to regain his fame. It worked, at least for Keaton. 

Katharine Hepburn

Anyone with a career as long as Katharine Hepburn's is bound to have some slow periods. The most amazing fact of the legendary actress' career was the 34-year span between Best Actress Oscars. She won in 1934 for Morning Glory and then again in 1968 and 1969 for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and The Lion in Winter, respectively. She would win her fourth 13 years later in 1982 for On Golden Pond. 

Mickey Rourke

In the 1980s Mickey Rourke starred in a string of hits. Eventually, though, his reputation as being difficult to work with overshadowed his performances and he was left in the Hollywood wilderness until triumphantly returning to his past glory in 2008 with The Wrestler.

Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier was one of the biggest stars of the '50s, '60s, and '70s. Then came the '80s, when he stepped away from acting and concentrated on directing, to mixed reviews. In 1988 he turned back to acting and had a wonderful late career resurgence with films like Shoot To Kill and Sneakers. 

Jason Bateman

In the 1980s it looked like Jason Bateman was a surefire bet to be a huge star. Then the '90s came and his career pretty much dried up. He had some guest spots on TV shows, but little else. He was all but forgotten. In 2003, Fox debut a show you may have heard of, Arrested Development, with Bateman as the star, and he's been huge ever since. 

Keanu Reeves

It's hard to remember a time when Keanu Reeves wasn't one of the biggest stars in the world, but after his success in the '90s and early '00s with The Matrix and Speed and more, he starred in a slew of commercial and critical failures. Thankfully for Reeves fans everywhere, John Wick came along and Reeves was back on top of the mountain, where he still is. 

Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore almost became a Hollywood child star casualty after her string of hits as a kid in the 1980s. She had a rough childhood that led to substance abuse problems as a teenager. Against the odds, she got through it all and became an even bigger star on the other end. 

Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris first got famous as a child prodigy playing a prodigy on Doogie Howser, MD. After the sitcom ended in 1993, he struggled to regain that popularity. That is, until he played a fictionalized version of himself in Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle in 2004. Soon after he landed the role he's best known for, Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother. 

Matthew McConaughey

Most of Matthew McConaughey's early career was made up of starring roles in rom-coms. In 2009 the Lincoln Lawyer star took a two-year acting hiatus to re-evaluate his career. He emerged in 2011 by taking on more serious roles and leaving his rom-com leading man reputation behind. Since the so-called "McConaissance," McConaughey's become on of the most acclaimed actors of the 21st century. 

Nicolas Cage

By 2009 Cage was one of the biggest action stars in Hollywood, and one of the highest-paid actors in the business, but it seems he couldn't curb his spending and ended up in debt to the IRS and other creditors. As a result, Cage seemingly took every job offered to him, and he put out an immense catalog of straight-to-video movies that few people have ever watched. Finally, in 2022, Cage revealed he was finally debt-free and started being more selective with his roles. this led to acclaimed roles in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and 2023's Dream Scenario.

Mandy Moore

Mandy Moore's career started like a comet as a singer in the late '90s which she parlayed into an acting career. That career slowed way down in the early 2010s, only to be revived in a massive way with her starring role on the NBC hit This Is Us. 

Christian Slater

With starring roles in Heathers, Pump Up The Volume, and Gleaming The Cube, Christian Slater became a Gen X icon. He scored a number of high-profile roles in big-budget movies in the '90s, before work started drying up in the early 2000s. He returned to Hollywood prominence with his award-winning role in Mr. Robot and has maintained it ever since. 

Luke Perry

Luke Perry was one of the biggest television stars of the 1990s as part of the cast of Beverly Hills, 90210. After the show ended though, his star faded some. That is, until he was cast in the CW's Riverdale and he was discovered by a whole new generation of fans. Tragically, Perry died in 2019 at age 52. 

Christina Ricci

Childhood success for Christina Ricci didn't immediately translate to success as an adult. She's always worked steadily, but her fame never quite reached the heights of her early career in The Addams Family. That changed in 2021 with Showtime's Yellowjackets. 

Michelle Yeoh

Michelle Yeoh first found international fame with her roles in the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies and Crouch Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She maintained a level of success, but she exploded to new heights with her Oscar-winning turn in 2022's Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. 

Neve Campbell

Neve Campbell was huge in the '90s with her starring role in the show Party Of Five and movies like The Craft and Wild Things. In the early 2000s, she starred in the Scream franchise, but hit a lull after that. Recently, she's been back on top with roles in The Lincoln Lawyer and Twisted Metal. 

Channing Tatum

Fans might not think that Channing Tatum has never had a career lull, but he has actually had a couple. He's always had to fight the idea that he's all looks and little substance (which is far from accurate), and that has affected his career at different points. He's always rebounded with strong performances like the one in Foxcatcher, however. 

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence's career hasn't really had a financial downturn, her lull was completely her choice. After a couple of poorly reviewed films and becoming the most famous victim of the iPhone hacking scandal, Lawrence stepped away from acting for two years in 2019. She triumphantly returned in the great movie Don't Look Up in 2021. 

Patrick Dempsey

Patrick Dempsey was first famous for starring in teen comedies like Loverboy and Can't Buy Me Love. He bounced around for a few years after that, working steadily but hardly a star. That changed in a big way when he landed the role of Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd in 2005 on Grey's Anatomy. 

Marlon Brando

The 1960s weren't kind to Marlon Brando. After establishing himself as a bonafide star and one of the finest actors of the 20th century in the '50s, his mercurial nature earned him a reputation as difficult to work with. A string of box office failures didn't help. Famously, he pushed hard to get the role of Vito Corleone in The Godfather, and wow, was that the right move! He won an Academy Award and reminded everyone how great an actor he was. 

David Carradine

Leave it to Quentin Tarantino to help revive a star's career like he did with John Travolta. David Carradine was huge in the 1970s as the star of Kung Fu, and while he always found work, it took until Kill Bill in 2003 that he found that same level of fame again. 

Kiefer Sutherland

After becoming one of the biggest teen idols of the '80s, Kiefer Sutherland spent most of the '90s in smaller, supporting roles. In 2001, however, he landed the role of Jack Bauer in 24 and it became the part he's most known for, becoming a television icon over the run of the show. 

Fame, as they say, is fleeting, and these actors prove there can always be a second act in Hollywood. 

Have you ever caught a rerun of an older TV show and during the opening credits sequence, you spotted someone who made you say, “Hey, I know that person!”? This is actually a more common occurrence than you may realize, as there many A-list celebrities whose first IMDb credit (or one of the first) was a supporting role on a series long before they earned the honor of being a leading presence on the big (or small) screen. The following are some of our favorite examples of famous actors who appeared a bit further down the the line on the call sheet on a TV show when they were starting out.

Chris Pratt (Everwood)

Before Guardians of the Galaxy made him a leading man, Chris Pratt really began to gain traction from starring in the Parks and Recreation cast as Andy Dwyer. However, even earlier than that, he starred on a WB family drama called Everwood as high school joke Bright Abbott alongside fellow future MCU star Emily VanCamp, who played his sister, Amy.

Jennifer Lawrence (The Bill Engvall Show)

Before her Academy Award-nominated performance in 2010’s Winter’s Bone, her star-making role as Katniss in The Hunger Games and Oscar-winning turn in Silver Lining’s Playbook, Jennifer Lawrence was a sitcom star — specifically a cable network sitcom star. On The Bill Engvall Show, which lasted three seasons on TBS, she starred opposite the eponymous stand-up comedian as his on-screen alter ego’s teenage daughter, Lauren Pearson,

Austin Butler (Zoey 101)

The musical talents that earned Austin Butler the title role of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis can be traced back to his part on Ruby & the Rockits, which lasted 10 episodes on ABC Family (now Freeform) in 2009. However, the Oscar nominee’s first major TV role was on the final season of Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101 as James Garrett — a character missing from Paramount+’s feature-length follow-up, Zoey 102.

Margot Robbie (Pan Am)

While her earliest role was actually the long-running soap opera, Neighbours — much like many other Aussie A-listers — we thought we would highlight American audiences’ first true introduction to Margot Robbie on Pan Am. An interesting fact about Robbie is that the future Oscar nominee and DC movies star was actually roommates with co-star Christina Ricci while playing 1960s-era flight attendant Laura Cameron on the short-lived ABC drama from 2011 to 2012.

Seth Rogen (Freaks And Geeks)

While still part of the main ensemble, Seth Rogen’s role as the initially arrogant Ken Miller pretty much got the short end of the stick amongst the Freaks and Geeks cast, for the most part. Ironically, Rogen, arguably, went on to become the painfully short-lived coming-of-age dramedy’s biggest star, which is really saying something, given his co-stars include Jason Segel, Linda Cardellini, and John Francis Daley.

Brie Larson (Raising Dad)

A notable moment in Academy Award winner Brie Larson’s evolution from child star to modern A-list actor was her role as the late Bob Saget’s youngest on-screen daughter on Raising Dad — a sitcom that ran for one season on The WB (now The CW) in the early 2000s. Following her success as the MCU’s Captain Marvel, Larson returned to TV in 2023 — reprising her Scott Pilgrim vs. the World role for Netflix’s animated series reboot, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and leading the Lessons in Chemistry cast for Apple TV+.

Leonardo DiCaprio (Growing Pains)

While doing press for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt recalled how they both appeared on the hit ABC sitcom Growing Pains much earlier in their career. Of course, Pitt had a one-episode guest appearance while the Oscar-winning The Revenant star and Titanic cast member had a prominent role as Luke Brewer — a homeless teen taken in by the Seavers in Season 7. 

Ana De Armas (The Boarding School)

One of the films that earned Academy Award nominee Ana de Armas a spot on the A-list was Rian Johnson’s hit whodunit, Knives Out, from 2019. More than a decade earlier, the Cuban-born actor landed a role on a coming-of-age mystery TV show called El Internado (or The Boarding School), which originally aired in Spain from 2007 to 2010.

Michael B. Jordan (The Wire)

After getting his start as a Toys ‘R Us kid, the fascinating Michael B. Jordan made his official acting debut on an episode of The Sopranos, but later landed a more prominent role on another acclaimed, gritty HBO series in 2002. He appeared amongst The Wire cast as Wallace — an orphan whose tragic story had a profound impact on the Emmy-nominated series beyond his 13-episode stint.

Anne Hathaway (Get Real)

Anne Hathaway fans should know that before she broke into the mainstream by leading Disney’s The Princess Diaries cast, the Academy Award winner made her acting debut on a 1999 Fox TV show called Get Real as a high school senior who shocks her family with the decision to refuse college. Coincidentally, the short-lived dramedy was also the debut of Hathaway’s Rio co-star, Jesse Eisenberg, and was an early gig for NCIS' Eric Christian Olsen as well.

Denzel Washington (St. Elsewhere)

With two Oscars to his name, it’s hard to imagine a TV screen big enough to contain the talent of one Denzel Washington, yet it was a TV show that helped launched the young actor’s career in the early 1980s. Following his official debut in the 1977 TV movie Wilma, the future Training Day lead played Dr. Philip Chandler on NBC’s hit medical drama, St. Elsewhere.

Michelle Williams (Dawson's Creek)

For years, Michelle Williams was known best from the Dawson’s Creek cast as Jen Lindley. Now — after receiving multiple Academy Award nominations for acclaimed dramas like Manchester by the Sea and Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans — that role on the hit teen drama is, typically, among the last things mentioned in regards to her career.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock From The Sun)

As a child actor, Joseph Gordon-Levitt starred in some good movies and made a few notable TV guest appearances before landing his first successful series regular gig with 3rd Rock from the Sun. He played the eldest member of a group of extra-terrestrial visitors, and the character resembles a teenager in human form on the Emmy-winning sci-fi sitcom.

George Clooney (The Facts Of Life)

As a TV star, George Clooney is best known from his main role on the popular ‘90s show, ER, on which he played Doug Ross. Much earlier, however, the future two-time Oscar winner had a memorable recurring role on Diff’rent Strokes' (very different) spin-off, The Facts of Life, as George Burnett — a carpenter who would become close to the girls living under Mrs. Garrett’s roof.

Woody Harrelson (Cheers)

With multiple Academy Award nominations to his name, Woody Harrelson is known today as one of Hollywood’s most versatile movie stars, but his first big break came when he joined the Cheers cast in the mid-1980s. In fact, he won his first Emmy Award for playing the naive, but lovable, Woody Byrd, whom Sam (Ted Danson) hires on as a new barkeep following he death of Coach (Nicholas Colasanto).

Jason Bateman (Little House On The Prairie)

At least before he led Netflix’s Ozark cast, Jason Bateman has always best known on the small screen as a sitcom star, with his roles as David Hogan on Valerie (later changed to The Hogan Family) and Michael Bluth on Arrested Development being the famous examples. However, his very first gig was playing James Cooper Ingalls for 21 episodes of Little House on the Prairie during the early 1980s.

Don Cheadle (The Golden Palace)

An early Don Cheadle role you may have forgotten about was featured on a TV show spin-off you may not have heard of, either. The future Academy Award nominee and MCU actor starred alongside most of the Golden Girls cast on The Golden Palace as Roland Wilson — the young manager of the titular hotel where the short-lived sitcom took place. 

Jason Momoa (Baywatch)

Even long before he landed the role of Aquaman in the DC movies, Jason Momoa was no stranger to saving lives in the water. The Hawaiian-born actor made his debut in his home state when he joined the Baywatch cast as a character also named Jason from 1999 to 2001.

Marisa Tomei (A Different World)

We know her from her Academy Award-winning role in My Cousin Vinny as Mona Lisa Vito (who she'd love to revisit) or as Peter Parker’s (reinvented) Aunt May in the MCU, to name a few examples. Yet before many people knew who Marisa Tomei was, she was on the first season of The Cosby Show spin-off, A Different World, as Hillman student Maggie Lauten.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (The Get Down)

One interesting fact about Yahya Abdul-Mateen II: before he was an Emmy-winning DC TV show star (for playing Cal Abar on HBO’s Watchmen) and a scene-stealing DC movie villain (Black Manta in Aquaman), he worked as a San Francisco city planner until he was laid off in 2010. The role that first helped him make a name for himself as an actor was night club owner Clarene “Cadillac” Caldwell in Netflix’s musical period drama series, The Get Down, from co-creator Baz Luhrmann.

Alexandra Daddario (All My Children)

Speaking to Women’s Health in 2022, Alexandra Daddario recalls that she was fired from the long-running daytime soap opera, All My Children, which she actually found to be a liberating, educational experience. It led to seek improvement in her acting skills and pave the way for her to breakthrough in the Percy Jackson movies, give an Emmy-nominated performance as part of the HBO’s The White Lotus cast, and star in many other notable works.

Adam Driver (Girls)

Without Lena Dunham, there might not be a Kylo Ren — or at least, the memorable version of the Sith Lord we got in the hands Adam Driver. The former Marine’s scene-stealing role on HBO’s Girls as Adam Sackler is what got Hollywood to take notice of his talent, leading to his casting in the Star Wars movies and his Oscar-nominated performances in BlacKkKlansman and Marriage Story.

Melissa McCarthy (Gilmore Girls)

Gilmore Girls proved to be a launch pad for many A-listers — few of which would blow up quite like Melissa McCarthy, who played Sookie St. James on the hit dramedy.  She later won an Emmy for her leading role on the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly and received an Academy Award nomination for her supporting role as a member of the Bridesmaids cast. And that film skyrocketed her to the A-list as a trusted name in comedy and more.

Drake (Degrassi: The Next Generation)

One of the most memorable and important characters from Degrassi: The Next Generation is Jimmy Brooks, who served as an inspirational representation for wheelchair users on the long-running Canadian coming-of-age drama. The role was played by an actor named Aubrey Graham, who still acts on occasion — an Anchorman 2 cameo, for instance — but primarily performs as a rapper under the moniker Drake.

Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men)

At just eight years old, Kiernan Shipka proved to be a stand-out alongside AMC’s Mad Men cast with her performance as Sally Draper. She later went on to lead her own TV show (Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) and headline movies like Amazon Prime’s horror-comedy, Totally Killer and The Silence.

Ryan Reynolds (Fifteen)

Despite his many earnest roles over the years, it may be hard to picture Ryan Reynolds as anything other than the smarmy goof he plays in the likes of the Deadpool movies and National Lampoon’s Van Wilder, for instance. Perhaps watching him make his debut in the Canadian coming-of-age drama Fifteen will help audiences see another side of him.

Tommy Lee Jones (One Life To Live)

It is amazing to think about how many acclaimed and even legendary actors started out on soap operas, such as Tommy Lee Jones. One of the earliest roles for the Academy Award-winning star of The Fugitive and the Men in Black movies was the ill-fated Mark Toland on One Life to Live from 1971 to 1975.

John Travolta (Welcome Back, Kotter)

Before his Academy Award-nominated role in 1977’s Saturday Night Fever — and its fantastic movie soundtrack — made him one of the biggest stars of all time, John Travolta was better known by another name: Vinnie Barbarino. That was the future Pulp Fiction cast member’s character on Welcome Back, Kotter — a hit sitcom that never made it to 100 episodes. He practically stole the show from star and co-creator Gabe Kaplan with his famous catchphrase, “Up your nose with a rubber hose!”

Jennifer Love Hewitt (Kids Incorporated)

Her role as Sarah Reeves on the original Party of Five may have made Jennifer Love Hewitt a teen idol, but it was not her first major TV gig. The Ghost Whisperer star was 10 when she demonstrated her multiple talents on Disney Channel’s Kids Incorporated, which focuses on the lives of a group of young artists who perform live music at a club for children.

Benedict Cumberbatch (Fortysomething)

It was his eponymous role on the modern crime drama Sherlock that made Benedict Cumberbatch a nigh-unpronounceable household name, but his first starring role on a TV series was Fortysomething. The MCU’s Doctor Strange actor played the on-screen son of none other than House’s Hugh Laurie on the English dramedy that lasted six episodes.

Jared Leto (My So-Called Life)

In one of the best ‘90s shows that ended too soon, My So-Called Life, Jared Leto portrayed what would become his first iconic role: high school heartthrob Jordan Catalano. The much celebrated coming-of-age drama also marked one for the first times the future Academy Award winner acted alongside his sibling and Thirty Seconds to Mars bandmate, Shannon.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Passions)

Movie star Mary Elizabeth Winstead has more than a few very notable small-screen roles — such as a leading stint in Fargo Season 3 and Hera Syndulla alongside the Ahsoka cast for Disney+. The Scott Pilgrim vs. The World cast member’s earliest major TV gig, however, was on the supernatural soap opera Passions.

For any TV actors out there hoping one day to make it onto the big screen, let these stories serve as proof that your dreams may not be far away from becoming a reality.

Thanksgiving week is notoriously a time where insane travel stories are bred, but John Travolta has an especially jaw-dropping one that influenced his latest role. On November 24, 1992, while the Grease actor and self-proclaimed “aviation nerd” was piloting a Gulfstream II from his longtime home in Florida to Maine with his family on board, the jet suffered an electrical failure that nearly caused his vehicle to collide with a Boeing 747. Travolta recalled the experience as he attended a screening for his latest project, The Shepherd. 

Ahead of The Shepherd landing on Disney+ next Friday, December 1, John Travolta turned up at the Thanksgiving premiere of the short film in London alongside its writer/director, Iain Softley. During a Q&A, Travolta shared how the film’s storyline, which has a young Royal Air Force pilot dealing with a near-death experience while heading home in a jet for the holidays, compared to his own incident over 30 years ago. In Travolta’s words: 

As John Travolta shared to attendees (via Variety), he could seriously relate to the contents of The Shepherd, which is based on Frederick Forsyth’s 1975 novella of the same name. When Travolta had his own brush with death during the 1992 jet failure, the actor somehow managed to land the jet safely and save his family. All the while, the incident actually caused multiple flights across four airports to be suspended in the process. As the actor continued to recall at the premiere: 

John Travolta has been a licensed pilot since he was 22 years old, and has continued to fly planes throughout his life despite what sounds like the seriously stressful incident when he was 38. While I might have hung up the hobby and steered clear of piloting after something like that, Travolta has not only continued to associate with jets, he had to somewhat relive the experience again for The Shepherd. 

Travolta shared during the premiere that he found The Shepherd story not long after his incident and hoped to make it a movie ever since. He was originally hoping to play the young pilot of the story and turn it into a full length feature. But since the idea came right after one of John Travolta’s best movies, Pulp Fiction, he ended up staying busy with one film after another at that time, and it was shelved. 

The Shepherd was recently made, but with one major change to Travolta’s original plans. Rather than the actor, who spoofed Grease with a viral Super Bowl commercial early this year, playing the young Royal Air Force pilot, he plays the role the title is referring to, a veteran pilot who appears out of nowhere and helps guide the man to safety amidst the electrical failure. Regarding the role swap, Travolta said he let go the idea of playing the other role “very easily” in favor of the Shepherd because he felt it was “much more authentic” to his own experiences after having experienced the young man’s troubles already.   

As we wait for The Shepherd to arrive on the streaming service December 1, you can check out all the new November 2023 releases to Disney+ now. 

Many Hollywood stars don't actually live in California these days. While some of the stars on this list might have a home in LA, they certainly seem to prefer to spend their off time very far away from the glitz and the glamour. Here are just some of the many stars that live outside of the Golden State. 

Nicole Kidman - Nashville

Nicole Kidman and her husband (and fellow Aussie) Keith Urban have quite a few homes around the world, including LA and their native Australia, but it's the greater Nashville area that they call home most of the time. 

Meryl Streep - Connecticut

21-time Oscar nominee Meryl Streep was born in New Jersey, went to school at Vassar and Yale, and certainly strikes me as an east coast type of person. While she's lived in LA at times throughout her career, it's Connecticut that she's called home for most of her adult life. She's lived in Salisbury for decades now. 

John Goodman - New Orleans

John Goodman spent years living in LA, but in the '90s he'd had enough of California and he and his Louisiana-born wife made a choice between his hometown of St. Louis, and her home state. They moved to New Orleans, where they've been ever since. 

Matthew McConaughey - Austin

You can take the boy out of Texas, but you can't take the Texas out of the boy. Matthew McConaughey was born in Uvalde, TX, went to school in Austin, and has long lived on a ranch near the Texas state capital and getting fed up with the paparazzi in Malibu.

Bill Murray - Charleston, SC

Bill Murray has lived all over the place, LA, NYC, and Chicago... but he's a known fixture around Charleston, South Carolina and even owns his own restaurant in town called Harold's Cabin. He's also invested in the Charleston minor league baseball team. 

Harrison Ford - Jackson Hole, WY

Harrison Ford moved to LA in the '60s to follow his acting dreams, but once he hit it big, he bailed out. While he does own a home in Brentwood, he spends most of his time at his 800-acre ranch outside Jackson Hole, WY. The ranch has been his primary residence since the 1980s and it seems he prefers to call that home. 

Demi Moore - Idaho

When Covid hit in early 2020, Demi Moore and her daughters holed up together in her longtime house in Sun Valley, Idaho. They were soon joined by her ex-husband and father to her daughters, Bruce Willis. Eventually, Willis' current wife Emma Heming, and her child with Willis also joined the big happy family. Moore has lived in Sun Valley for years and it's often featured on her Instagram page.

Jeff Daniels - Chelsea, MI

Jeff Daniels grew up in the small town of Chelsea, Michigan and as soon as he could after finding success in Hollywood, he moved back. He's a true small-town kind of guy and it makes perfect sense. While he makes his money in Hollywood, his heart is always in Michigan. 

Chris Rock - New Jersey

Chris Rock has always been an East Coast guy. Though he was born in South Carolina, his family moved to Brooklyn when he was a baby. He grew up in Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy. He started his comedy career in New York City, and for a couple of decades has lived in Alpine, New Jersey.

John Travolta - Ocala, FL

John Travolta loves to fly and is a first-class plane spotter. As such, he seems to have found the perfect place to live. The Pulp Fiction star has called Ocala, FL home for decades now. While that might sound odd, it's not when you find out his house backs up to an actual airport, so he can park his planes right at home. Sounds pretty awesome. 

Tom Cruise - Clearwater, FL

Superstar Tom Cruise actually has houses all over the world. LA and London, for starters. The most surprising place he's owns property though has to be Clearwater, FL. Cruise has what's described in the Tampa newspaper as a "sprawling penthouse" just blocks from the headquarters of the Church of Scientology, to which he has long been an outspoken member, so it makes sense. 

Taylor Swift - Nashville

Music star Taylor Swift grew up in Pennsylvania and Nashville and still has a home in the latter, where she seems to spend a lot of her time when she's not on the road. In fact, she has homes all over the place, including LA, Rhode Island, and New York City. 

Chris Evans

Chris Evans grew up just outside of Boston in the suburb of Sudbury, MA. Even though he's become one of the biggest stars in the world, he's stayed close to home. He and his new bride live nearby where he grew up in Massachusetts, after getting married in Boston. 

Chris Hemsworth - Byron Bay

The Australian native Chris Hemsworth couldn't ignore the siren call of home. After years in Hollywood becoming one of the biggest stars in the world, he decided it was time to move home. He and his wife Elsa Pataky settled in a small surfing community south of Brisbane called Byron Bay in 2015 and have never looked back. 

Tommy Lee Jones - Texas

Tommy Lee Jones doesn't seem to care much for the trappings of fame, though he has used some of the money he's earned as an actor to buy a huge tract of land in Texas. Jones might be Harvard-educated and work in Hollywood, but he's Texas through and through. 

Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani - Tishomingo, OK

Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani might be Hollywood's most unlikely couple, at least until you see them together. Less surprising is that they split time between her home stomping grounds in LA and his in Oklahoma. The two built a house on Shelton's ranch in Tishomingo, OK, where they spend most of their time. 

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds - Bedford, NY

The enduring couple of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds don't seem to be interested in big city living, instead opting for the small upstate town of Bedford, NY They maintain a couple of other houses, but their real home is in Westchester County, NY, where they live a quiet, but luxurious life in a small enclave with some celebrity neighbors including Martha Stewart and Micheal Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. 

Mark Ruffalo - Callicoon, NY

Mark Ruffalo is another actor who prefers the peace and quiet of small-town America to the bright lights of Hollywood. The Avengers star and his wife Sunny live in the tiny berg of Callicoon in the Catskill mountains of New York State. 

Elijah Wood - Austin

Elijah Wood doesn't actually live in a shire, like his Lord of the Rings character, but he doesn't live in a huge city, either. Wood has called Austin, TX home for years and a when he was on Hot Ones, he explained where to get all the best meals in town. 

Dave Chappelle - Yellow Springs, OH

Yellow Springs, Ohio might be the last place you'd expect to find a celebrity living among us, but when you understand Dave Chappelle's background, it makes perfect sense. The legendary comedian grew up in Yellow Springs and though he's made a name for himself in Hollywood, the Ohio town is clearly the place he calls home. 

Julia Roberts - Taos, NM

Many years ago, Julia Roberts bought a ranch in Taos, NM, and it seems every year, she spends more and more time there. She even married her husband Danny Moder there. While she does split time in a house in Malibu, closer to work, she seems to prefer the peaceful life of Taos, as she's explained in the past. 

Daniel Day-Lewis - Ireland

Long before Daniel Day-Lewis decided to retire from acting, he had settled into living in Ireland’s County Wicklow. It's hardly surprising that an actor like Lewis would shun the spotlight, after all, he really only worked when the part really fascinated him, and he retired in 2017 despite unparalleled success as a performer. 

John Cena - Land o' Lakes, Florida

Don't confuse John Cena's hometown of Land o' Lakes, Florida for a stick of butter. The Fast X star has lived in the town outside Tampa for a long time. Even as his star has risen in Hollywood, with a major role in the DCEU as Peacemaker both in The Suicide Squad and his own show, The Peacemaker, Cena has resisted moving to California. 

Vera Farmiga - Woodstock, NY

Upstate New York is a popular place for stars to escape the public eye and Vera Farmiga is one of the stars that prefers it that way. The Many Saints of Newark actor lives in the famous artist colony of Woodstock in the Hudson Valley, following in a long tradition of celebrities retreating to the woods to get out of the spotlight, even when she's popping into rock shows in Woodstock to play Iron Maiden covers in a bar band. 

Woody Harrelson - Maui, HI

Woody Harrelson is definitely a man who moves to the beat of his own drummer, so the fact that he lives in Hawaii is hardly a shock. He even semi-retired for a while at the height of his career. While he's not "off the grid", he's certainly off the beaten path. Thankfully, his home was unaffected by the tragic wildfires earlier this year. 

John Mayer - Livingstone, MT

John Mayer has settled down into a much quieter life in recent years. The Dead & Co guitar player has found peace and quiet in the small Montana town of Livingstone. While life on the road certainly has its wild times, one would think, it must be nice for Mayer to get back home for some relaxing peace. 

Ken Jennings - Seattle, WA

Despite being named co-host of Jeopardy! a couple of years ago, and really taking a shine to the gig that shoots in LA, Ken Jennings does not seem to have plans to permanently relocate to Southern California. Jennings and his family have long called Seattle home and it seems he's happy to commute when it's time to shoot new episodes of the legendary game show. 

Robert De Niro - New York City

It's hard to imagine Robert De Niro living anywhere but New York. He just doesn't seem to be a California type of guy at all, right? He even helped get the Tribeca Film Festival off the ground, which bolstered not only NYC but the actual neighborhood he lives in in Manhattan as it struggled to recover from the 9/11 attacks. 

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence is bi-coastal, for sure. She does have a house in LA, but her husband Cooke Maroney is an art dealer whose business and gallery are in New York City, so she seems to spend most of the time she's not working in the Big Apple. 

Dan Aykroyd - Sydenham, Ontario

Dan Aykroyd has always been proud to be Canadian and he's been a longtime resident of Sydenham, Ontario, near Kingston, ON, not too far from where he grew up in Ottawa. 

Jennifer Hudson - Chicagoland Area

Superstar Jennifer Hudson is a Chicago girl and as such, she's stayed close to home. She may be a worldwide star, but Chicago is what made her who she is today and despite the means to live anywhere, Hudson chooses to live in the suburb of Burr Ridge, outside Chi-Town. 

Nikki Glaser - St. Louis, MO

Despite being the hometown of a lot of huge stars like John Goodman, Sterling K. Brown, Jenna Fischer, and Jon Hamm, most don't stay in town. The exception to that rule is comedian and comedy roast specialist Nikki Glaser. She moved back during the pandemic and found it much more fulfilling to live in her hometown than on either coast. 

While Los Angeles may be the city of dreams, it's not always the city of permanent residence for stars that have reached those lofty heights. Most may get their start on the West Coast but many of the biggest stars in the world don't live in California. 

While it may be a long time until we know with 100% certainty whether or not Quentin Tarantino’s tenth movie will actually be his last one, the project is nonetheless slowly coming together. In recent months, we’ve learned that the filmmaker’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follow-up will be called The Movie Critic, take place in 1977 and is not about real-life critic Pauline Kael, but rather based on a “second-string critic” whose reviews were “a cross between early Howard Stern and what Travis Bickle might be if he were a film critic.” It was also rumored at the beginning of August that Tarantino was looking to have Bruce Willis appear in The Movie Critic, and now word’s come in that he wants to bring in another Pulp Fiction alum: John Travolta.

According to The Ankler reporter and The Hot Mic co-host Jeff Sneider, Tarantino is rumored to have roles saved in The Movie Critic for two of his former leading men. While Sneider didn’t mention if Willis, who played Butch Coolidge in the crime movie, was indeed filling one of those spots, he teased Travolta on Twitter with the below gif:

Although John Trvolta was catapulted to fame in the 1970s through movies like Saturday Night Fever, Grease and Carrie, as well as the TV show Welcome Back, Kotter, Pulp Fiction helped revitalize his career in the mid-1990s, with the actor earning an Academy Award nomination for his performance as Vincent Vega. Travolta primarily shared screen time with Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction, but he did share a brief scene with Willis where… well, I won’t spoil it in case you’ve made it this far, yet haven’t seen what some consider to be Tarantino’s best movie.

If the rumor of Tarantino wanting to include Travolta in The Movie Critic is accurate, then this will finally reunite the two for the first time since Pulp Fiction came out. Travolta’s recent film credits include The Fanatic, Paradise City and Mob Land, and his next movie lined up is Cash Out. The actor also scored an Emmy nomination for his performance as Robert Shapiro in the 2016 miniseries The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, and he starred opposite Kevin Hart in the 10-episode series Die Hart, which has been credited into a feature-length movie that’s viewable with an Amazon Prime Video subscription.

As far as Bruce Willis is concerned, the Die Hard lead retired from acting in 2022 due to being diagnosed with aphasia, which has since worsened to frontotemporal dementia. As such, his appearance in The Movie Critic would only be a cameo, and Tarantino reportedly already has a backup plan in case this isn’t possible, including a clip from one of the actor’s previous movies. It’s unclear if Travolta would also simply cameo in Tarantino’s next movie or if he’d have a bigger presence in the story.

Keep visiting CinemaBlend for more updates on how The Movie Critic is coming along, including confirmation regarding if John Travolta and/or Bruce Willis will participate in it. Look through our 2023 movie release schedule and 2024 movie release schedule to see what forthcoming cinematic entertainment catches your eye.

When it comes to some of the biggest stars that I’ve watched over and over again, there are many I could think of. Today, we’re going to be talking about one in particular, who has starred in many huge, iconic movies – John Travolta. 

While the actor has (like pretty much every actor) faced ups and downs when it comes to how his movies have been received, there’s no denying that he has been in some great films that have stood the test of time. From early entries like Grease to more recent fare, here are John Travolta’s best movies and how you can watch them. 

Grease (1978)

I can’t write about John Travolta's bet movies without bringing up one of his most iconic – Danny in Grease, the epitome of a bad boy who looks insanely good. 

The film, which released back in 1978, was a movie musical that followed the story of Danny and Sandy, two high school students who had a fling over the summer, but find out that they are attending the same school in the fall, and the shenanigans that come with that. 

What can be said about Grease that hasn’t been said already? It’s probably one of the most popular musicals of all time, and it’s mainly because of the great Grease cast that includes not only Travolta but Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Didi Conn and so many more. The film had great set pieces, catchy songs, and plenty of fun stuff to go around. 

While I personally think that the film can be a little overrated, I do see its impact on pop culture as a whole, and recognize that it’s one of Travolta’s best performances, both in the musical sense and acting-wise. If you love him, this is the movie for you. 

Stream Grease on Max.
Rent/Buy Grease on Amazon.

Carrie (1976)

Carrie is a Stephen King adaptation that tells the story of a young girl who's bullied in high school but discovers that she has telekinetic abilities, and when one prank on prom night goes too far, she decides to take revenge on all those who wronged her. 

Travolta played Billy Nolan, one of the bullies that sends Carrie on her rampage. It’s ironic watching him play such a jerk as one of his first roles, when many of his later ones were heroic or at least decent guys, but it’s a great part all the same. And if you love awesome horror movies, this is the one to watch. 

Stream Carrie on Pluto TV.
Rent/Buy Carrie on Amazon.

Saturday Night Fever (1977)

I’m pretty sure Saturday Night Fever and Travolta go together like bees and honey. The famed dramatic dance movie follows a man who spends his weekend nights drinking and dancing away at a discotheque, but struggles to find his place in the world amongst rising tensions in his working-class neighborhood. 

This movie had such a major impact on pop culture, and its soundtrack has continued to remain popular even to this day, more than forty years later, with hits like “Staying Alive,” “Saturday Night Fever” and more. Travolta as the star is what really makes the movie. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor because of his role. 

Stream Saturday Night Fever on Amazon Prime.
Rent/Buy Saturday Night Fever on Amazon.

Urban Cowboy (1980)

If you’re looking for a great romantic drama, then Urban Cowboy is the one to watch. It stars Travolta as a young man who is dealing with a tumultuous and dramatic relationship with a young woman named Sissy, and the story of their romance. 

I can see why this would be one of Travolta’s best films. He delivers a great leading man performance and he and Debra Winger really take the whole thing home. You believe their love story from the very beginning. Nothing quite beats good chemistry. 

Stream Urban Cowboy on Max.
Rent/Buy Urban Cowboy on Amazon.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Travolta had a bit of a career resurgence in the 1990s, and one of his best films was Pulp Fiction. The movie, which also stars Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman and more, follows four connected crime stories that take place in Los Angeles. 

This is one of those movies that you just have to see at one point. Not only is it one of Quentin Tarantino’s best films, but the movie itself had such a significant impact on pop culture that to this day, people are still quoting it. I love it so much, and Travolta as Vincent Vega was the best choice ever. He totally deserves the Academy Award nomination he got. 

Stream Pulp Fiction on Max.
Rent/Buy Pulp Fiction on Amazon.

Face/Off (1997)

Next up is Face/Off, a film that follows an FBI agent who decides to undergo facial surgery to take on the identity of a criminal in order to end a terrorist attack, but his world is turned upside down when the criminal looks to get revenge. 

Here's another ever-popular film that has continued to gain a huge following after its release, and it’s partly because of Travolta and his co-star, Nicholas Cage. Both keep you watching and make this twisty film enjoyable right from the start. It can be a little confusing at first to remember who’s who, but it’s fun all the same. 

Stream Face/Off on Showtime.
Rent/Buy Face/Off on Amazon.

Get Shorty (1995)

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, Get Shorty follows a mobster going to Hollywood to collect a debt from a film producer working on a movie. While there, he falls for the actress starring in the production, and gets pulled into the filmmaking industry way more than he ever imagined.

Get Shorty is honestly one of the funniest comedy movies from the 1990s and I want more people my age to know about it. Not only does it feature a hilarious performance from Travolta, but it also has Danny DeVito, Gene Hackman and many more hilarious actors that make this film a certified must-watch.

Rent/Buy Get Shorty on Amazon.

Primary Colors (1998)

Directed by Mike Nichols, Primary Colors is a comedy-drama that follows a young man who decides to join a campaign for someone who is aiming to run for the Democratic Party nomination for the President of the United States, but he finds that there’s much more to this presidential election than he thought there would be. 

Political films are never really my cup of tea, but this makes up for it with great comedic scenes and brilliant performances, from both Travolta and supporting actress Kathy Bates, who was nominated for an Academy Award. Check this one out. 

Rent/Buy Primary Colors on Amazon.

Hairspray (2007)

Based on the Broadway musical and the 1988 comedy of the same name, Hairspray is the story of a young girl who gets the chance to be a dancer on her favorite variety show, and uses her position to change Baltimore society and push for race integration in the 1960s.

Travolta plays Edna Turnblad. Yes, he is dressed as a woman, but this actor rocks it in heels and a dress, and somehow makes me sing “You Can’t Stop The Beat” even louder. I love him in here and it’s my favorite. I will not be taking any questions at this time. 

Rent/Buy Hairspray on Amazon.

In A Valley Of Violence (2016)

Last but not least, we have In a Valley of Violence. The film, starring Ethan Hawke and John Travolta, tells the story of a drifter who finds himself in a town that is now abandoned and considered a “valley of violence,” and he brings some unfortunate trouble right along with him that makes the place even more violent. 

Ti West, the director behind the gory X and Pearl, directed this movie, and you can tell instantly. Not only does Travolta deliver a great performance as Clyde Martin, a marshal who is trying to keep the town in order, but the film itself is beautifully shot and has some great comedic moments and scenes that are suspenseful as heck. Truly one of Travolta’s best. 

Stream In a Valley of Violence on Netflix.
Rent/Buy In a Valley of Violence on Amazon.

What is your favorite John Travolta movie? I’m going to re-watch Hairspray again and again – and listen to the soundtrack for the umpteenth time. 

Although both John Travolta and Katherine Heigl have both been active in Hollywood for a long time, their paths have never crossed professionally, but that will soon change. The two actors have signed on to a romantic comedy that will soon start being shopped around. Even better, this upcoming movie could end up reuniting Travolta with another member of the Pulp Fiction cast.

Travolta and Heigl are coming together for That’s Amore!, which is being put together by Palisades Park Pictures and will go on sale at the Cannes Film Festival next week. Per the official film synopsis provided by Variety, Travolta is playing Nick Venere, who’s described as “a modern day Marty,” in that “he’s never been married and his best dating years are well behind him. He’s never heard the words ‘I love you’ and figures he never will. Then in comes Heigl’s Patty Amore, who is “shy and introverted” and “filled with various tics and nervous habits.” Those things, along with the combination of her father’s overprotectiveness and “a secret from her past” have resulted in her not dating anymore.

So clearly there are a lot of issues between the two of them, but when Nick and Patty literally bump into each other, the sparks will immediately fly. However, since this is a rom-com, their dating will be complicated by their families getting involved, which will obviously produce hilarity. Green Book’s Nick Vallelonga is directing That’s Amore!, and additionally, it was reported that Christopher Walken is in talks to join the flick. If I had to guess, he’s presumably up for the role of Patty’s father. Along with him and Travolta both starring in Pulp Fiction (although they didn’t share any screen time), they also worked together on 2007’s Hairspray.

In addition to the aforementioned talent, the crew working on That’s Amore! Includes includes cinematographer Dante Spinotti, production designer Gianni Quaranta, editor Steven Rosenblum and costume designer Besty Heimann, as well as David Polemeni, Tamara Birkemoe and Mark Damon all executive producing. Filming is expected to begin this August. We’re a long ways off from even speculating about if this will go down as one of the best romantic comedies of all-time, but it will be interested to see how John Travolta and Katherine Heigl do leading a movie together. Travolta also has American Metal set to come out later this year and Cash Out at a yet-to-be-revealed date. This will be Heigl’s first movie since 2021’s Fear of Rain, but she did recently star in the drama series Firefly Lane, which can be viewed with a Netflix subscription.

Time will tell which studio will end up distributing That’s Amore! and when it will be released, but for now, get the lay of this year’s cinematic land by looking over the 2023 new movie releases. 

Whether or not you’re interested in the actual football game once the Super Bowl rolls around, most people are at least excited about tuning in for the commercials. Companies pony up lots of cash for a coveted ad slot, and Super Bowl LVII’s funniest commercials pulled out all the stops to grab fans’ attention. T-Mobile nailed the trifecta of celebrities, humor and nostalgia to push its 5G home Internet service, pairing John Travolta with Scrubs stars Zach Braff and Donald Faison for a spoof of the Grease hit “Summer Nights,” and Travolta opened up about what made him say yes to the project.

John Travolta went full Danny Zuko for T-Mobile’s Super Bowl ad, singing the popular song from the 1978 musical alongside the Fake Doctors, Real Friends podcast hosts. Rather than staying out till 10 o’clock and making out under the dock, Zach Braff and Donald Faison sang about only needing one cord to be able to stream movies, as Travolta popped the collar of his black jacket and asked them to “Tell me more, tell me more.” The Grease star said he enjoyed the good-natured throwback to the movie, telling Variety: 

I’m as surprised as John Travolta is about the lack of Grease spoofs, but he hits it on the head by pointing out that the ad stays in line with the movie’s nonsensical humor, because there are plenty of things that don’t make sense about Grease. 

There was just something special about how well the Pulp Fiction actor fit in with the Scrubs stars, and John Travolta really seemed to enjoy the bond they seemed to have. He continued: 

Might we see these three team up again for the 2024 Super Bowl? Zach Braff and Donald Faison were also featured in a T-Mobile ad during Super Bowl LVI last year, singing “I Feel Pretty,” so it certainly seems possible that John Travolta could join the fun again. Or maybe we’ll see them tackle a different project together. For now, you can see the extended version of their “Summer Nights” spoof below: 

Other highlights from Super Bowl LVII included another fantastic nostalgia grab, as Alicia Silverstone reprised her classic character Cher from Clueless alongside Elisa Donovan’s Amber for Rakuten. Maya Rudolph tried to ruin M&Ms (sorry, Ma&Ya’s candy-coated clam bites), and we can’t forget about Rihanna giving history’s most epic pregnancy announcement, with her reps confirming just minutes after her halftime performance that she is expecting her second child.

Those wanting to relive the non-spoofed music of Grease can stream the movie with a Netflix subscription or Paramount+ subscription. All nine seasons of Scrubs, meanwhile, are available to Hulu subscription holders. 

For NFL fans, the Super Bowl can be a total coin-flip of a viewing experience, depending on how one feels about the teams involved. For non-fans, it’s all about the commercials and the halftime show spectacles (or it’s all about going out places knowing how many people are home watching). As it’s gone in years past, many of those commercials that air can be some of the funniest ads of the year, thanks in large part to how pricy and star-studded they are.

Everyone’s mileage will vary for what amounts to the funniest of all, but here are my choices for the 10 funniest Super Bowl LVII commercials, with the caveat that I’m also going with the full versions of the ads that can be found online, and not always just the limited spots that aired on TV. Many of which have already been online for days, which can be annoying, but that’s entertainment-fueled capitalism in 2023! Now enjoy funny expensive things!

Doritos: Jack Harlow Goes All Triangles

Jack Harlow's star continues rising at a fast pace, from his explosive music career to making a name for himself on the big screen in the upcoming White Men Can't Jump remake. But he may have already reached a comedic high mark with his Doritos Super Bowl commercial, which envisions a future where he dedicates all of his creativity toward triangles in all forms. You know what's not getting enough attention these days? Shapes! 

Planters: The Full Mr. Peanut Roast

The Planters ad that aired during the game couldn't possibly hold a candle to the full Roast of once-dead-and-then-reborn Mr. Peanut, which lasts for nearly twelve minutes of surpringly funny jokes from roast master Jeff Ross and comics such as Natasha Leggero, Atsuko Okatsuka, Frank Castillo, Yamaneika Saunders, David Lucas, and Sarah Tiana. Leggero possibly has the best joke of the whole shebang with her very first observation, but there were more than enough "look how old and weird-looking this peanut man is" barbs and insults to appease fans of puns and insult comedy alike. Roasts for mascots and other fictional characters should become a big trend in 2023. 

Pepsi: Ben Stiller's Endless Acting Skills

Ben Stiller and Steve Martin paired up for some ad-teasing fun ahead of the reveals of their respective commercials promoting Pepsi Zero Sugar, but I found Stiller's film genre-aping efforts to be the more amusing of the two. Though I can hardly stand here and say that Martin's was worse. Because I'm sitting. (Wokka wokka.) Sure, the return of Derek Zoolander didn't exactly hurt or anything. 

M&Ms: Maya Rudolph Ruins (And Kidnaps) Candy

Rarely does a Super Bowl ad cause an internet kerfuffle before it's even revealed to be a Super Bowl ad, but so it went when M&Ms revealed Maya Rudolph would be "replacing" its animated spokescandies. Thankfully, the actual result has been as weird and wonderfully gross as one might have expected from Rudolph being involved. Pre-game ads teased the inclusion of clams into the candy, culminating in the 30-second commercial that fully introduced the new clam-centric flavor takeover, all while the Red M&M was revealed as being held hostage. I love the idea of an ongoing mystery mixed in with the chocolate seafood combo. 

Rakuten: Clueless Return For Alicia Silverstone

Everybody loves Clueless and Alicia Silverstone’s Cher, and it’s always a big plus to have them back in our lives. Even if it involves Rakuten, something that I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to naturally connect to Amy Heckerling’s influential comedy classic. But hey, whatever gets Silverstone back in “Whatever” mode alongside former co-star Elisa Donovan, as well as designer Christian Sirianao, who recreated her fab yellow look for the ad. Perhaps it wasn't the funniest in terms of the number of gut-busting lines or anything, but it still earned a spot here. 

General Motors: Will Ferrell Goes Netflix

It's weird for an ad to just blatantly promote product placement on such a grand scale, but props to General Motors for putting Will Ferrell at the heart of it. It's a fun ride for the SNL vet to send up some of the streaming service's biggest hits, from Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead to Love Is Blind to Queer Eye to Bridgerton. But we sha'n't (or shalln't) lie: the real highlight was Priah Ferguson reprising the role of Stranger Things' Erica.

Uber One: Diddy Don't Do Jingles

This was a smorgasbord of throwback fun for anyone bopping along to pop radio from the '90s through the 2000s, with Diddy and Uber One enlisting the talents of - and I use the term in the most polite of tones - "one hit wonder" superstars to spoof their moneymakers, such as Montell Jordan ("This Is How We Do It"), Donna Lewis ("I Love You Always Forever"), Kelis ("Milkshake"), Ylvis ("The Fox") and Haddaway ("What Is Love"). Kelis gets the win for best alt-version. 

Pringles: More Cylinder-Shaped Trauma

The Pringles ad that aired during the Super Bowl's second quarter was like 75% on point with the alternate version online, but it's the last bit that makes it completely worth it, as it ends on such a wonderfully dark and haunting note. That poor kid and his chip-related traumas.

Google Pixel 7: Justice For "This Guy Loves To Fart" Guy And More

One of the bigger phone camera innovations of recent years, the Google Pixel 7 allows for erasing unwanted details in pics. Which allowed for a pretty brilliant Super Bowl ad filled with surprise appearances from Amy Schumer (completely alone and without any exes), NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo, rapper Doja Cat, and the dude from the "This Guy Loves to Fart" meme. Spoilers: he doesn't anymore. At least that's what he says. 

T-Mobile: John Travolta Getting Grease-y With Zach Braff And Donald Faison

Say what one will about Paramount+'s upcoming prequel series Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, but I think just as much effort should be put into John Travolta quasi-reprising the role of Danny Zuko and fronting a full on shot-for-shot Grease remake, in the sense Gun Van Sant's Psycho. Clearly, Zach Braff and Donald Faison would also be included somewhere, but they'd just be the icing on this summer lovin' cake. 

Honorable Mentions: Pete Davidson And More

I can't be the only person who spent too much time thinking about what Hellmann's was trying to tell us with its Super Bowl ad, right? I get what it meant on the surface, but are we supposed to believe that Pete Davidson imagined Jon Hamm and Brie Larson having a self-realizing conversation within his fridge before having a party that they attended? If so, I think that makes it funny, although it may not be worth all the effort. Here were some other amusing commercials that didn't quite make the cut.

Here are some others that were worthy of chuckles and chortles.

• The E*Trade Baby Wedding
• Bud Light's Dance Sesh with Miles and Keleigh Teller
• Bradley Cooper's Mom roasting him for T-Mobile
• Dave Grohl honoring Canada for Crown Royal
• Workday's Rock Star ad with Ozzy Osbourne and more music legends
• Avacados From Mexico's Nude Eden with Anna Faris

Get ready to watch a bunch of these ads and more airing throughout the rest of the year, probably during XFL games, leading into USFL games, which will then cap off with the return of NFL football. It's all football, all the time. Plus funny commercials.

Although it’s been 45 years since John Travolta first showed off his Danny Zuko moves in Grease, he’s still got it all this time later. The 68-year-old actor proves it during one of 2023’s Super Bowl ads which includes him singing a new rendition of “Summer Nights” alongside Scrubs’ Zach Braff and Donald Faison, because why not? 

In a big-budget commercial for T-Mobile’s 5G home internet service, John Travolta references Grease in a big way by singing one of its classic songs. However, he’s not talking about a summer fling this time around. Check it: 

The commercial has John Travolta ranting about how much of a pain it can be to set up home internet when moving into a new home to the tune of "Summer Nights" before real-life best friend duo Zach Braff and Donald Faison jump in to tell him about the T-Mobile service. It’s an unlikely trio, but they are all so lovable the mashup somehow works. Plus, it’s really nostalgic to see a present-day Travolta singing “Summer Nights.” 

Travolta recreates iconic moves from the 1978 movie throughout the minute-long commercial before hitting the high note in the song and putting his hand up just as he did during the high-school set musical. The commercial joins other early drops of Super Bowl ads this year, such as one with Top Gun: Maverick’s Miles Teller dancing with his dog for Bud Light and Anna Faris going nearly nude for an avocado commercial. 

It’s no secret Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest day of the year for advertising, and companies always spend the big bucks on their ads, often enlisting big celebrities to appear. John Travolta going full Grease for this Super Bowl ad feels like a classic move, and it will surely get people talking about his classic movie. While this is fun to see ahead of the game, we’re certainly curious why companies have been soft launching their ads ahead of the big night, because now having seen the ad, we won’t be as surprised when Travolta sings on the commercial break. 

Across the 45 years Grease has been a famous movie, not everyone gets the hype, but you can’t ignore how iconic John Travolta’s Danny Zuko still is. And, perhaps if it wasn’t for Olivia Newton-John tragically passing in August after a battle with metastatic breast cancer, Danny and Sandy could have reunited for a commercial and Grease tribute. 

You can catch the commercial during Super Bowl LVII, airing on Fox this Sunday, February 12 from Glendale, Arizona where the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will play against one another and Rihanna will perform at the halftime show. Chris Stapleton is set to sing the national anthem, and there will surely be so many more big commercials worth seeing between the game. 

Kirstie Alley’s career in TV and film started over 40 years ago, even before her breakout role in the NBC sitcom Cheers, and, over the decades, she shared the screen with a number of notable actors and actresses. Known for series like Veronica's Closet and movies like Look Who’s Talking, she was beloved by her former co-stars, as evidenced by their outpouring of love following Alley’s death on December 5 at age 71. Many people, including John Travolta, Ted Danson and Rhea Perlman, took time to pay tribute and send their condolences.

Kirstie Alley’s children issued a statement on social media to inform the world of their mother’s death, and many actors who had worked with her over the years took to their own accounts with memories of the actress. John Travolta called their friendship “one of the most special relationships he ever had,” as they starred in three Look Who’s Talking films together: 

But before she was Mikey’s mom Mollie in that trilogy, she was Rebecca Howe, the bar manager at the establishment where everybody knows your name. The late actress joined the all-star cast in 1987, earning an Emmy Award and two additional nominations for the role. Co-star Ted Danson (a.k.a. Cheers bartender Sam Malone) spoke to Deadline about a lovely memory from their time together, saying: 

Rhea Perlman, who played Carla Tortelli on the NBC sitcom and later appeared on Kirstie Alley’s TV Land sitcom Kirstie, also mourned the loss of her friend, who she said she connected with “almost instantly” after Alley joined the Cheers cast in Season 6. Perlman told Deadline: 

Kelsey Grammer preferred to keep his thoughts close to the vest, but said, per Deadline, of his Cheers colleague:  

Actors from Kirstie Alley’s other projects also spoke out following news of her passing, including Scream Queens’ Jamie Lee Curtis. Alley appeared on Season 2 of the Fox slasher comedy, and Curtis remembered her as a “beautiful mama bear”: 

In addition to acting, the Drop Dead Gorgeous star was known for the work she did as a spokesperson for campaigns involving Jenny Craig and Pier One. Fellow Jenny Craig mouthpiece Valerie Bertinelli reacted to the sad news: 

Kirstie Alley’s final film appearance was in 2015’s Accidental Love. Later in her life, she appeared on the UK’s Celebrity Big Brother, where she was runner-up in 2018 and, earlier this year, she appeared on Season 7 of The Masked Singer, hiding her identity under the Baby Mammoth costume. Her death after a short battle with cancer is heartbreaking for so many, and our condolences go out to all of her family, friends and fans. 

Along with the list of Hallmark mainstays like Lacey Chabert, many have popped onto the Hallmark Channel around the holidays to make fun little cameos. Now, John Travolta’s sister is making her holiday dream come true by making her holiday movie debut in Chabert’s latest project among Hallmark’s upcoming movies, Haul Out the Holly. 

To celebrate Ellen Travolta’s Hallmark movie, her brother posted an adorable photo on his Instagram story, prompting fans to go watch his sister live out her dream.

Also, to top off the experience, Haul Out the Holly’s star, and Hallmark regular Lacey Chabert – who has been posting about the movie with a sneak peek TikTok that included a Mean Girls reference and a holiday-inspired announcement earlier this year – reposted the story, explaining how much fun she had working with Ellen Travolta. 

According to The Spokesman-Review, Ellen Travolta took to watching Hallmark movies after her husband, Jack Bannon passed away in 2017. She explained that she and her cat would watch the movies together, and it would help ease the loss. Then, she decided she really wanted to appear in one of the movies, so, she asked her brother for help.

She then recalled a trip she took with John Travolta, and said all she could talk about was the holiday movies and how much she loved them, explaining: 

So, her brother pulled a few strings, and as she said “lo and behold, they called.” 

Travolta’s sister plays Mary Louise, a neighbor in the town Lacey Chabert’s character has just moved to who loves the holidays. She explained to the local newspaper that she had a lot of fun making the movie. It turns out, Maclain Nelson, the director of Haul Out the Holly was also a big fan of Ellen Travolta, and had watched her on Charles in Charge. She said lots of people on set seemed to know and love her work, telling the newspaper: 

I love that to bring in the holidays, Ellen Travolta got to make her dream come true, and Chabert had a great time helping her fulfill that goal. 

Along with the Travolta siblings, Chabert has been working with and posting about other nostalgic stars who will appear on the Hallmark schedule this holiday season. She and Jennifer Love Hewitt shared a sweet exchange about the movies, and she reunited with her Mean Girls co-star Jonathan Bennett at Christmas Con earlier this year. 

These fun interactions have held us over for the year, but now that the Christmas season is upon us, we can finally watch all these stars on the screen in these wholesome holiday movies. 

To watch Ellen Travolta live out her dreams, you can check out Haul Out the Holly on the Hallmark Channel tonight at 8 p.m. ET, and make sure to check our list of the nine Hallmark movies to prioritize this holiday season as the Christmas festivities begin. 

Yesterday, the world lost one of its truly great talents with the news that Olivia Newton-John had passed away. While no official cause of death was given Newton-John had been battling breast cancer for years. The woman was a talented singer and actress who had hit songs and iconic movie roles and was a major influence on a lot of stars that came after her, and so you can be sure there were many who had strong emotions following the news that she was gone.

While Olivia Newton-John had several major film roles as well as musical hits, for many, she will always be Sandy from 1978’s film adaptation of Grease. It has become one of the truly iconic movie musicals, and it turned her and her co-star John Travolta into movie stars. The film became a permanent part of both of their careers, bringing Travolta and Newton-John together again and again over the years. Travolta took to Instagram to say goodbye to his friend. 

Olivia Newton-John had nearly 90 acting credits to her name at the time of her death, but most of those are music videos for her many songs. For many she was a pop star first and an actress second. She’s a member of the Australian Recording Industry Hall of Fame and her song “Physical” spent more time at number one than any other song by an Australian artist. Fellow Aussie Kylie Minogue posted about what an influence Olivia Newton-John was to her. 

Mariah Carey was another singer who spoke on Instagram about how much she loved Newton-John, going so far as to dress as Sandy for Halloween one year. Later, Carey and Newton-John would share a stage and perform together. 

While Olivia Newton-John was best known on screen for Grease and the cult classic Xanadu, she continued to act regularly in film and television until 2020. One of her more recent movies was 2011’s A Few Best Men, which co-starred a pre- Pitch Perfect Rebel Wilson. Wilson wrote about how Newton-John inspired her to be a performer, believing that she could succeed while still being true to herself as Australian. 

Another Australian whose life was greatly influenced by Olivia Newton-John was Hugh Jackman. He admits in an Instagram post that Newton-John was his first crush, and calls getting to know her personally one of the great privileges of his life. Jackman would also go on to become a multidisciplinary threat, and would even sing Newton-John’s part of “Summer Loving” with John Travolta at one point.  

Clearly, Olivia Newton-John’s career, in addition to being incredibly successful, also inspired others to chase their own dreams. In that way Olivia Newton-John's life will continue long after she is gone.

Movie musicals are a tried and true genre in the industry, and one that often gets attention during Awards Season. It’s almost hard to believe it, but it’s been 15 years since the Hairspray movie arrived in theaters back in 2007. The film adaptation starred newcomer Nikki Blonsky, who recently spoke to CinemaBlend about the movie’s anniversary, memories with the late Jerry Stiller, and those infamous Twitter memes about her.

Nikki Blonsky had her big professional break when landing the role of Tracy Turnblad in Adam Shankman’s Hairspray movie. This transformed the young actress from ice cream scooper to movie star, leading to more professional opportunities in her future. I had the chance to speak with Blonsky about her experience with Hairspray, where she revealed her immediate connection with the plucky protagonist of that beloved musical. As she put it,

In the end, Nikki Blonsky was right, as she got to play Tracy in the movie musical co-starring legends like John Travolta and Michelle Pfeiffer. Director Adam Shankman put together a killer cast to bring Baltimore to life, after the Hairspray stage musical had a long, Tony-winning run on Broadway. I asked Blonsky about what memories stick out the most from her time on that set, where she reminisced about the late Jerry Stiller, as well as her collaboration with Travolta. She shared:

The great Jerry Stiller passed away in May of 2020, leaving behind a truly legendary career and legacy. Stiller starred in John Waters’ original Hairspray movie back in 1988, and fans were delighted to see him back in the 2007 movie musical. What’s more, he got to be part of one one of the iconic songs “Welcome to the 60’s.” And from Nikki Blonsky’s memories, he sounded like a true delight on the set.

In addition to asking Nikki Blonsky which memories from Hairspray were her favorite, I also inquired about any challenges that might have happened. After all, she was leading a major motion picture that was chock full of singing and dancing. But it turns out that difficulty occurred after production wrapped, saying:

Being an actor is a unique job for a number of reasons. This type of bonding is an experience not unique to Nikki Blonsky, along with the letdown once the project is wrapped and the cast/crew go their separate ways. And for Blonsky getting her first big break in this way, smart money says that emotional rollercoaster was strong.

After Hairspray, Nikki Blonsky would go onto a number of other acting projects including roles in TV shows like Huge and Smash. Although aside from her time as Tracy Turnblad, she’s also known for being the subject of a number of memes, specifically related to her Tweeting at various celebrities around a decade ago. I asked Blonsky what it was like being turned into a meme via the powers of the internet, and she spoke honestly, saying:

The internet can be a wild place, and going viral can sometimes be an unpleasant experience. But Nikki Blonsky seems to have a good perspective about all the memes, and remains active on social media. She also came out as queer a few years ago, and has shared her personal experience on places like Instagram.

Memes aside, Nikki Blonsky’s performance as Tracy Turnblad has forever been immortalized, and the movie is still regularly played on syndication. Hairspray is currently streaming on HBO Max, allowing even more moviegoers to see the movie’s message of diversity and acceptance. Blonsky spoke to me about the legacy of the Hairspray movie, sharing:

Nikki Blonsky has a few notable upcoming projects coming up, in addition to the recent press related to Hairspray’s anniversary. She’s got a role in an upcoming podcast series titled A Voice in Violet, as well as a movie titled Bosco starring Vivica A. Fox. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

Of all the best action movies to come out of the 1990s (or any decade, really), Face/Off is one of the few that can genuinely be described as one of a kind, which is why it is still as fascinating now - as it celebrates its 25th anniversary - as ever. Outside of its astonishingly inventive concept (FBI agent John Travolta literally switches faces with the notorious terrorist who killed his son, played by Nicolas Cage in one of his most unplugged performances), it invokes an aura of dizzying, unfiltered absurdity that has rarely been done in such a compelling and advantageous fashion. Yet, if you think the movie itself is cuckoo (and rightfully so), you should hear some of the behind the scenes facts about its production.

For instance, I cannot think of a better title (or more appropriate construction of said title) for this 1997 thriller, from the legendary action director John Woo, than Face/Off, but that was almost changed. Plus, I think most would agree that Travolta and Cage as vehemently polar opposite enemies is a near-perfect pairing, but they were reportedly not the first choices to lead the film. Those are just a couple of the bits of trivia that we’ll get into about the movie below.  

Nicolas Cage And John Travolta Observed Each Other While Filming To Better Inform Their Performances

While I may have claimed in the introduction above that Nicolas Cage gives one of his most unplugged performances in Face/Off, you really only get a limited amount of “Cage Rage” as he spends most of his time playing John Travolta’s character, Sean Archer. One method that both actors used to figure out how to act like each other was, simply, by watching each other act. In an interview published online by ScreenSlam, gives a specific example that we have annotate below: 

Travolta would recall in 2019, during an interview for Build, that he also helped Cage get into character by suggesting he watch a few films that might help him better match his mannerisms. The list included Phenomenon (in which he played telekinetic genius), Michael (in which he played winged angel with a devilish personality), and Look Who’s Talking (in which he became the adoptive father of a baby voiced by his future Pulp Fiction co-star, Bruce Willis).

Nicolas Cage Claims He “Left His Body” During A Prison Fight Scene

There is one moment in Face/Off, however, when Nicolas Cage does go pretty unhinged as Sean Archer: the scene when he gets into a quarrel with some prison inmates and begins manically shouting “I’m Castor Troy!” over and over again. While promoting his 2021 drama Pig, Cage revealed to Entertainment Weekly that, during that very shoot, he thought he had “left [his] body” and grew concerned over whether or not this situation was real or still just a performance. Apparently, you can see that very moment in his eyes, as the Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent star claims.

Face/Off Was Originally Set In The Future

Let’s face it: the idea of John Travolta’s Sean Archer taking on the resemblance of Nicolas Cage as Castor Troy is a bit far-fetched, especially in 1997. A cutting-edge, temporary facial transplant procedure with such virtually seamless results sounds like it would have to exist, something like, 100 years down the road. As it turns out, that was the original plan.

Following the news of its upcoming sequel, ShortList conducted a thorough inside-look into the making of Face/Off and revealed that writers Michael Colleary and Mike Werb’s original draft was set in a future with flying cars and such to justify the otherwise improbable face-swap. However, when John Woo signed on to direct, he opted to modernize the story in order to focus on its more psychological and emotional elements, leaving much of the futuristic ideas in the prison set design.

Paramount Wanted To Remove The Slash In The Title

I honestly think it was for the best that Michael Colleary and Mike Werb had to abandon much of their futuristic ideas for Face/Off. However, there was one developmental dispute that the screenwriters, thankfully, won.

According to Pajiba’s breakdown of the Face/Off DVD commentary featuring “the Mikes” and John Woo, Paramount Pictures had some reservations on the “slash” in the title, feeling it may be confusing and difficult to display on a movie theater marquee. The studio was convinced to keep it when the writers suggested audiences might think it was about hockey instead of an action thriller. Plus, not only is there an actual 1971 hockey movie released as Face-Off in Canada, but a later hiccup in the casting process would only further prove the writers’ argument.

Johnny Depp Was Interested In Face/Off Before Realizing It Was Not A Hockey Movie

Early on in the development of Face/Off, Paramount Pictures wanted to cast Johnny Depp, hoping the film could be the then 27-year-old’s ticket to blockbuster stardom. In fact, Nicolas Cage had already expressed interest in starring in the thriller, but, initially, the studio would only agree if Depp could be his co-star.

As ShortList’s analysis reveals, what led the future Oscar-nominated Pirates of the Caribbean star to pass on Face/Off was the discovery that it was not about hockey after reading the script. If Paramount needed any other reason to keep the title’s slash, they certainly had it then.

Arnold Schwarzenegger And Sylvester Stallone Were Reportedly Considered For Sean Archer and Castor Troy

Johnny Depp was not the only actor on Face/Off’s original list of casting hopefuls before John Travolta and Nicolas Cage landed the hero/villain to villain/hero roles. In fact, before Cage was officially brought in, the studio apparently wanted the likes of Michael Douglas with Harrison Ford, Bruce Willis paired with Alec Baldwin, or even Robert De Niro facing off with his pal Al Pacino.

However, one of the first choices to lead the thriller in its early stages were, reportedly, the most famous rival action stars at the time: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. The fairly obvious and, frankly, pretty cool pairing would not become a reality until The Expendables franchise, and 2013’s Escape Plan, in which they play inmates teaming up to break out of a futuristic prison. That may be the closest to an Arnie/Sly Face/Off movie we will ever get.

John Travolta Felt Mocked By A Line In The Script About His Chin

ShortList’s comprehensive history on the making of Face/Off also includes a particularly revealing claim about John Travolta’s  feelings over the script. Apparently, he took offense to a line in which Castor Troy expresses disgust over having to wear Sean Archer’s face, with emphasis on his “ridiculous chin.” Mike Colleary responded with the following:

The co-writer’s attempt to prevent a “face off” with John Travolta seemed to work. It does make me wonder, however, what the actor thought of his highly realistic, artificial double.

Animatronic Dummies Were Created For The Face Transplant Sequence

Probably the most impressive “how did they do that?” moment in Face/Off is when we witness the Sean Archer and Castor Troy facial swap. Obviously, it is not really John Travolta and Nicolas Cage on those hospital beds receiving the wildest surgery ever, but how could it not be with how life-like they appear?

The secret, as a 1997 making-of featurette reveals, was two dummies developed by make-up effects artist Kevin Yagher that recreate the actors’ appearances down to the most minute detail with built-in animatronics to perform subconscious acts like breathing and twitching. Nicolas Cage said the striking resemblance of his artificial clone made it “terrifying to look at,” but that was not even the scariest moment he was faced with on set.

Nicolas Cage Confronted His Fear Of Heights Shooting The Prison Break Scene

In order to survive his escape from the maximum security penitentiary he enters as Castor Troy, Sean Archer takes the risk of leaping from the oil rig it is hidden under and into surrounding waters with a helicopter sniper on his tail. Also taking that risk to film the thrilling Face/Off sequence was Nicolas Cage.

The actor actually performed the 200-foot jump, which he later called “one of the more frightening moments” of his life. It would not be the last time he has taken the opportunity to perform crazy stunts, such as in the sci-fi thriller Next, and Disney’s National Treasure franchise, despite being open about his fear of heights in interviews before.

Practical Effects Were Preferred Over Green Screen For Face/Off’s More Challenging Scenes

Of course, Nicolas Cage’s willingness to face his fears was likely by the order of producer Barrie M. Osborne, who would go on to work on The Matrix in 1999. As he says in the following except from an interview with MatrixFans.net, Osborne urged the use of practical effects for Face/Off over the studio’s initial ideas to take the easy way out, so to speak:

That is another reason why Face/Off has stood the test of time: its best stunts are the result of a refreshing dedication to honoring realism. However, I cannot tell if any green screen was used to film what almost became its final scene.

An Alternate Ending Shows John Travolta Seeing Nicolas Cage’s Face In A Mirror

The theatrical cut of Face/Off ends with Sean Archer getting his true face back and returning home with a new addition to his family: Castor Troy’s orphaned son, Adam (David McCurley). This relieving conclusion is much appreciated after the high-octane insanity that precedes it, although that was almost not the case.

An alternate ending was shot in which Sean is staring at his bathroom mirror with a look of uncertainty, at which point his wife, Eve, walks in and is audibly shocked to see Troy’s face staring back. Sean looks in the mirror again to reveal his own reflection and the couple share a warm embrace, but, in a close-up, he begins to form a menacing grin. In an interview with Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Face/Off 2 scribe Simon Barrett mentions that he found the alternate ending on his Blu-ray copy of the original film and, after watching it, he and director Adam Wingard agreed not to think about it while developing the sequel as it was “unclear” to them what it really means.

I, however, would be very curious to see what the potential implications of this scrapped cliffhanger could be (is Troy still alive in Archer’s scarred psyche?), but trust that Barrett and Wingard are thinking of something even better for their upcoming follow-up. In the meantime, you can celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original classic by streaming Face/Off on Pluto TV. You can also buy or rent Face/Off on Amazon, too!

Bruce Willis is a living legend. As an actor he's built a career of undeniable hits and proven he has the range to pull off a wide variety of roles, no matter how challenging. Now that he’s facing a new challenge in his life, he's retiring from his work on the big screen. But his famous friends and family members, including Sylvester Stallone and John Travolta, have made it clear they are with him even as he steps out of the spotlight. 

After learning that Bruce Willis is retiring because he has been diagnosed with Aphasia, fans around the world were shocked. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the language disorder makes it difficult to effectively communicate – so it's understandable why he would need to step away from his career. But that doesn’t make it any less sad for those who love him. And we have seen over the past couple of days that the list of people in that category is very long. 

Sylvester Stallone, who co-starred with his fellow action icon in The Expendables and its first sequel, seems to have put any kind of feud between the two of them behind him. He shared some sweet throwback pictures on Instagram, along with a heartfelt message of support: 

The Rocky star joined a long list of fellow celebrities who have already shared good wishes for the Die Hard star. The outpouring of love for Bruce Willis continued, with John Travolta reflecting on his long friendship with his Pulp Fiction and Look Who’s Talking co-star: 

It seems like the 67-year-old actor has had a big impact on many of the actors he’s shared the screen with over the years. Haley Joel Osment, who appeared alongside him in The Sixth Sense, shared his gratitude for that experience and his respect for his former co-star: 

Demi Moore, who has never been shy about praising Bruce Willis and his commitment to their blended family, already shared her love for him following the announcement. She was joined by daughter Rumer Willis, who reflected on how much her father means to her: 

Scout Willis also opened up in a long post on her Instagram account. In the post, she shared how much it has meant to her to receive support and hear how much her dad means to friends and fans all over the world:

Dealing with a serious medical condition is always scary. It’s good to know the Willis family is feeling the love as they go through this challenging period.

While Bruce Willis has stepped away from his career, fans haven’t seen the last of him. He has several upcoming movies in post-production, though it’s not yet clear if any of them will be a part of the slate of new movie releases scheduled for 2022. As we wait to find out more, we can continue to send the actor and his family our best wishes.

Jamie Lee Curtis may not have been one of the 2022 Academy Award winners, but she held something more precious than one of those golden trophies: the most adorable little puppy! During her tribute to late Golden Girls star Betty White, Curtis spoke about honoring the actress through Paw Works' mission of making sure abandoned dogs find a good home. Luckily, the message rang loud and clear to someone who was in attendance! The puppy Jamie Lee Curtis was holding during the Oscars ceremony was adopted by none other than John Travolta and his son!

The Pulp Fiction star posted an adorable picture on Instagram of him, his 11-year-old son Ben and their new two-legged friend Mac & Cheese from the Oscars ceremony that night. John Travolta thanked Jamie Lee Curtis and Paw Works for the opportunity to provide this puppy with a new home for the family. See for yourself!

TV legend Betty White passed away on December 31, 2021 at 99 years old. Her infectious talent and personality would hit millions of TV screens playing iconic roles like in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls, and Hot in Cleveland. Not only was she there for her fans, but dedicated her life to helping animals. Betty White was part of many charities that fans can pay tribute to in her memory. She worked with the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association for more than 50 years, as well as Tree People, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Wildlife Learning Center, Actors and Others for Animals, The Aquarium of the Pacific, and Guide Dogs For the Blind. White would undoubtedly be proud of John Travolta and his son for their generosity. 

Jamie Lee Curtis also posted her own Instagram photo of herself and Mac & Cheese from the Oscars ceremony, and talked about how those who offer their home and their hearts to dogs are heroes. The Halloween star went on to thank the Academy Awards, as well as share that John Travolta, Mac & Cheese, her fashion designer Stella McCartney and Betty White all express their gratitude.

While Betty White may not be with us anymore, she was still able to film herself for a documentary called Betty White: A Celebration before she passed. It was a Fathom Events screening on January 17th that hit over 900 theaters. The documentary featured quiet moments she spent at home, the time she spent with friends and her love of animals. For every animal that finds a home and builds a connection with its new owner, I’m sure Betty White will smile down in delight. Hopefully, this is a documentary that will eventually hit streaming services that everyone has the chance to watch. 

Here is where you can find Betty White’s best movies and TV shows to add to your watchlist. For those who want to see Mac & Cheese shining on TV, you can watch the 94th Academy Awards with a Hulu subscription.

While Reservoir Dogs turned Quentin Tarantino into a hot, up-and-coming filmmaker, Pulp Fiction, his sophomore film, paved the way for the director to become one of the most adored (and controversial) storytellers in Hollywood. With its inventive non-linear structure, endlessly quotable lines, and a number of iconic performances from John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Christopher Walken, and Samuel L. Jackson, it's no wonder that the endlessly cool classic is one of the most beloved movies of all-time — let alone the '90s. Now that we're only a few short years away from its 30th anniversary, what's the Pulp Fiction cast working on now? Let's find out!

John Travolta (Vincent Vega)

As Vincent Vega, a cool, long-haired hitman, John Travolta is the protagonist (such as there is one) of 1994's acclaimed masterwork, Pulp Fiction. First rising to fame through Welcome Back, Kotter, John Travolta transitioned into stardom through his acclaimed Oscar-nominated performance in Saturday Night Fever, as well as his lead roles in Grease, Urban Cowboy, Blow Out, and the Look Who's Talking movies. Pulp Fiction's Oscar-nominated role rejuvenated the actor's fledgling career, resulting in him starring in Get Shorty (for which he won a Golden Globe), Face/Off, Primary Colors, Broken Arrow, and Wild Hogs. His other famous (and infamous) film credits include Battlefield Earth, Swordfish, Hairspray (2007), Old Dogs, The General's Daughter, The Punisher, From Paris With Love, The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009), Gotti, Bolt, and The Fanatic.

Additionally, on television, John Travolta won an Emmy for producing The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, where he also played Robert Shapiro. Most recently, Travolta starred in Quibi's Die Hart. The actor also played Santa Claus in a Capital One commercial. Currently, Travolta is filming Paradise City, which will also star Bruce Willis.

Samuel L. Jackson (Jules Winnfield)

In the role of Jules Winnfield, a self-righteous hitman working alongside Vincent Vega, Samuel L. Jackson became a household name playing the deuteragonist in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. He was Oscar-nominated for this foul-mouthed, star-making performance. He would later reunite with Quentin Tarantino with Jackie Brown, Django Unchained, and The Hateful Eight. His other film credits include Do the Right Thing, Jurassic Park, True Romance, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Shaft (2000), Goodfellas, Hard Eight, Coming to America, The Negotiator, Eve's Bayou, Snakes on a Plane, School Daze, and Unbreakable. Additionally, Jackson played Mace Windu in the Star Wars prequels and Nick Fury in the MCU. He also voices Frozone in The Incredibles movies.

Most recently, Samuel L. Jackson starred in Spiral: From the Book of Saw and The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard. He also reunited with John Travolta for a Capital One commercial. Next, the A-list actor reprises his role as Nick Fury in What If...? and Secret Invasion. Also, Jackson will be seen in The Protege and heard in Blazing Samurai.

Uma Thurman (Mia Wallace)

Playing the part of Mia Wallace, Marsellus Wallace's mysterious, drug-addled wife, Uma Thurman was the female lead in 1994's Pulp Fiction. Outside of this Oscar-nominated performance, Thurman starred in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies. She also starred in Dangerous Liaisons, Gattaca, The Truth About Cats & Dogs, Henry & June, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. Thurman's other notable film credits include Batman & Robin, Les Miserables (1998), The Avengers (1998), The House That Jack Built, Nymphomaniac, The Producers (2005), Paycheck, Sweet and Lowdown, and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. She also reunited with John Travolta for Be Cool.

Outside of film, Uma Thurman played main characters in NBC's The Slap and Netflix's Chambers. Her other TV credits include Imposters and Smash, the latter for which she was Emmy-nominated. She also won a Golden Globe for HBO's Hysterical Blindness. Most recently, Thurman played a supporting role in The War with Grandpa. Next, she'll be seen in Hollywood Stargirl. Currently, Thurman is filming Apple TV+'s Suspicion. She's also signed on to star in Tau Ceti Four.

Harvey Keitel (Winston Wolfe)

As Winston Wolfe, a professor cleaner who tidies up other people's messes, Harvey Keitel plays a sharp-dressed character in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Prior to this performance, Keitel worked with Tarantino on Reservoir Dogs, which he co-produced. He also starred in Bad Lieutenant, Blue Collar, Mean Streets, The Piano, and Cop Land. Additionally, Keitel was Oscar-nominated for Bugsy. His other big film credits include Thelma & Louise, The Last Temptation of Christ, Taxi Driver, From Dusk 'Til Dawn, Red Dragon, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Youth, Sister Act, Clockers, Get Shorty, U-571, Little Nicky, Little Fockers, The Congress, National Treasure, Isle of Dogs, and The Irishman.

Additionally, on TV, Harvey Keitel starred in ABC's Life on Mars. He also appeared in N.Y.P.D., Kojak, Hogan's Heroes, Amazing Stories, Dark Shadows, and Inside Amy Schumer. Most recently, Keitel starred in Lansky and Blood on the Crown. Last year, the actor appeared in The Painted Bird and Fatima. Next, he'll be seen in Gandhi of the Month, The Baker, Unto the Sun, The Legitimate Wiseguy, and Live Fast, Die Laughing.

Tim Roth (Ringo/"Pumpkin")

In the role of Ringo, i.e. "Pumpkin," a small-time stick-up artist, Tim Roth plays a supporting antagonist in Pulp Fiction. Prior to this performance, Roth appeared in Reservoir Dogs. Later, the actor reunited with Quentin Tarantino with Four Rooms and The Hateful Eight. Most notably, Roth was Oscar-nominated for his supporting turn in Rob Roy. Additionally, his other film credits include Vincent & Theo, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Gridlock'd, Everyone Says I Love You, Planet of the Apes (2001), The Incredible Hulk, Youth Without Youth, Hardcore Henry, Selma, Funny Games (2008), Invincible, The Musketeer, The Hit, and The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, & Her Lover.

Additionally, on television, Tim Roth starred in Fox's Lie to Me and Sky Atlantic's Tin Star. Outside of acting, Roth directed The War Zone. Most recently, the actor had a supporting role in The Misfits. He also stars in Bergman Island, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Next, Roth will be seen in The Jesuit. He'll also appear in Punch. Additionally, Roth reprises his role as Emil Blonsky/Abomination in Disney+'s She-Hulk.

Bruce Willis (Butch Coolidge)

Playing the part of Butch Coolidge, an over-the-hill boxer who agrees to lose a match for a bride from Marsellus Wallace, Bruce Willis was a protagonist in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Following his two-time Emmy-nominated role in ABC's Moonlighting, Willis became an action superstar for his portrayal of John McClane in Die Hard, spanning a film franchise. Additionally, he's known for starring in 12 Monkeys, The Sixth Sense, The Fifth Element, Hudson Hawk, Sin City, Armageddon, The Whole Nine Yards, Tears of the Sun, Unbreakable, Looper, RED, and RED 2. Also, the A-list actor was seen in Moonrise Kingdom, Cop Out, The Expendables, The Last Boy Scout, Planet Terror, Four Rooms, The Siege, Surrogates, Four Room, and Glass, reuniting him with Samuel L. Jackson.

Most recently, Bruce Willis was seen in Cosmic Sin. Next, he'll appear in Out of Death, Midnight in the Switchgrass, Reactor, Apex, American Siege, Gasoline Alley, The Fortress, Soul Assassin, and A Day to Die. Currently, Willis is filming Paradise City. Also, the actor is signed on to appear in Killing Field, White Elephant, and Hair of the Dog.

Amanda Plummer (Yolanda/"Honey Bunny”)

As Yolanda, i.e. "Honey Bunny," Pumpkin's small-thief girlfriend, Amanda Plummer plays a supporting antagonist in 1994's Pulp Fiction. Most notably, Plummer won a Tony for her 1982 performance in Agnes of God. Furthermore, she was Tony-nominated for 1981's A Taste of Honey and 1987's Pygmalion. Her other notable film credits include The Fisher King, Joe Versus the Volcano, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, A Simple Wish, The Prophecy, Needful Things, The World According to Garp, Made in Heaven, Freejack, and So I Married an Axe Murder. Moreover, Plummer is heard in Hercules.

Additionally, on television, Amanda Plummer won an Emmy for her supporting turn in NBC's Miss Rose White. Furthermore, she won two additional Emmys for her guest performances in The Outer Limits and Law & Order: SVU. Plummer was also Emmy-nominated for L.A. Law. Most recently, the actress played a recurring role in Netflix's Ratched. She also appeared in Night Raiders, which recently premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival. Currently, Plummer is filming Kelly Reichardt's Showing Up.

Ving Rhames (Marsellus Wallace)

In the role of Marsellus Wallace, the boss of Vincent, Jules, and Butch, Ving Rhames takes on a powerful personality in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Outside of this performance, Rhames is known for his recurring part in the Mission: Impossible movies — the only other actor besides Tom Cruise to appear in all six. Additionally, Ving Rhames is recognized for Bringing Out the Dead, Con Air, Entrapment, Out of Sight, Jacob's Ladder, Striptease, and Dawn of the Dead (2004). His other notable film credits include Baby Boy, Dave, The People Under the Stairs, Native Son, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, Blood In Blood Out, Dark Blue, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Piranha 3D, and The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard. Also, Rhames is the voice of Cobra Bubble in Lilo & Stitch.

Additionally, on television, Ving Rhames was Emmy-nominated for his title role in HBO's Don King: Only in America. The character actor also appeared in Kojak, The District, and ER. Next, Rhames will reprise his role as Luther Stickell in Mission: Impossible 7 and 8.

Rosanna Arquette (Jody)

Playing the part of Jody, Lance's wife, Rosanna Arquette has a minor role in 1994's Pulp Fiction. Away from this film, Arquette was Emmy-nominated for her work in NBC's The Executioner's Song. She also received a BAFTA nomination for her supporting turn in Desperately Seeking Susan. Her other notable film credits include After Hours, Crash (1996), The Big Blue, Buffalo '66, The Whole Nine Yards, Gone Fishin', The Wrong Man, Nobody's Fool, Silverado, New York Stories, and Nowhere to Run. Additionally, Arquette directed two documentaries, Searching For Debra Winger and All We Are Saying.

Furthermore, on TV, Rosanna Arquette starred in ABC's What About Brian. She also led Sideswiped and Shirley. Her other notable TV credits include Private Practice, Girls, Ray Donovan, Law & Order: SVU, Medium, Grey's Anatomy, Malcolm in the Middle, and The L Word. Most recently, Arquette had a recurring role in Netflix's Ratched. Coming up next, the actress is expected to appear in Aramingo Avenue, Not Born, and Futura Days. Additionally, Arquette will star in The Playboy Interview and The Velvet Gentlemen.

Christopher Walken (Captain Koons)

As Captain Koons, a Vietnam War veteran with a personal connection to Butch's past, Christopher Walken provides a memorable cameo in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. An acclaimed actor with over 100 film and TV credits to his name, Walken is best known for his Oscar-winning supporting turn in The Deer Hunter. Additionally, he was Oscar-nominated for Catch Me If You Can. His other notable film credits include Annie Hall, A View to a Kill, Batman Returns, The Dead Zone, Wedding Crashers, Click, Vendetta, Seven Psychopaths, Joe Dirt, and The Prophecy. Furthermore, Walken was seen or heard in The Jungle Book (2016), Antz, Irreplaceable You, Kangaroo Jack, The Stepford Wives (2004), Balls of Fury, Domino, The Rundown, Hairspray, and Blast from the Past. Also, he was at the center of Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice" music video.

Most recently, Christopher Walken starred in Percy Vs. Goliath. He also appeared in The Jesus Rolls, The War with Grandpa, and Wild Mountain Thyme. Next, Walken frontlines AppleTV+'s Severance and Amazon/BBC's The Offenders. He's also expected to return for Wedding Crashers 2, with Owen Wilson.

Maria de Medeiros (Fabienne)

In the role of Fabienne, Butch Coolidge's French girlfriend, Maria de Medeiros plays a secondary character in Pulp Fiction. A Portuguese actress-singer with over 100 acting credits to her name, Medeiros is best known for her work in Adao e Eva, Midsummer Madness, The Saddest Music in the World, The Forbidden Room, Chicken with Plums, Polygraph, Henry & June, My Life Without Me, and The Killer. Additionally, the actress wrote and directed A Prince's Death and wrote, directed, and starred in April Captains. She's also helmed Our Children, Welcome to Sao Paulo, Repare Bem, Je t'aime... moi non plus: Artistes et critiques, and several short films. Outside of film, Medeiros has four albums on her discography, including 2016's The Piano's Playing the Devil's Tune.

Most recently, Maria de Medeiros was seen in Moral Order and In the Country of Last Things. Additionally, this year, the actress appeared in Ordem Moral - A Minissérie — an extension of the film. Next, she will be heard in What Spring Does with the Cherry Trees.

You can stream Pulp Fiction on HBO Max.

Go, greased lightning! Even though the ‘70s are a thing of the past, Grease is still the word. And now the popular movie musical, which starred John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as star-crossed lovers, is getting a new spinoff. But don’t expect either of them to show up because the project is taking things in a different direction.

Paramount+ has officially given the green light to prequel series Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies from Paramount Television Studios. According to Deadline, The series is set four years before the original Grease, which came out in 1978. The upcoming prequel series will feature new characters, even though it would appear the title is referring to Rizzo, Frenchy, Marty and Jan from the classic film. Still, it sounds like the show's four outcast girls are going to have a major impact on Rydell High.

HBO Max was initially the home for Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, where it was given a straight-to-series order before it landed at Paramount+ for development last fall. The prequel is written and executive produced by creator and showrunner Annabel Oakes, with Marty Bowen executive producing via Temple Hill and Erik Feig executive producing via Picturestart.

The Grease spinoff was first announced in 2019 as Grease: Rydell High. Like its movie counterpart, the series was going to be a musical set in and around its titular high school. The premise promised to reimagine the movie, bringing some of the characters from the original Grease to the small screen. There's a chance it may have been the next Glee, as it would have tackled elements such as peer pressure, puberty and more that were featured in the beloved musical. It's currently not known (to the public) why HBO Max bowed out of the series or why the direction changed.

Grease is burning up on the big screen as well. Last summer, prequel movie Summer Lovin’, took a big step forward when it was announced that Hearts Beat Loud director Bret Haley would be directing the new movie. The new film will tell the story of the summer romance between Danny and Sandy. It’s great to see the longevity of Grease after so many years, though it makes sense when you consider it's one of the most beloved movie musicals of all time.

Not too long ago, Fox even did the positively received Grease Live!, which starred Julianne Hough, Carlos PenaVega, Vanessa Hudgens, Carly Rae Jepsen, Keke Palmer and Jordan Fisher. Hudgens, who portrayed Rizzo, even received high praise following the live telecast. The special was ultimately nominated for 10 Primetime Emmy Awards and won five of them.

It will be interesting to see what Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies has in store, and one can only imagine who will be portraying Rydell High’s resident girl squad. And perhaps some OG Grease stars, like John Travolta, will end up returning in some surprising cameos? There's no official release date for the show, but we'll keep you posted as updates arrive.

Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction still endures as one of the best and most influential movies of the past 30 years. Many consider it Tarantino’s best film and, to this day, its iconic dialogue is regurgitated by film fans more than ever. Even today, questions about the film are still being addressed by Tarantino himself. Bruce Willis and John Travolta both had iconic parts in the masterpiece that is Pulp Fiction and, now, they are finally reuniting for a new movie.

John Travolta and Bruce Willis will reunite after all these years in a new film called Paradise City, which will be directed by Chuck Russell. According to Deadline, the movie casts Willis as a renegade bounty hunter who must carve his through the Hawaiian underworld to get revenge on a crime lord played by John Travolta. The film is said to be reminiscent of Miami Vice, except instead of police, it will follow bounty hunters.

In addition to reuniting Bruce Willis and John Travolta for the first time since 1994’s Pulp Fiction, Paradise City will also starThai model/actress Praya Lundberg will join the pair in the lead female role. Paradise City will be filmed in Hawaii, and production is slated to start soon. Since its being shot in Hawaii, the film will assuredly have beautiful visuals, and I’m sure it’s a pretty good place to work for several months.

Paradise City will be the fourth time Bruce Willis and Travolta have been billed together on a movie, but only the second time they will appear on screen together. Their last venture Pulp Fiction saw Willis play boxer Butch Coolidge and Travolta portray mob hitman Vincent Vega. The pair share two incredible scenes in the Tarantino classic, one that takes place at Marcellus Wallace’s club and another that features Vincent Vega’s death at the hands of Butch later in the film. Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction revitalized Travolta’s career, giving the actor a second life in Hollywood, and it did similar things for Bruce Willis.

Bruce Willis and John Travolta have some really classic blockbuster movies. Willis, of course, starred in one of the best and most influential action movies ever in Die Hard, which depending on who you ask, is or isn’t a Christmas Movie. Travolta also starred alongside Nick Cage in Face/Off, which is strangely one of the most rewatchable movies of the ’90s that has excited fans for two decades with its genuinely bonkers plot mechanic.

Paradise City will give Pulp Fiction fans a hit of nostalgia when they see Bruce Wilis and John Travolta on screen together again after all these years. We probably won’t be getting a Pulp Fiction prequel any time soon, so rewatching Tarantino’s masterpiece will have to suffice while we wait to see how the Travolta/Willis reunion turns out.

Have you had a good cry yet today? If not, you better get the tissues ready. Yesterday was Mother’s Day, which is a happy occasion for some wanting to honor the mothers we still have with us, but it can be a somber day for those who have lost mothers and wives. John Travolta beautifully paid tribute to his late wife this Mother’s Day, which marked the first one in nearly 30 years without his wife and mother of his children Kelly Preston.

John Travolta lost the love of his life, wife, and mother to his 3 children last year when Kelly Preston lost her fight to breast cancer at the young age of 57. He took this Mother’s Day as an opportunity to share her light and the love he still has for her in an Instagram post. He posts a photo of the two of them with two of their children and a photo of Preston with their other child with a heartwarming and tear jerking caption. You can check out the post below:

John Travolta’s caption is practically drenched in love as he thanks his late wife for giving him his children, who he calls “the three most wonderful children he has ever known.” He ends it by saying he and his family loves and misses her.

The comment section of his heartfelt post is full of support and love. There appears to be thousands of heart emojis thrown his way, as well as some equally tear jerking comments from fans. One fan comments that Travolta can feel comfort in the thought that mother and son have now been reunited in heaven, and others are empathizing with how much loss the actor has seen in his life.

John Travolta and Kelly Preston’s son Jett passed away when he was a teenager, which is a pain they faced together. He suffered a seizure and hit his head on the bathtub while the family was on vacation together back in 2009.

Having lost a son and now the woman he has loved and been married to for nearly 30 years, and both far before their time, John Travolta has seen more than his fair share of love loss. It is safe to say that the actor is still grieving the losses, and he has not appeared or worked on any new projects since the loss of his wife.

Our hearts go out to all those grieving a loss of a loved one, especially during holidays meant to celebrate that person. John Travolta’s tribute to his late wife is a perfect example of how we can give light and love to those important people who have passed. Rest In Peace, Kelly Preston.

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Stephen King is not just a pop culture icon, but also a rabid connoisseur – and not just in the horror realm either. He regularly alerts fans about his watching and reading habits on social media, and while it's true that a lot of his commentary is about material of the scary variety, he also mixes things up. For example, for New Years 2021 he made a resolution to watch one movie from every year since 1961, with a special focus on films he hasn't seen before. He recently reached 1988, and as a result has found himself sharing thoughts about a beloved cult classic comedy: Hairspray.

Running down the recent slate of movies that he has watched as part of his orchestrated screenings, Stephen King revealed that he somewhat deviated from his year-by-year pattern by watching both the original John Waters-directed version of Hairspray, and the Adam Shankman's musical remake from 2007. Without a great deal of character real estate to work with, he kept his initial thoughts brief, writing that he thinks both films are "great fun," and that while he gives the edge to the original in a straight comparison, he particularly enjoys John Travolta's performance as Edna Turnblad:

After watching dramatic and emotional movies like River's Edge and Au Revoir Les Enfants, it's not altogether surprising that Stephen King perhaps felt the need to cleanse his palate with something a little bit lighter, and Hairspray probably went down like delicious medicine.

When it first came out in 1988, John Waters' Hairspray marked a huge change in direction for the filmmaker – a PG movie made in the wake of notorious titles like Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, and Polyester. The movie stars Ricki Lake as Tracy Turnblad, a peppy, plus-sized teenager who finds herself with the opportunity to promote integration when she successfully auditions to be a dancer on a TV show. While not exactly a box office smash hit, like many of Waters' films it wound up gaining a massive cult following, and in 2002 it was adapted as a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical.

It was in the wake of the stage production's success that a musical remake came together with Adam Shankman directing. The project courted some controversy as a result of casting John Travolta as Edna Turnblad, a role that was originally played by frequent John Waters collaborator Divine, and the response to his performance was mixed – though you can evidently count Stephen King as a fan.

The author also made it clear that the experience watching the original lingered in his mind, as he continued to Tweet about Hairspray a couple days after the initial one found above – specifically highlighting another aspect of the John Waters movie that he appreciates:

While surely not in any way influential, it is fun to note that there is a deep link between the author and John Travolta, as the actor played the villainous Billy Nolan in Brian De Palma's Carrie – the first ever adaptation of a Stephen King book.

If you now find yourself in the mood to watching Hairspray yourself, the good news is that all you need to instantly do so is have an HBO Max subscription, as both versions are currently available on the streaming service. The 1988 original is available for free on Tubi, and the two movies can also be found widely available for purchase digitally and on Blu-ray and DVD.

Most action-movie fanatics consider John Woo’s 1997 thriller Face/Off to be a stone-cold classic. Hallowed ground in the action genre, even. Remaking it would be criminal, and extending the franchise flirts with being questionable. Why mess with over-the-top perfection, no matter how solid your take on the material seems to be. When The Guest and Blair Witch director Adam Wingard revealed that he’d be writing and directing a Face/Off sequel that he’s co-writing with Simon Barrett, purists panicked.

Wingard quickly calmed the waters of discontent by proving how much he cares about the source material as he continues to explain the duo’s approach. In fact, during a recent appearance on CinemaBlend’s own ReelBlend podcast, Wingard was asked how they planned to get past the fact that Nicholas Cage’s villain, Castor Troy, appeared to die at the end of Face/Off. And Wingard noted to us:

He’s right. Castor Troy (in John Travolta’s body… because Face/Off) does have bandages where his fatal wounds would be. Does this mean that the medic swooped in quick enough to prevent Castor from bleeding out? This seems to be what Adam Wingard is suggesting to us. Here, watch the scene for yourself:

Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett clearly are approaching this sequel as die-hard fans of the original movie. When pressed on the film’s concept, Wingard told ReelBlend:

And he talked about his previous films, from the Blair Witch sequel that he delivered to his live-action take on the popular Manga Death Note, as vital experiences that helped him fully understand how fans feel about cherished properties. Wingard, when opening up about Blair Witch, told ReelBlend:

Adam Wingard is quick to note that his Face/Off script needs approval from both Nic Cage and John Travolta before it moves forward. But given his work on the upcoming Godzilla vs. Kong, and the way that he passionately speaks about Face/Off, I’ve gone from skeptical to hopeful. Let's see where this story goes.

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John’s performances in Grease are unforgettable, and no other couple has been able to really replicate the electricity of their roles as Danny Zuko and Sandra Dee since the movie musical came out in 1978. But legendary Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman certainly tried back in 2001. Oh, I’ll tell you more.

Twenty years ago, John Travolta and Hugh Jackman were co-stars in the action thriller Swordfish alongside Halle Berry and Don Cheadle. While promoting the movie in Australia, somehow the pair ended up trying a duet of “Summer Lovin.” Here’s how it went:

Uh… why didn’t they continue? That was incredible. During an interview on Rove McManus talk show in Australia, John Travolta started singing Danny and Sandy’s opening number from Grease, and Hugh Jackman did Oliva Newton-John’s parts. You can tell Hugh Jackman is a bit nervous and smitten with Travolta as he sings his famous Grease song, but he brought it! If only Swordfish had been a musical.

Seriously though, these two have some incredible song-and-dance talent, and they were in the same movie and didn’t get to sing together? It’s basically a crime. At least we have this adorable clip of the pair, but Hugh Jackman is questioning why he even agreed to it in the Instagram post. The real question is whether they didn’t do more together?

The actors have had some similarities in their careers in more ways than one over the years. John Travolta has done a bit of the musicals, but also done his fair share of serious and memorable roles and so has Hugh Jackman. They both seem to be family oriented as well, though Travolta has had a tragic few years since losing his son and wife Kelly Preston just last year.

Someday it would be fun to see the pair do a duet together for real, but for the time being, this throwback video of the two of them together is completely adorable. Hugh Jackman reminisced on the press tour as Swordfish turns 20 this summer. By no means is the movie itself something that either of these actors go on about considering the movie budgeted at $100 million just cut the check with a $147 million worldwide gross, as well as suffered from negative reviews. It was made at a time when the internet and “cyberspace” were newer concepts Hollywood was trying to explore, but, well, did anyone quite do it like The Matrix?

Grease is coming back as a prequel called Summer Lovin’, which is being directed by Brett Haley of Hearts Beat Loud and Netflix’s All The Bright Places. Haley told us last year that Summer Lovin’ will be a full-on musical. Can we put Hugh Jackman in the ring?

Some movies are truly a product of their time, which means that they’re destined to raise the same issues on a recurring basis. The 1978 musical classic Grease is a perfect example of a movie that will never catch a break, due to its subject matter and a slew of outdated social mores. But in the most recent round of flak against the John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John pop culture hit, there’s a rather interesting catch, as criticisms made by viewers on the internet have the BBC considering a ban on airing the film altogether. And you thought the fan theory on the film’s ending was as dark as things could get.

It all started when Grease ended up running on one of the BBC’s stations on Boxing Day. Meant to be a holiday treat for everyone to enjoy, the decision felt like a natural fit, as the holiday season is when classics tend to come out to play. But as Express reported, the internet exploded with comments about how the perceived sexism, misogyny and lack of consent in situations throughout Grease have made director Randal Kleiser’s movie downright unwatchable in the eyes of some.

The usual suspects resurfaced with this new wave of examining the problematic side of Grease. In particular, the scene where John Travolta’s Danny tries to make moves on Olivia Newton-John’s Sandy to a rather uncomfortable degree came up in various comments. Taken into context alongside some of the responses that went harder in the paint against the film, that’s located at the lighter end of the spectrum. In case you'd like a refresher, the scene in question is provided in the clip below:

The debate over the watchability of Grease is nothing new, but it’s also something that does have a bearing on current events. This is thanks to the fact that the there’s a prequel tale to the series in the works, as Summer Nights is promising a “full-on musical” tale that shows us those fateful days in the sun before Danny and Sandy embarked on their adventures in the halls of Rydell High. While that film will want to try and match the tone of Grease as much as it can, there’s obviously going to be a cap on how far the project can go in that respect.

As long as Grease is the word, there’s going to be audiences who love it for the nostalgic and bawdy trip it is, as well as those who criticize those very factors through a more modern lens. For better or worse, that’s the fate of any mega hit that endures through the decades, while fully embodying the era of its origin. But at least Grease has one thing going for it: it's not Grease 2, a.k.a. the movie with a song literally called "Let's Do It For Our Country."

Summer Nights is currently without a release date, so we’ll have to wait to hear more on the still-in-development project. Of course, if you’re one of those fans who wants to watch Grease again at the mere mention of its name, you can either head to Prime Video or Tubi to get your fill. Though if you head to Prime, you’ll also be able to watch Grease 2; a movie that seems to grow more popular as time goes on.

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Barry Sonnenfeld’s Get Shorty turns 25 this week, having been first released in October 1995, and while there is a great deal to appreciate about the film in retrospect, there’s no arguing the highlight that is John Travolta’s turn as gangster-turned-producer Chili Palmer. Arriving in the wake of Pulp Fiction, the performance confirmed the actor’s reawakened star power, and he brought the character to life with the perfect mix of cool and dangerous. His face is now what one imagines when reading Elmore Leonard’s original novel – which is pretty funny when you consider that it definitely wasn’t Travolta who was in the minds of Sonnenfeld and screenwriter Scott Frank when the movie was originally coming together.

Had things gone differently in the making of Get Shorty, Danny DeVito would have been the actor playing Chili Palmer, having been involved with the production from the very start. Barry Sonnenfeld was first inspired to make the crime comedy because he read the book on a cruise and immediately imagined DeVito as the protagonist, and that in turn led the actor/producer to personally buy the film rights. So when Scott Frank started to pen the script for the adaptation, it was with the Batman Returns/Junior star in mind as the lead.

In celebration of Get Shorty’s big 2020 anniversary, I had the pleasure of interviewing Scott Frank earlier this year, our conversation reflecting on the entirety of the experience making the film, and part of our conversation was dedicated to the evolution of Chili Palmer. Starting at the start, I asked if the screenwriter had specifically written the role with the intention that Danny DeVito would play it, and his answer was absolute:

Sound like a certain movie character? That’s the kind of fortitude needed for a shylock who arrives in Los Angeles and manages to become involved with the development of two feature films within a week. A person pulling something like that off realistically requires a special kind of energy, and Scott Frank took that from his impression of Danny DeVito and put it on the page in the form of Chili Palmer.

Unfortunately, that version of Get Shorty never came to be as a result of the film’s extensive time in development – the result of a number of factors, including the industry’s lack of confidence in Elmore Leonard adaptations at the time (something that seems pretty funny when you consider the amazing works that has been made since then, including Jackie Brown, Out Of Sight, and the television series Justified). Danny DeVito became unavailable to play Chili because of his commitments to star in and direct the movie Matilda, so he took on the smaller role of Martin Weird instead.

As revealed in Barry Sonnenfeld’s autobiography “Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother: Memoirs of a Neurotic Filmmaker,” the director ended up meeting with a number of stars as possible replacements, including Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman, and it was Stacey Sher, a producer at Danny DeVito’s Jersey Films and an Executive Producer on Pulp Fiction, that suggested John Travolta. The star actually passed on Get Shorty at first, and ultimately had to be convinced to say yes by Quentin Tarantino – but the funny addendum to the story is that the part of Chili Palmer didn’t change much at all when the role traded hands.

Keeping their respective careers in mind, it’s strange to think that Danny DeVito and John Travolta could be considered for what is basically the exact same part, but that was the situation as Scott Frank explained it to me during our interview. According to the screenwriter, there wasn’t any kind of John Travolta-centric redraft when he came onboard, and noted only one “major” change that was made to fit the star:

And it should go without saying that the addition was an excellent one. The story of a gangster getting into the movie industry is compelling all by itself, but one of the reasons why the audience connects with Chili so well is because his decision to make a career choice is driven by personal passion (in addition to wanting to rid his life of asshats like Dennis Farina’s Ray "Bones" Barboni).

So next time you watch Get Shorty (and, really, what better way is there to celebrate the anniversary?) perhaps take a moment to envision what it would be like to see Danny DeVito as Chili Palmer, as it may give you a whole new perspective of the film.

This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to stories from my in-depth interview with Scott Frank about the making of one of the best crime comedies of all time, so stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more!

Hollywood has lost a lot this year. Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman, Game of Thrones’ Diana Rigg and Glee’s Naya Rivera are just a few of the names that recently passed in 2020. Back in July, the iconic ‘80s actress Kelly Preston lost her two-year battle with breast cancer and left behind her husband John Travolta and two of three of their children.

October 13 would have been Kelly Preston’s 58th birthday. John Travolta honored her today with a sweet Instagram post of him and his wife on their wedding day. Check it out:

In tribute to his late wife, the Grease actor shared a picture of his wedding day with Kelly Preston back in 1991 beside his parents' wedding photo. John Travolta’s father Sam, a semi-professional football player and tire salesman, also passed in 1995, and his mother Helen, an actress, singer and high school teacher, died in 1978.

The actor famous for playing Danny Zuko in Grease and Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction has certainly dealt with a lot of loss in his life, also including the death of his son Jett back in 2009, who tragically passed of a seizure during a family trip to the Bahamas. It’s nice to see John Travolta share his fond memories of the family he has lost so we too can remember and honor them.

Kelly Preston had an illustrious career on the big screen since the ‘80s, and continued to work until shortly before her death. She and John Travolta got to work together for Preston’s most recent movie, Gotti, where she played John Gotti's wife Victoria. Her final movie will reportedly be Off the Rails, a comedy also starring Judi Dench.

Aside from the loss of their 16-year-old son nearly a decade ago, John Travolta and Kelly Preston have a nine-year-old son named Benjamin and 20-year-old daughter named Ella. Check out this cute video of Travolta and Ella dancing together to remember Kelly Preston just a month after her passing:

The Hollywood community has certainly suffered the loss as well, as celebrities including Arnold Schwartznegger, Rita Wilson and Russell Crowe shared their sympathies when news of her death was shared on July 12. Kevin Hart, who recently worked with John Travolta on the Quibi series Die Hart, also sent his love to the actor shortly after the news.

2020 hasn't been an easy year for many of us, and the loss of a partner or parent is nothing short of a tragedy. At CinemaBlend, we forward our deepest sympathies to the Travolta family and fans of Preston’s work on what was her birthday. Keep your eyes turned to CinemaBlend for more movie and TV-related news.

Some filmmakers find their stride with their second movie. For writer/director Quentin Tarantino, he cemented his legacy. Pulp Fiction is Tarantino's career-defining film. Hot off the success of Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino not only proved himself to be the real deal, but he earned his status as one of the greatest filmmakers of the late 20th century. His Palme d'Or winning triumph is arguably his finest masterpiece, reviving John Travolta's career while also turning Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson into major superstars. 

Tarantino may never top himself when it comes to Pulp Fiction, but when you make a movie this good, who needs any extra valor? It's a movie that shaped cinema — especially indie cinema — for decades, and we'll still feel its impact reverberate for years to come. So, yeah, Pulp Fiction is a pretty big deal. If you love this highly-influential film, here are some interesting behind-the-scenes facts worth knowing.

Robert Rodriguez Directed Quentin Tarantino's Scene In Pulp Fiction

It's always good to have a friend. Ever since they premiered their debut films at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez have been thick as thieves and frequent collaborators, resulting in notable team-ups like From Dusk Till Dawn and Grindhouse. They've also played a hand in each other's movies, unsurprisingly, with Tarantino directing a sequence in Sin City and Rodriguez calling the shots during Tarantino's scene in Pulp Fiction. 

It's hard to pull off double duty, after all. While there are multi-taskers in Hollywood who can direct and act at once, including Clint Eastwood and Ben Affleck, when you're as detail-orientated as Tarantino, it can be extremely challenging to do both jobs simultaneously. Thankfully, Rodriguez was there to ghost-direct Tarantino's memorable moment so that the filmmaker could focus squarely on his performance. Rodriguez is a good pal.

John Travolta Got Advice From A Former Heroin Addict To Prepare For His Role

Every actor has their method. Each performer has their individual ways of finding the headspace of their characters, their own unique style of getting in-tune with the characters they're playing. John Travolta has never done heroin, by his own admission, which makes it tricky to discover and create Vicent Vega's high when his character is all strung out. 

How do you know what it feels like if you've never experienced this type of drug-addled ecstasy? To get Travolta in the proper frame of mind, Quentin Tarantino recruited his friend, a former heroin addict, to give Travolta the insight he wanted to glean. What advice did he give? Drink as much tequila as you can and sit in a hot pool.

Quentin Tarantino Wrote Vincent Vega For Michael Madsen, But He Turned It Down

It's not uncommon for screenwriters to write characters with specific actors in mind. Certainly, Quentin Tarantino is someone who thinks in a very cinematic fashion, so he likes to envision big-name actors and/or frequent colleagues for his charismatic characters. Still, what you imagine on the page isn't always what you get on the screen. Everyone isn't going to be on your wavelength, and you'll get some tough rejections along the way. 

For the role of Vincent Vega, Tarantino wrote it with Michael Madsen in mind. The actor and director collaborated on Reservoir Dogs, and Tarantino wanted to bring Madsen's moody energy back for this leading role. Alas, Madsen turned down the part — surprisingly enough — to star in Wyatt Earp instead, which Tarantino reportedly took personally. They wouldn't work again until Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2.

Daniel Day-Lewis Actively Wanted To Play Vincent Vega

Even though Michael Madsen didn't accept the part, there were several other actors in the line-up for Vincent Vega. One particularly outstanding actor who was intensely considered was none other than Daniel Day-Lewis — who's often considered our finest working (or once working) thespian. He's notoriously hard to coax when it comes to casting; there are many stories of people — even from filmmakers as famous as Martin Scorsese — pleading for Day-Lewis to be in their movies. Nevertheless, producer Harvey Weinstein was adamant about casting Day-Lewis over John Travolta. 

Surprisingly enough, Day-Lewis was also reportedly eager to take it. Despite Weinstein's insistence and Day-Lewis' uncharacteristic casting determination, however, Quentin Tarantino stuck to his guns and picked Travolta. It's hard not to wonder what Day-Lewis would've done...

The F-Bomb Is Dropped 265 Times In Pulp Fiction

Quentin Tarantino sure loves his four-letter words. While the prolific screenwriter can often be quite verbose, he's rarely, if ever, afraid to lace his scripts with cusses. And he's especially fond of dropping the f-bomb. The director's second film remains his most explicit, as characters are heard swearing a grand total of 431 times. That's a lot of money in the swear jar. Furthermore, "fuck" is dropped a whopping 265 times throughout. Yes, that means that "fuck" constitutes more than half of the swear words heard over the course of the film, with more-than-a-few coming out of Samuel L. Jackson's profane mouth. 

Some of the movie's most quotable dialogue involves its most naughty language, so it's unsurprising that Pulp Fiction's phenomenal success only continued to embolden the writer's cussing. With that said, the Oscar-winning writer has yet to outmatch this film's voluminous profanity.

The Famous Dance Scene Was Improvised 'Quite A Bit,' According To John Travolta

Quentin Tarantino loves a good dance scene. Groovy soundtracks and head-bobbing tunes play a crucial part in seemingly every one of his films, and it's not uncommon for the filmmaker to spend considerable screentime watching his characters jamming out to these tunes. Sure enough, his most iconic dance sequence is arguably the one shared between John Travolta and Uma Thurman midway through Pulp Fiction. 

This swinging scene basically bleeds coolness, and its spontaneous feeling isn't accidental. As Travolta admitted in a career-evaluating profile, their dancing was "improvised quite a bit," as the actor insisted that they do more than just The Twist, which is what Tarantino exclusively had in mind. Travolta told Tarantino to call out other dance moves like The Spin and The Batman inside the moment, and he claims this scene didn't require many takes.

Samuel L. Jackson's Anger During The Final Audition Secured Him The Part

It's hard to imagine anyone other than Samuel L. Jackson playing the part of Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction. It's the role that defined his career; the only performance (to date) for which he's been Oscar-nominated. Pulp Fiction is the movie that turned Jackson into a superstar. And the role was secured to the actor by his impassioned audition. 

As Vanity Fair reported, Jackson entered his final audition angry after he was mistaken for Laurence Fishburne. His final audition was laced with righteous fury, and it was so effectively menacing that Miramax's Richard Gladstein was reportedly left shaken. He was clearly the perfect actor for the part, and this audition allegedly influenced how this scene shaped up. Jackson's decision to have a hamburger and cola in hand was so effective that it was eventually written into the movie.

The Red Chevrolet Malibu Belonged To Quentin Tarantino (And It Was Stolen)

Quentin Tarantino is a big fan of cool cars. It's certainly apparent in a number of films. Whether it's Kill Bill, Death Proof, or Pulp Fiction, the man likes to have his characters driving around in slick automobiles. Who can blame him? It's cool to watch cool characters driving cool cars. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure that out. Sure enough, Pulp Fiction features a very cool car in the form of its retro red Chevrolet Malibu. 

It's a dynamite automobile and a slick ride. Certainly, Tarantino would agree. He owns the car. Well, owned it, I should say. Shortly after filming wrapped, the vehicle was stolen from a nearby parking garage, and it took nearly 20 years before the classic car turned up again in Oakland, California, hundreds of miles away from Tarantino.

Reportedly, Pulp Fiction Was Once Meant To Be A Straightforward Anthology With Three Different Directors

Quentin Tarantino has a bunch of ideas floating around his head. When it comes to Pulp Fiction, one of its most influential aspects is its non-linear narrative. It's an unconventional way of tackling a conventional crime thriller genre, and it makes for a compelling, dynamic way to tell this story, particularly with a variety of characters. When he was originally laying out the story, however, Tarantino had another intriguing idea. Rather than tell the story in a non-linear fashion, what if it was told in a chronicle style but in an anthology fashion? This way, three separate filmmakers would tackle each act. It's a wild idea — one that seemingly inspired 1995's Four Rooms.

The Pulp Fiction Prequel Never Happened Because Quentin Tarantino Could Never Move Past The Premise Of The Story

Every Quentin Tarantino movie exists in a shared interconnected world. Assorted disparate characters are interlaced with one another. Events that took place in one movie can impact characters found in another film. It's all part of Tarantino's elaborate spiderweb of a filmography. Therefore, it's no secret that he has proposed various sequels, prequels, or continuations to past films that never came to pass. 

The reasons vary, but commonly, it's because the story doesn't come together. It happens. Alas, when it comes to the long-promised Pulp Fiction/Reservoir Dogs prequel, Tarantino simply couldn't find the story. Here's what he told the guys at the ReelBlend podcast:

In addition to these fun or noteworthy facts, we should also note that Quentin Tarantino wanted "My Sharona" to play during the notorious pawn basement scene but The Knack turned down the request and Samuel L. Jackson was almost arrested during filming. Do you love Pulp Fiction? Do you know a few more interesting tidbits about the making of Tarantino's Oscar-winning, career-defining sophomore feature? Let us know in the comments!

Hollywood suffered a great tragedy last week when Jerry Maguire actress and wife to John Travolta, Kelly Preston, passed away at the age of 57 after a two year battle with breast cancer. Since her death on July 12, an outpouring of love and tribute to Preston has been shared by stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rita Wilson and Russell Crowe. Travolta’s Die Hart co-star, Kevin Hart, has sent his support too with these words:

She will certainly be missed. Kelly Preston was married to John Travolta for almost 30 years, and the couple had three children together – their son Jett, tragically passed away in 2009 at 16 from a seizure during a family vacation in the Bahamas. Their daughter Ella is 20 and their son Benjamin is 9. As Kevin Hart told Yahoo Entertainment, he’s known John Travolta for some time, but his latest project on Quibi was his first chance for the two to work together.

Die Hart is a Quibi series that has Kevin Hart playing a version of himself, a high-profile comedian who is tired of being sidelined by talents like Dwayne Johnson and ready to become an action star in his own right. He goes to “action school,” led by Travolta’s wacky role of Ron Wilcox, so he can nab a leading role in his own high-octane flick.

The series premiered on the mobile app (which also has original shows starring Anna Kendrick and Game of Thrones’ Sophie Turner) this past Monday and will comprise 10 episodes. Quibi produces short form content that only last 10 minutes or less. In other circumstances, Travolta may have joined Hart for the Die Hart press junket, but for now, Hart is stressing the space the Gotti actor needs right now as he mourns the death of his late wife.

Kevin Hart had a rough patch back in September when he suffered major injuries after a car accident. He has opened up about how the incident incited the “biggest cry” of his life when coming home to his family after his period of rehabilitation. Hart has been working out a ton as he recently celebrated his 41st birthday and celebrating the box office success of Jumanji: The Next Level.

The first episode of Die Hart is currently available to watch on Quibi.

Actress Kelly Preston, best known for her role in the 80s classic Twins, as well as her performance in the critically acclaimed and forever popular Jerry Maguire, passed away yesterday at the age of 57. She quietly underwent a two year battle with breast cancer and is survived by two of her three children and her husband, the Oscar-nominated actor John Travolta.

Preston lived in a lot of different places growing up including Hawaii and Iraq, but it was during her time in Australia as a 16-year-old when she was discovered by a photographer and started getting work in commercials. Those bit parts pushed her to pursue a degree in theater and drama from USC, which eventually led to a series of bigger roles in the mid-80s including in Mischief, Secret Admirer and Twins. Her career hit quite a few high notes in the 90s, as well, including in Jerry Maguire and For The Love Of The Game. Her most recent role was alongside her husband John Travolta in Gotti, though she has one film, Off The Rails, that’s yet to be released.

News of the tragic passing broke early this morning and was confirmed in a statement by the family. You can read it below, courtesy of People...

In addition to her career as an actress, Preston also had a series of high profile relationships. She was married to actor Kevin Gage, best known for his work in Heat and G.I. Jane, in the last 1980s. She later dated George Clooney, became briefly engaged to Charlie Sheen and finally settled down with John Travolta, who is also a Scientologist. The two got married in 1991 and eventually had three children: a son named Jett, a daughter named Ella and another son named Benjamin. Unfortunately, their son Jett had many problems with seizures throughout his life. He also had autism and tragically passed away in 2009 while the family was in vacation in the Bahamas. He was just 16-years-old.

In addition to being a good actress, Kelly Preston had the ability to be magnetic in the right role. She was hard to look away from and had a presence when she was on screen. Early in her career, she churned out a lot of fun but largely forgotten 80s movies including Spellbinder, Space Camp and Love At Stake. As her career went on, however, she transitioned more often into key supporting roles where she did some of her best work. Later in her life, she prioritized her family and motherhood over working non-stop, but she remained well-known and popular with the general public throughout her life.

Our thoughts go out to her family, her friends and all of those who loved her. 57 is way too young to go, but at least she made the most of her time here.

John Travolta has played his fair share of characters who range from morally ambiguous to outright evil and dangerous, and now he's signed on for a role that will see him heading back into the "lunatic" range of the performing scale. He's heading back to television for the first time since playing Robert Shapiro in FX's American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson in 2016, and it's for a part on Kevin Hart's new show, which is going to be very different from the last time we saw Travolta on TV.

According to a new report from Variety, John Travolta has signed up to play a significant role in Kevin Hart’s new comedy-action series Die Hart. The show will see Hart playing a fictionalized version of himself, but who’s fed up with only getting to be the funny sidekick in action films. Hart finally gets the opportunity to play the lead in a big budget action movie, but he will only nab the role if he completes training at “the world’s greatest action star school,” which is run by Travolta’s unbalanced character.

Kevin Hart will see himself pushed to his very limit (both physically and emotionally), not only by Travolta’s as yet unnamed character, but also by a hardcore rival action star school student. He’ll then be forced to withstand several crazily excessive action sequences and face all of his fears to try and finally make his action star dreams come true.

Die Hart will be executive produced by Hart, with Candice Wilson, Bryan Smiley and Jeff Clanagan producing. Tripper Clancy (Stuber) and Derek Kolstad (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum) will write the series, which will see Eric Appel (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) direct. Die Hart already has a home at Quibi, the short-form streamer which will debut on April 6.

If you’re a fan of Kevin Hart’s comedy specials, you’ll probably enjoy knowing that the idea for Die Hart comes from the opening sequence of his 2016 special Kevin Hart: What Now, where he acts out a funny version of a James Bond-esq movie, with him as the lead who's imbued with all the ass-kicking skills we’d expect.

John Travolta seems like a solid addition to the cast. We know he’s capable of bringing in some amazing performances when he plays a good guy. But, the version of Travolta we usually get when he goes bad is something that’s frequently over the top and gloriously batty. It sounds like that John Travolta is exactly the one that Kevin Hart and his team were looking for. Just look at the wondrous spectacle he made of himself in The Fanatic last year:

I mean, you are INTO a scene when you start to drool and 90% of your dialogue can’t even be understood, right? Actually, if Die Hart can just figure out a way to make sure that John Travolta plays this character in the show, I might go ahead and get myself a Quibi subscription. Watching that performance / wig combo in action is no joke, friends.

Die Hart is one of several shows that have been announced for Quibi, all with big names attached like Zac Efron, Tyra Banks, Idris Elba, Chrissy Teigen, and Don Cheadle. We don't know right now how many episodes of Die Hart we'll get or when it will premiere, but stay tuned to CInemaBlend for the latest!

It’s been more than 40 years since Grease first hit theaters and transformed its stars into cultural icons. But just like the end of summer wasn’t enough to stop Danny loving Sandy, the decades haven’t dampened fans’ enthusiasm for the musical. And at a recent event, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John both donned their characters’ original costumes, to fans’ delight, at a special screening of the film.

In October, the actors announced they’d be hosting the Meet n’ Grease sing-along for fans in three separate cities in Florida. The three-night event included a Q&A session hosted by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta. But fans who signed up for the December 13 event probably didn’t expect to see the movie’s stars dressed up once again as Sandy and Danny.

During the event, Olivia Newton-John, now 71 years old, appeared in two of Sandy’s iconic outfits -- the yellow cardigan and sweater, and the leather jacket and hot pants combo she wears in Grease’s finale. John Travolta, now 65 years old, slipped back into Danny’s iconic black jeans and leather jacket. The pair look pretty snazzy, and they seemed to be just as excited as their fans to be back in costume.

Olivia Newton-John shared a behind-the-scenes photo with her Grease co-star and shared that it was the first time either actor had worn their costumes since the 1978 movie wrapped. The actress recently auctioned her leather jacket to raise funds for the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Center. But the anonymous donor who purchased it for $243,000, then returned it to the actress, stating that he believed it should be with its rightful owner. That makes her ability to wear the jacket for her Grease reunion feel all the more meaningful.

John Travolta also took to Instagram to share his excitement about Meet n’ Grease. He, too, shared the behind-the-scenes image of himself and Olivia Newton-John, telling his followers that as far as he is concerned, Grease “is still the word.” And he shared as well as several short video clips of the event, as well as another photo of the pair recreating their final iconic pose in the original 1948 Ford De Luxe from the film. Be sure to click through to see all of his video clips below:

Grease is one of the most beloved movie musicals of all time. Even though its story and characters are most certainly of another era, it continues to inspire fans all around the world, and has more than proven its enduring cultural legacy. Earlier this year, HBO Max announced it will create a spinoff for the film called Grease: Rydell High. There’s no word yet as to whether Olivia Newton-John or John Travolta will make an appearance in the new series. But just in case, maybe they shouldn’t hang up those costumes quite yet.

Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood was celebrated upon its release and now that the end of the year is here, the film is getting the awards recognition that was expected to come. It looks like the film has done pretty much everything right. Except, John Travolta has revealed, that the movie actually has a continuity error inside it that most people almost certainly haven't noticed.

In addition to being an accomplished actor who has appeared in Quentin Tarantino films himself, Travolta is also a licensed pilot, though, more importantly, he's a self-proclaimed "aviation nerd." It's this last part of Travolta's life that gave him the knowledge base to catch an error in Tarantino's latest film. During a recent Q&A following Travolta's latest movie (via The Wrap), The Fanatic, the actor revealed that Leonardo DiCaprio's character could not have flown on the airplane he is shown on near the end of the film. According to Travolta...

In Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood, Leonardo DiCaprio's character, whose career has been struggling in Hollywood, moves to Italy for a period to make spaghetti westerns. After making a string of the films, and some money, he heads back to California in mid-1969, just before the Manson Family attack on Sharon Tate, which took place in August of that year.

We see DiCaprio fly home in a 747, which, while it technically existed during the period in which the film takes place, was not in regular service yet. This isn't a piece of trivia that we would expect most licensed pilots to even know, but John Travolta is a student of aviation, and so he apparently knew this off the top of his head.

Of course, it needs to be said that Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood isn't exactly a movie that strives for historical accuracy. The characters played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt never existed, and the events in August 1969 at the home of Roman Polanski don't exactly take place in the movie they way they played out in real life.

Having said that, it seems unlikely that the decision to use the 747 rather than the more accurate 707 was in any way an intentional anachronism in order to enhance the unreality of the story. This probably was a legitimate, if largely unimportant, error. Although, with Quentin Tarantino you can never be quite sure.

John Travolta has certainly earned his title of "aviation nerd" here. It's a really good catch that few other people would notice.

Nicolas Cage and John Travolta have both taken on their fair share of crazy roles over the years, but in 1997, they collided for a different kind of insanity in John Woo’s action film Face/Off, which saw their two characters, as you would expect, trading faces. While we never got a Face/Off sequel, word’s come in that plans are in motion to reboot it.

According to Deadline, Paramount Pictures has hired writer Oren Uziel, whose credits include 22 Jump Street, The Cloverfield Paradox and the forthcoming Sonic the Hedgehog, to pen the Face/Off reboot. Neal Moritz, who until recently was the Fast & Furious franchise’s longtime producer and has previous experience in the reboot realm with 2012’s Total Recall, will produce this new version of Face/Off alongside executive producer David Permut.

For those who’ve never seen Face/Off, it revolves around FBI agent Sean Archer, played by John Travolta, and terrorist mastermind Castor Troy, played by Nicola Cage. Troy is knocked into a coma at the beginning of the movie while Archer is in pursuit, and because Archer learned beforehand that Troy had hid a bomb somewhere in Los Angeles that’s set to go off in days, he undergoes an experimental face transplant to go undercover as Troy and figure out the bomb’s location.

Unfortunately for Archer, while he’s on this mission, Troy awakens from his coma, discovers his face is missing and proceeds to steal Archer’s identity and kill the surgeons that carried out the transplant. Archer must then race to stop Troy, the man who murdered his son years earlier, from wreaking havoc on his personal life, all while looking like his arch-nemesis.

Face/Off earned many positive reviews upon release and collected over $245 million worldwide off an $80 million budget, making it one of the highest-grossing movies of 1997. It would later be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing (as it was called at the time), but lost to Titanic.

Obviously new characters will be going through face trading for the reboot, but given that the term ‘reboot’ has a loose connotation nowadays, it’s unclear if the new Face/Off would exist in the same continuity as the original or be completely separate. I’m leaning towards the latter to keep things simple, but if it’s the former, then surely that leaves the door for at least a mention of the previous movie’s events, if not a cameo from John Travolta, right?

Of course, as with any reboot/remake, the chances of this new version of Face/Off being anywhere near as enjoyable as the original, if not exceeding in quality, will be difficult. Besides having two big-name actors and a talented director, Face/Off boasted a kooky energy that’s difficult to replicate. Will the reboot try to pull off a similar tone or go for a different kind of feel? If it goes in that different direction, will that be enough for it to stand on its own? We shall see.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on the Face/Off reboot. For now, keep track of what movies are coming our for the rest of this year in our 2019 release schedule.

The 2019 MTV VMAs were quite a ride from start to finish complete with standout performances, a bit of controversy, and some funny moments. One of the more humorous moments came from actor John Travolta, who took the stage with Queen Latifah to give the award for Video of the Year. Things were going relatively well for the iconic actor, right up until he tried to give the award to someone who wasn't the winner.

Once Taylor Swift's name was announced as the big winner, the pop singer and her crew all made their way to the stage. John Travolta was eager to hand off the Moon Man and get off the stage, and in the confusion tried to hand off the award to Jade Jolie as opposed to the pop singer. The moment is subtle, but once it's seen, it can't exactly be unseen.

John Travolta is out here proving that someone can be so famous they don't know who Taylor Swift is. He may have just been confused too, as it's worth noting that Jade Jolie is a professional drag queen that is explicitly known for impersonating Taylor Swift. As seen above, Jolie saw Travolta offer up the award, and seemed to instantly realize what was happening before Travolta did. Jolie took it in stride, but then again who wouldn't be thrilled to be mistaken for Taylor Swift?

The question is, though: did John Travolta truly get confused or did he just want to get off stage and was dumping off the Moon Man to do so? Given his comments before the winner was announced that's a possibility, although his statement to Queen Latifah ahead of the winner's announcement may also show that he may only be vaguely familiar with any of the artists who were mentioned during the MTV award show.

John Travolta then passed off the card to Queen Latifah, and the rest is history. Travolta may have a bit of egg on his face, but when you're an icon that's achieved the number of things he has in life, chances are he's going to recover from it. He is John Travolta after all, and there's a good chance there was at least a handful of young performers and audience members in the room who didn't necessarily know what he was famous for or from either!

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Curious about what John Travolta is doing these days? CinemaBlend is the place to find out what's going on in the life of the actor and various other celebrities in the world of movies and television.