It is said that life imitates art, and for John Travolta, art imitated life. Such was the case that because he was so focused on his acting career, he decided to drop out of high school-aged sixteen to pursue his dreams. Landing the role of Danny Zuko, a charming and popular high school kid, who was not focused on his studies was, to an extent, art imitating life for Travolta.
What it didn’t reflect was that for Travolta, he participated in football and basketball with his friends, but they never really understood his devotion to acting and why Travolta would head to the acting studios at night to work on his craft. Perhaps now that he is one of the most in-demand actors in Hollywood, they understand.
Taking Its Toll
Jett Travolta’s life was from an early age plagued with difficulties. At the age of just two, he was rushed to hospital with what appeared to be flu-like symptoms. In fact, it was the far more serious, Kawasaki disease, which is an auto-immune condition affecting inflammation in the arteries. It is severe but treatable.
While it is not contagious, it was likely to have been related to Jett’s many other health issues, with which he suffered his entire life. It was not until Montel Williams interviewed Kelly Preston in 2003 that she revealed what had happened during this tough ordeal.
Couldn’t Make the Grade
John Travolta was not an academic child when he was at school, he was too focused on perfecting his acting skills. Indeed, this was mirrored in some of the roles he played where he was one of the “cool kids” but not necessarily top of his class, roles such as "Grease" and "Welcome Back Kotter."
It didn’t take long for Travolta to realize that the performing arts were his calling and he became less and less interested in his studies, which was something his teachers were concerned about. Regarding his relationship with his teachers, Travolta would just try and charm them and was once quoted as saying he “tried to communicate with them on a more adult level.”
Helping Haiti
Being a successful actor means that you have resources to help those less fortunate than you. This is very much the case with John Travolta who often shows selfless behavior for those in need. This was the case in 2010 when news of the devastating earthquake in Haiti hit. The Haitian people and their government just didn’t have the resources to help those affected.
It was when Travolta heard this that he loaded his Boeing 707 with food, supplies, medical equipment, and doctors and flew the plane to Haiti to deliver the goods personally. This is one of the many perks of having your own airplane that in times of need you can deliver the goods yourself.
Out of the spotlight
John Travolta has had a long and fruitful acting career, but in the early 2000s things weren’t going as well as they usually do. He made some poor choices when it came to his career. Most notably, he was "Battlefield Earth" which he co-produced as well as starring in.
The movie was panned by the critics and performed very poorly at the box office bringing in virtually nothing. They say you’re only as good as your last movie so Travolta may have thought his career was over. He shouldn’t have been so worried as his reputation was strong and there were to be some exciting times ahead.