John Travolta arrived at Cannes expecting to premiere a film. He left with something that left him in tears.
The 72-year-old actor was surprised on stage at the Debussy Theater on Friday, May 15, when festival director Thierry Frémaux presented him with an honorary palm, one of the world’s most prestigious honors.
Frémaux called Travolta “one of the greatest actors” who deserved the recognition, catching the star completely off guard.
“I can’t believe this. This is the last thing I expected,” Travolta said, visibly emotional.
“You said it was going to be a special night, but I didn’t think you meant it. This is a humbling moment. This is beyond Oscar.”
The evening had already been significant for Travolta, who previously walked the red carpet with the cast Propeller one-way night carriage, his directorial debut, which he also wrote, narrated and produced.
Based on his 1997 book of the same name, the film follows an eight-year-old aviation enthusiast named Jeff who takes a cross-country flight to Hollywood with his mother.
Travolta wrote the original book for his late son Jett, who died in 2009 at the age of 16.
His daughter Ella Bleu Travolta, 26, stars in the film and was by his side throughout the evening having also accompanied her father on the rather spectacular journey to get there.
Earlier that day, Travolta piloted his own plane to Nice, documenting the flight on Instagram and signing off with a promise that champagne for all passengers was on him.
Travolta accepted the honor and made it clear how much the people around him have shaped his work.
“This is the blueprint for my life and everybody that was in the movie is sitting in the audience right there, my family, and that’s why this movie exists and why I exist as an artist because of that group of people right there,” he said.
