John Travolta was presented with an honorary Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday, in a surprise ceremony that visibly moved the veteran actor. The 72-year-old American star, best known for his roles in Grease, Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction, received the lifetime achievement award just before the world premiere of Propeller One-Way Night Coach, his debut as a film director. "This is the last thing I expected," Travolta told the audience, to loud applause. "My favourite films were always Palme d'Or winners. I can barely believe it — this is even better than an Oscar."
The honorary Palme d'Or, awarded by the Cannes Film Festival on the French Riviera, is one of the most prestigious tributes in world cinema. It was already known that director Peter Jackson, celebrated for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and singer and actress Barbra Streisand would receive the honour this year. Travolta's award, however, was kept secret — in keeping with a Cannes tradition of staging at least one unannounced surprise each edition. Previous recipients in this vein include Tom Cruise in 2022, Harrison Ford in 2023, and Denzel Washington last year.
Despite two Oscar nominations — for Saturday Night Fever in 1978 and for his iconic turn as hitman Vincent Vega in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction in 1994 — Travolta never won the Academy Award. He has, however, received three Golden Globes and an honorary BAFTA. Pulp Fiction itself won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1994, giving the award an added resonance for the actor.
The film premiering alongside the honour, Propeller One-Way Night Coach, is an adaptation of a children's book Travolta published in 1997. It follows a boy on a long flight who encounters a series of memorable passengers and crew members — a story loosely drawn from the actor's own life as a passionate pilot who has owned several aircraft, including a Boeing 707 he later donated to a museum in Australia. His daughter Ella Bleu Travolta, 26, appears in the film in a supporting role as a flight attendant. The film is set to stream on Netflix later this month.
The honorary Palme d'Or is a recognition that carries particular weight for an actor whose career has spanned five decades, with remarkable highs and a celebrated comeback. For Travolta, the surprise nature of the award — delivered in one of cinema's most storied settings — appeared to make it all the more meaningful.