Travolta has been given a new face
The debut as director that the mythical actor has starred in at the Cannes Festival has been overshadowed by his new facial appearance, more youthful than what he had when he went to the same festival in 2018
BarcelonaJohn Travolta has had a new face and they've messed it up. And I'm not saying that because it looks bad, let's not jump to conclusions. In fact, it's the opposite. They've performed a complex exercise in aesthetic medicine and have managed to make this screen legend, at 72 years old, turn back the clock a few years in terms of facial sagging without losing much naturalness. Or without losing as much as would have been predictable... The problem has therefore been that this new face they've given him has stolen all the spotlight from an artist who had no need to go through this media show at this stage of his professional life.
The new calling card of the man who played Danny Zuko in Grease has been a central topic on social media throughout this week and this has overshadowed for the vast majority of people the real news about this veteran actor. And it is that Travolta reappeared with this new face at Cannes to, of all things, debut as a film director after more than 50 years of career. An anniversary in itself that, on top of that, coincided with the fact that the prestigious film festival on the Côte d'Azur awarded him a Palme d'Or for his extensive career in the seventh art industry.
When 'the best version' might not be the best
Evidentment, when you make a comeback at a competition of this level –with a public profile multiplied by both the change of role and the award– it is obvious that you will want to offer your best version and you will not want negative comments about your appearance to devour the media space you have planned. However, an excess of zeal can lead you to experience the same thing but for the opposite reasons. And this has been Travolta's problem, who has lost part of the pie due to going too far. Many have been left only with this recently reformed face and not with the whole story behind it.
Sadly, the genesis of their communication error explains itself, because we have seen it many times before. It is about the aesthetic pressure that savagely drags people who have jobs that involve public exposure. Obviously, in their environment, everyone thought it was good and completely normal that they would appear again in front of the cameras of the whole world present there with a face that was far from the one they had in 2018, when they had last gone to the festival, then accompanied by his wife, Kelly Preston, who died in 2020 at the age of 57 from breast cancer.
What necessity?
The case of Travolta, far from being punctual, is worth more for what it implies than for what it is in itself. That someone as established as him, who has been for years and years one of the most prized faces and bodies in Hollywood and who has triumphed as much in mainstream cinema as in cult films, believes that he must undergo these facial updating operations to meet expectations indicates that aesthetic pressure is only advancing.
As aesthetic medicine becomes more affordable and image carries more weight for everyone because everyone lives installed on Instagram and TikTok, the expansion is unstoppable. In fact, since this concept began to be discussed, it was only discussed in relation to women, who have obviously always borne the brunt of this problem. But years later, despite all the activism on the subject, far from diminishing, the problem has become notably widespread among men. And furthermore, among men of all ages, as both very young boys – who need to have a physique sculpted in the gym that constantly improves – and older men – who cannot show their advanced age – do whatever it takes to have an appearance that is not what they would naturally have at that stage of their lives.
Outrageous ageism
In fact, Travolta's case has been very symptomatic of the age issue. Aside from the medical interventions he may have had – listed by many media outlets that have contacted specialists to speculate about it...–, the completely black beard the artist exhibited is striking. A beard just as black as his hair when he played Tony Manero in Saturday night fever. It is completely obvious that his beard is a recreation and that it is impossible for it to be like that now, but he prefers to live this simulation rather than appear to be the age he is. Honestly, dramatic.
Nor has it helped to calm the aesthetic pressure the appearance of injectable weight-loss drugs. The proliferation of new varieties of these drugs and their implementation in more and more medical consultations has also helped to build an ideal of slimness that is completely unattainable naturally for people living in contemporary Western societies. In fact, the arrival of these products has been doubly detrimental: on the one hand, it makes many people feel that they are not thin enough, and on the other hand, it generates a strong sense of social failure in those who cannot afford this type of treatment.
Aesthetic of a 'vintage' director
As if all this fuss about Travolta's smooth face wasn't enough, the actor has decided to settle in Cannes with a very strong aesthetic look. He has put on some round glasses and berets of all colors. This new signature look, halfway between Montmartre and a herriko taberna, is due to his new role as a director. "I looked for photos from the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s, and old-school directors wore berets and glasses. I thought: 'This is what I'll do. It's a tribute to being a director, so I'll play this part,'" he explained in a recent interview in which he mentioned Ingmar Bergman and Francis Ford Coppola as inspiration.
The night of the premiere of the film in which John Travolta was debuting as a director, Ven a volar conmigo, left him with a pleasant surprise. The artistic director of the festival, Thierry Frémaux, presented him with an honorary Palme d'Or before the screening of the film began, and the actor was moved in front of an audience that applauded him on several occasions during the screening and gave him a standing ovation at the end. Travolta has produced, financed, directed, and written the film, in which his daughter, Ella Bleu, also appears, and which will be available next week on AppleTV. “What a night for me, thank you all for being here and for witnessing my directorial debut,” the actor stated at the close of the evening. What a shame that all this has been relegated to the background.