http://www.canoe.ca/JamMovies/apr29_travolta.html
Jam Movies
Saturday, April 29, 2000Battlefield Earth Travolta's labour of love
By BOB THOMPSON
Toronto Sun
John Travolta has given birth to 10 movies in the past three years, but it's safe to say his latest, Battlefield Earth, was a labour of love. The avid Scientologist was in town yesterday to promote the $80-million, sci-fi film version of L. Ron Hubbard's novel. The deceased Hubbard was the founder of Scientology. As a salute, Travolta spent time at the downtown Chapters book store, autographing Hubbard's books. Other Travolta-ites were stationed outside the CHUMCity building on Queen St. W., watching and sometimes squealing with excitement during his afternoon open-window interview at MuchMusic. Most of the fans weren't even born when Travolta became famous as Vinnie Barbarino on TV's Welcome Back Kotter. Thanks to video, they know him him better as Tony Manero from Saturday Night Fever, Danny Zuko in Grease and the druggie Pulp Fiction hitman. Battlefield Earth will be something else. Opening May 12, the feature has Travolta playing the 10-foot, amber-eyed, alien villain "more wicked than you've ever dreamed of in your life," he asserts. The role is his first bad guy since his psycho-killer in Face/Off. Travolta has been trying to get Battlefield Earth -- shot in Montreal last summer -- made since Hubbard wrote the book in 1983. The intention, 46-year-old Travolta remembers, was to play the young hero Jonnie Goodboy -- portrayed by Vancouverite Barry Pepper -- not the dastardly Psychlos villain, Terl. Time, and his age, changed his role, but not his obsession. "Battlefield Earth is his best-selling science-fiction piece," Travolta says of Hubbard, who died three years after his book was published. "Five million copies in 50 nations." Chances are, more copies will be sold after the release of the film. Whether moviegoers will buy into the cautionary tale concerning an evil alien race mining the earth to its extinction is another matter. Travolta says he's confident that the pro-environment, anti-greed theme is just as valid now. He also stresses that Hubbard's book and Travolta's movie are science-fiction entertainments, pointing out that Hubbard's Scientology is the philosophy. Meanwhile, Travolta continues his busy movie schedule. He recently completed the comedy-drama, Numbers, with Lisa Kudrow. He'll start shooting the thriller, Swordfish, in July, and he is signed to do the social drama Domestic Disturbance. On the home front, Travolta and actress wife Kelly Preston have a new daughter, Ella Bleu, born earlier this month. She joins Jett, their eight-year-old son, at home. For the Travolta-Prestons, that means mansions in Maine, Florida and California -- bases for Travolta's jet fleet that includes a 707 passenger aircraft. In Travolta's case, all work means lots of pay -- like earning more than US$250 million since 1997.