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John Travolta hasn't always made the right decisions as far as making movies is concerned. However, the Saturday Night Fever superstar doesn't seem to regret his worst films, most notably a movie that actually cost him $15 million.
Regardless of all of that, Travolta always seems to find a way of landing on his feet, such as when he almost starred in Forrest Gump instead of Pulp Fiction. That or his underrated films find a cult audience years down the road. This may be the case with Jon Turteltaub's 1996 film, Phenomenon. Similar to Nora Ephron's supernatural romance Michael, in which Travolta played a fallen angel, Phenomenon explores the story of a mechanic who is struck by lightning and becomes a telekinetic genius. But Pheonomeon is decidedly more serious than Michael. And it spends a great deal more time on the chemistry between Travolta's George and Kyra Sedgwick's Lace.
In an interview with Vulture, Sedgwick pulled back the curtain on what it was really like working with the iconic Grease star, including filming an intimate scene that Travolta was quite nervous about. Here's what she had to say...
What Kyra Sedgwick Really Thought Of John Travolta On The Set Of Their Movie Phenomenon
When Kyra Sedgwick was cast as Lace in Jon Turteltaub's 1996 film, Phenomenon, she was hot off Cameron Crowe's Singles. She also had two young kids who really wanted her to go back to work and "be in a movie". Fortunately, her children's desire to see their mom up on the big screen again coincided with Turteltaub's wish to cast her alongside John Travolta in his latest flick.
"I remember coming in to meet John [Travolta], and John was lovely and adorable and totally personable and cool," Kyra Sedgwick explained during an interview with Vulture about the film. "I remember I took my daughter [to set], and [my husband] Kevin [Bacon] took care of [our son] Travis — he was in school in Connecticut. And I actually think Kevin was cutting Loverboy, or Losing Chase, or something."
Most of the film was shot in Marin County, California and Sedgwick claimed to have had a great time there. On top of this, she loved filming with the Turteltaub and Travolta.
"I totally, thoroughly enjoyed those guys. I remember John [Travolta] talking about how he kept going from movie to movie but this one really meant a lot to him. He had a lot of personal identification, I think, with the character. And he was great. I remember saying, 'That’s a lot of movies to do in a row.' And he said, 'Making hay, making hay.'"
During her interview with Vulture, Sedgwick addressed the undeniable romantic chemistry she and Travolta had on-screen. While she was a big fan of his work, most notably Saturday Night Fever, she claimed to have really connected with him on a personal level.
"What really, really connects me to John is his deep vulnerability and empathy. He’s so empathic — and so am I. I think that we really bonded on that. But that little face! He was just so vulnerable," Kyra Sedgwick explained to Vulture.
She also admitted to falling in love with him a little bit.
"Actually, I fell in love with him on Welcome Back, Kotter. I had a big crush on David Cassidy when I was a kid. And so he’s a little bit of a Cassidy, but he also has that bad-boy street thing, and was an incredible dancer," Sedgwick said of her harmless crush.
"I just remember that scene in Saturday Night Fever where his father smacks his head and he’s like, 'I work a long time on my hair!' I mean, you fall in love with him. You’re just completely smitten. I was smitten with him. I was madly in love with my husband so I didn’t have a crush on him, but I just thought he had a level of vulnerability for a man that I found really moving."
Inside Filming Kyra Sedgwick's Intimate Scene With John Travolta On Phenomenon
During Krya Sedgwick's interview with Vulture, she also shed light on what it was really like filming an intimate scene with John Travolta. Without a doubt, the shaving scene in 1996's Phenomenon is one of the most sensual moments in Traovlta's filmography. And it's unquestionably the most romantic scene in the film.
"I had no idea that it was going to be like the most romantic scene in the movie," Sedgwick explained to Vulture. "People come up to me, still, and it’s the most romantic thing they’ve ever seen. It’s like, just me cutting his hair! But it was so sweet. I think it was sensual. Everyone says it’s the most sensual scene. And it is sensual, right? Because he does all these close-ups of the cream going on his face and me staring at him lovingly while we shave. And I think that definitely was the direction Jon Turteltaub gave us: 'Sensual, sensual.' And everything was slow motion, and the lighting was insane. It took a long time to shoot it."
Sedgwick went on to say that her goal was to "nurture the scene". While she wasn't actually shaving John with a real razor, she certainly felt like she was. She also claimed not to have been nervous about filming the scene. But this was not the case for John Travolta.
"I think [Travolta] was nervous. Honestly. There was something about that day. He was nervous in that scene, and he was nervous in the other kissy-face love-making scene. I find that a lot: That guys are usually the more nervous ones and you kind of have to just guide them through it," Sedgwick admitted to Vulture.
"I think that for guys to be sexual on camera, and sensual, is not totally organic and natural, whereas women are socialized to do that at a really young age."
Director Jon Turtletaub was also on edge about filming the scene, Sedgwick claimed.
"I remember both [John and Jon] were a wreck. And I was like, 'Guys, I got this. Let me just tell you exactly what I would do if I were her slash me.' She kind of takes control of the whole thing," Sedgwick said to Vulture.
"I remember being a little nervous, and then I remember being like, 'Oh, they’re so nervous'. I need to be like, 'Come on, guys. Here’s the way we do it.' And yes, it’s chaste, but I had to take my shirt off, of course," Segdwick continued. "Women always have to take their shirts off. I mean, it was the back of me. But it felt a little vulnerable. And John Travolta stared in my eyes. He didn’t look anywhere else, just looked right in my eyes."
