John Travolta: King of Cool

by Wensley Clarkson

With his piercing blue eyes, dazzling smile, and innate sense of cool, John Travolta has, for over three decades, won a place in the hearts of millions of film fans. From disco king to ice-cool gangster, the ease with which he can slip into a character has made him one of Hollywood’s most popular leading men. Travolta’s amazing ability to reinvent himself as an actor has spanned generations of movie-goers—his appeal as white-hot dancer Tony Romero in Saturday Night Fever evolved over the years into intense, utterly convincing performances, among the most memorable as hitman Vincent Vega in the box-office smash Pulp Fiction. Perceptively written, thoroughly researched, and based on scores of interviews with friends, colleagues, and family, John King of Cool looks at the star’s entire life and career, as well as his involvement with the Church of Scientology and his relationship with wife Kelly Preston.

Genres: Biography

298 pages, Hardcover

First published March 21, 1996

Reviews

[Thordur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Þessi bók var gefin út 1996 en það er samt fullt af áhugaverðu efni í henni. Hún tekur bæði fyrir einkalíf stjörnunnar, og svo bíómyndirnar hans þar til '96. Hún nær því alveg að vera nokkuð persónuleg og tekur fyrir sorgir stjörnunnar. Hann missi t.d. bæði kærustuna sína Diönu Hyland og mömmu sína á einhverju 18 mánaða tímabili þ.e. á sama tíma og bestu mynd. irnar hans verða til - Fever og Grease. Samt hefur maður stundum á tilfinningunni eins og í þessari bók að hún sé að einhverju leiti skrifuð upp úr einhverjum tímaritum og bara blaðaviðtölum. Hún er engu að síður ágætlega skrifuð þannig.

Svo er svo margt sem maður vissi ekki. Vissir þú að þessum manni bauðst að leika í myndinni American Gigolo? Travolta hafnaði því hlutverki sem Richard Gere fékk síðan. Nefndur Richard Gere lék einnig aðalhlutverkið í An officer and a gentleman sem Travolta vildi ekki heldur leika í. Travolta bauðst einnig að leika aðalhlutverkið í Top Gun... og í Midnight Express...

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I remember the most about this book was a conversation Travolta had with Quentin Tarrantino about how Travolta's career went downhill during the mid eighties. And all of a sudden, he was cast in Pulp Fiction, and life got a bit rosy from that point onwards. I give it 2.5 stars out of five.
There are some interesting chapters, including how he had an affair with an older woman at some point, but she died. And he became incredibly depressed over it. A normal reaction.
But it is missing something. I will have to read it again. It has been a while since I finished it.