John Travolta was told to accept the role in ‘American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson' by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks
The 62-year-old actor, who played the role of O.J. Simpson’s attorney Robert Schapiro in the popular FX series, has admitted he spent four months contemplating whether to star in the 10-part series for months, but the advice of the American director, the ‘Cast Away’ star and his wife Rita swayed his decision.
1 December 2016
Speaking to GQ.com about the show, which follows the 1994 murder trial of the former American football player’s partner Nicole Brown Simpson, the ‘Grease’ star said: “It was [Steven] Spielberg. It was Oprah [Winfrey]. It was Rita [Wilson] Hanks and Tom Hanks. And it was [former Disney magnate] Michael Eisner.
“They all thought it was completely the right move.
“[Spielberg and Eisner were] the most enthusiastic.”
And John – who boasts a successful career in the entertainment industry spanning over four decades - has revealed there are high points in everyone’s career, although actors are not “guaranteed” to be involved in every “high quality” project.
The 'Forger' actor - who has Benjamin, as well as 15-year-old daughter Ella, with wife Kelly Preston and whose eldest son Jett, 16, tragically died in 2009 – explained: “You have these points in your career when you are associated with high quality, with depth, communication, and things that matter on a social level. And when you hit those notes — whether it be ‘Primary Colors’, or on the cover of ‘Time’ magazine, or ‘Pulp Fiction’, or ‘Saturday Night Fever’, or ‘Urban Cowboy’ - where you’re affecting the society on a global level, then you feel a different kind of pride. It’s beyond the pride of success. It’s the pride of … integrity, I guess?
“You’re not always guaranteed to be involved with projects that will hit those notes. When you are, you really do register it.”
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