John Travolta Address Viral Look at 2026 Cannes Film Festival: 'I'm Going to Play the Part'

John Travolta is finally explaining the story behind his viral fashion choices at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.

The Hollywood icon turned heads over the weekend after stepping out in a series of colorful berets during appearances at the prestigious event. While social media quickly buzzed over the unexpected accessory, Travolta revealed there was actually a thoughtful reason behind the look.

“I said, ‘I’m a director this time. You’re an actor, play the part of a director, look like an old-school director,'" Travolta explained in an interview with CNN on Monday, May 18, while promoting his new movie, Propeller One-Way Night Coach.

The Grease star said he spent time researching vintage filmmakers before deciding on the now-viral look.

“So I looked up pictures from the ’20, ’30s, ’40s, ’50, ’60s, and the old-school directors wore berets, and the glasses, and I thought, ‘That’s what I’m doing. I’m doing an homage to being a director, so I’m going to play the part of being a director,’” he continued.

The 72-year-old actor also admitted the wardrobe choice was meant to help him remember the special moment in his career years from now.

“I’ll know — ‘Oh, that was Propeller One-Way Night Coach, that was Cannes, that’s when I won the Palme d’Or,’ and I’ll have a vividness of it,” he shared with a smile.

This year’s Cannes Film Festival was especially emotional for the actor — who received an honorary Palme d’Or — considered one of the festival’s highest honors and often viewed as a lifetime achievement accolade.

“I’ve never been more proud to win an award!” Travolta wrote on Instagram after receiving the recognition.

He added, “To me the Cannes Palme d’Or award has always represented art at its finest. It is beyond a humbling experience.”

Before the premiere of Propeller One-Way Night Coach on Friday, May 15, Travolta even documented his arrival to Cannes after piloting his own plane to the festival alongside his daughter, Ella Bleu Travolta, 26.

“Big day, big night in Cannes. Stay tuned!” he teased in an Instagram video.

Ella, who stars in the movie as a flight attendant, proudly supported her father throughout the event and reacted sweetly online afterward.

“I’m so proud of you❤️,” she commented.

The upcoming film is based on John’s 1997 children’s novel of the same name and serves as a fictionalized version of his childhood memories. The story follows an 8-year-old boy named Jeff during his first cross-country plane trip with his mother in 1962.

John also reflected on how meaningful Cannes has been throughout different chapters of his life, especially when remembering his late wife, Kelly Preston.

Speaking with People, the actor became emotional while discussing the connection between this year’s honor and his famous 1994 Cannes appearance for Pulp Fiction, which won the Palme d’Or.

"This is beyond the Oscar,” he said, admitting he “cried like a baby” after learning his latest film had been accepted into the festival lineup.

"There's such a long history of us at Cannes," John shared.

The actor noted that attending Cannes with Ella three decades after first attending with Kelly made the experience even more personal.

"So, it would have been very significant for Kelly and I because we saw Pulp Fiction for the first time at Cannes, and we won the Palme d’Or," he explained.

John added, "Jump to now, with Ella starring in Propeller One-Way Night Coach, and my winning the Palme d’Or, there's this beautiful, glorified connection that's like the pillars between Pulp that won and Propeller — that's reflective of this win, that it makes this gorgeous framework."

"So yes, it feels significant," he noted.