But, as the Grease star <\/a>said in a CNN<\/a> interview shared Monday, he was simply dressed to impress by channeling the look of an auteur filmmaker.<\/p>\n \u201cI said, \u2018I\u2019m a director this time,\u201d Travolta explained. \u201c\u2019You\u2019re an actor, play the part of a director, look like an old-school director.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n He continued: \u201cSo I looked up pictures from the twenties, thirties, fourties, fifties, sixties, and the old-school directors wore berets, and the glasses. And I thought, \u2018That\u2019s what I\u2019m doing. I\u2019m doing an homage to being a director, so I\u2019m going to play the part of being a director.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Iconic directors that have sported the stereotypical French-styled look include filmmakers like Ingmar Bergman and Francis Ford Coppola.<\/p>\n Travolta also said that his distinct look \u2014 which included black, white, navy and brown berets\u2014 could also help him to remember the event in the future by looking back at pictures from the red carpet.<\/p>\n \u201cI’ve been around for over 50 years doing movies, but I can’t tell, when I look back, the difference between the events,\u201d he said, noting that now, \u201cI\u2019ll know \u2014 \u2018Oh, that was Propeller One-Way Night Coach, that was Cannes, that\u2019s when I won the Palme d\u2019Or,\u2019 and I\u2019ll have a vividness of it.\u201d<\/p>\n The film festival\u2019s artistic director, Thierry Fr\u00e9maux, surprised Travolta with the honorary Palme d\u2019Or<\/a> ahead of his movie\u2019s world premiere Friday. <\/p>\n Wearing a white beret, Travolta was visibly moved by the recognition and clutched his chest while accepting the award, saying: \u201cThis is beyond the Oscar. I can\u2019t believe this. This is the last thing I expected.\u201d<\/p>\n The Pulp Fiction actor<\/a> wrote, directed and co-produced Propeller One-Way Night Coach, which is based on his own 1997 children\u2019s novel of the same name. The movie follows a young aspiring pilot named Jeff and his mother as they embark on a cross-country journey to Hollywood. Ella plays a flight attendant in the film, which will begin streaming globally on Apple TV later this month.<\/p>\n Travolta, a flying enthusiast who has had his pilot\u2019s license since he was 22<\/a>, flew his own plane to the movie\u2019s premiere while wearing a navy beret, as shown in a video<\/a> he shared on Instagram.<\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2276423162.jpeg\")
John Travolta wore a series of colored berets and round glasses to the 2026 Cannes Film Festival (Getty)<\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2026-05-16T122243Z_1475424942_UP1EM5G0YDTE0_RTRMADP_3_FILMFESTIVAL-CANNES-PROPELLER.JPG\")
John Travolta was awarded the Honorary Palme d’Or at the 79th Cannes Film Festival (Reuters)<\/p>\n