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AN INTERVIEW WITH:
JOHN TRAVOLTA
by Peter Sobczynski

October 1, 2004

For his latest performance, John Travolta (I can only presume that no further introduction is necessary) portrays the leader of a Baltimore firehouse (populated by the likes of Joaquin Phoenix, Robert Patrick and Morris Chestnut) in the new low-key drama "Ladder 49". In town to promote the film, the actor (who also has the drama "A Love Song for Bobby Long" and the "Get Shorty" sequel "Be Cool" due in the next few months) discussed his reasons for choosing to take a role in an ensemble piece, what he learned about firefighting and the hazards of trying to act opposite fire.

THE INTERVIEW

Having done so many movies in your career, what was it about "Ladder 49" that attracted you to the project?

The subject matter appealed to me, for sure, and I think that was heightened by 9/11-there was more of a focus on firefighters than there had ever been. I liked the idea of doing something that wasn't a movie star-turn; you aren't demanded to be a star, you are demanded to be part of a group and be real and live up to an accurate portrayal. That appealed to me-there was this sort of built-in seniority with the other guys because I'm older than all of them and I've been around longer and they responded to me that way. I could have that camaraderie but still have the respectful distance that aided the film's life.

One of the interesting things about your character is that even though it would seem to be a perfect showcase for a larger-than-life heroic portrayal, with you saving people every few minutes, he is actually played in a more realistic, low-key manner along the lines of the work you've done in things like "Blow Out". Is it more of a challenge to play a character like this in such a way?

It is as long as what the low-key character is doing is interesting-that is the key. He is interesting because he is responsible for all these other fellows, he is savvy with all of the departments and he is a little too emotionally connected to this young man [the
Joaquin Phoenix character]. To me, to play real and add those things to it was interesting to me. I love playing real, but I like it when it is watchable and in something worth watching. When you meet these other actors, they are so un-Hollywood in that way that you immediately get the tone. This is a movie where all the actors are playing selfless people in a selfless profession with blue-collar behavior-very male and very macho-but humanity is bleeding from them because their love for each other is not hidden, yet there are still these classic types. I could almost cry thinking about it-I would have loved to do those things but how many people on 9/11 couldn't do those things while some could and didn't make it. The happy medium of truth is what we portrayed, as painful as it is for the group.

How did working on this film affect how you personally looked at firefighters?

It confirmed everything that I thought about them. They can't help it-they have an urge to help and they will risk their lives in order to do it. It was very moving-I get very choked up thinking about how it is part of their nature. I don't know if I could be like that-it is something I aspire to be but they can't help it. That is why there are only 800,000 of them in the country. That is who they are and they are beautiful people. There is a clarity about who they are that I love. Jay [Russell, the director] chose actors that have a degree of that in them. I don't think that we could be firefighters but at least we want to be.

What was it like meeting with the firefighters that you worked and trained with in preparation for the role?

They are adorable. They are kind of macho, they are in communication more than you think-they are willing to have a discussion with you and answer questions-and they would save a cat if they had to. There is this dichotomy that I find really interesting that is different from other macho professions-this blend of humanity and masculinity is very interesting. There is almost a ying-yang balance to these guys that is fascinating.

How was the experience of shooting on location in Baltimore?

Baltimore embraced us and opened up the city to us. They knew it was good for the city and the fire department. They are a more fire-oriented town because there are a lot of fires there. It is very middle-class-it is a city that is prospering in some areas and suffering in others-and it has an atmosphere that is specific. The houses are all old-some are over 100 years old-and they have a lot of character to them. I don't know why the writer chose Baltimore but it was the right kind of atmosphere.

How difficult is it to act in scenes where you are interacting with giant flames?

Obviously, every safety precaution has been taken but it is still fire and there is always the possibility that something can go horribly wrong in an instant. We were trained, so we had confidence going into the fires, and we were protected with equipment. I was worried more about the crew because they weren't as protected. I did get burned a couple of times because I forgot that the fire was heating up Joaquin's metal equipment, so when I went to grab him...AAAAHHH...and the next take, I would have gloves on and some bandages on underneath. I got lost in a fire one day, It was a simulated fire and I couldn't see the ground, I couldn't see around me. It was like being blindfolded and I couldn't get out of the building. Finally, I saw a little flicker of light and saw it reflect on a hose-I grabbed the hose and followed it out. By the time of the shoot, I got it right but I went in all cocky and confident and when the reality of it came in, oh my God!. You can understand how someone could get trapped, a victim or a fireman. In the training period, the worst thing was the maze. The maze is seven boxes that look like coffins that are stuck together with holes that connect them. You have to crawl through them with all of your equipment and you have to find a way out. It is the biggest mind-f**k I have ever experienced in my life, bar none. It changed my viewpoint on life. Imagine-you are caught, the smoke is around you, you can't move or see and you have to somehow find a hole and squeeze through it with all that equipment on and then find the next hole. It is just ridiculous and I thought that if that is what it is like to be caught in a fire, I would be dead before I was dead. It was outrageously claustrophobic and I freaked out. Everybody did-even the normal guys who are training are freaking out. It wasn't easy but it was adventurous and I am always up for the adventure. I'm smart enough after all these years to know that you have to have someone looking out for you-otherwise you will get in trouble. I asked my mentor on the set to keep an eye on me and he did.

At this point in your career, you have begun going back and forth between starring roles and smaller supporting parts...

I am doing that and I like it. Gene Hackman and Robert Duvall have done that and when I was working with them, I was inspired by them. When I was in "A Civil Action" with Duvall and "Get Shorty" with Hackman, I thought that they were pretty smart guys. They had cool roles, it wasn't the bulk of the movie and they get to move onto the next movie without the burden on nine months of your life dedicated to one role. I can jockey between them and I have been doing that for the last year or so. I've done two supporting roles and two leads and I liked it-I got more in in a shorter amount of time. "Be Cool" is done and "A Love Song for Bobby Long" comes out later this fall and that got a rave reaction in Venice. The critics and the festival breathe life into those movies-they either breathe life or they don't live. You are on pins and needles because you did this act of love for no money and you want to know if it is going to survive or not. When it does, it is so joyful because they create your future. They inject life into these projects and that is what happened in Venice.

-- PETER SOBCZYNSKI

Copyright © 2004 Peter Sobczynski
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Used with permission
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