John Travolta explains his beret looks at Cannes as a homage to old-school directors
Travolta wore a white beret at his directorial debut premiere and a black beret at the film's photocall the following day
John Travolta has shed light on the thinking behind his eye-catching looks at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, explaining that his choice to sport a series of berets was a deliberate creative decision rooted in cinema history.
Two berets, two days
The actor, 72, first attracted attention on Friday when he arrived at the premiere of his directorial debut, Propeller One-Way Night Coach, wearing a slouchy white beret paired with spectacles.
He followed up the next day at the film's photocall, wearing a black beret and black wire-rimmed glasses — prompting considerable online commentary.
"Play the part of a director"
Travolta told CNN that the outfits were entirely intentional, designed to present himself as a filmmaker rather than an actor.
"I said, 'I'm a director this time. You're an actor, play the part of a director, look like an old-school director,'" he explained. "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 also said he wanted his outfits to serve as a personal memento of the occasion. "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 said with a smile.
An honorary Palme d'Or
Travolta received an honorary Palme d'Or — the festival's equivalent of a lifetime achievement award — during this year's event. Sharing his reaction on Instagram, he wrote: "I've never been more proud to win an award! To me the Cannes Palme d'Or award has always represented art at its finest. It is beyond a humbling experience."
His daughter Ella, 26, responded in the comments: "I'm so proud of you."
About the film
Propeller One-Way Night Coach follows a young aviation enthusiast named Jeff and his mother as they embark on a one-way, cross-country journey to Hollywood.
The film is based on Travolta's own 1997 children's novel of the same name. Ella, who has been by her father's side throughout the Cannes promotional run, plays a flight attendant in the picture.
