John Travolta Opens Up About His Beret Look at Cannes Film Festival

John Travolta turned heads at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, but not for the reasons one might expect. The veteran actor's sartorial choices became the talk of the event, prompting him to explain his fashion-forward decision.

At the festival, the 72-year-old received an honorary Palme d'Or and participated in a photo call for Propeller One-Way Night, his directorial debut. He also attended the film's premiere, accompanied by his 26-year-old daughter Ella Bleu Travolta.

When asked about his distinctive beret styling, Travolta revealed his creative inspiration. "The old school directors wore berets and the glasses. And I thought, that's what I'm doing," he explained to CNN.

The actor elaborated on his reasoning, noting that after more than five decades in the industry, events tend to blur together in retrospect. "I've been around for over 50 years doing movies, but I can't tell, when I look back, the difference between the events," he said. "And 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's approach involved studying iconic filmmakers from cinema history. He researched and reviewed archival photographs of legendary directors to inform his look, drawing on their timeless aesthetic.

"I'm gonna do an homage to being a director. So I'm gonna play the part of being a director and then when I look back, I'll know, 'Oh, that was Propeller One-Way Night, that was Cannes, that was when I won the Palme d'Or.' And I will have vividness of it," he explained, underscoring how the deliberate styling choice serves as a visual anchor for this milestone moment in his career.