Extraordinary news, Hollywood megastar John Travolta, whose hit films include Grease, Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction, is following in the footsteps of Sylvester Stallone, Al Pacino and er... Joan Collins by appearing in a one night only West End event; in this case he’s being interviewed on the stage of The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane by Jonathan Ross on Sunday February 16th at 6pm.
The first reaction has got to be “wow, 'must get a ticket to see one of modern cinemas true icons in the flesh” but your second reaction will probably be the same as mine. Why on earth does he want to do this? (And he’s piloting the plane over himself apparently)
Presumably the answer is money but can these mega stars really be so short of loose change that it’s financially worth their while? We are of course talking a great deal of money in box office takings. A VIP seat will set you back £350 and we can bet that JT’s popularity will ensure they sell plenty of those. But Jonathan Ross isn’t going to be cheap to hire for the evening and the venue must cost a lot to rent, so it’s hard to imagine there aren’t easier and more lucrative ways for A-listers to earn a crust.
But maybe there’s more to it than just then just money. A good friend of mine organises lectures around the UK for a Hollywood legend from the 70’s who flies in from exotic climes once a year to talk to little old ladies across the nation. Apparently he doesn’t need the money but just enjoys the attention so maybe your bank balance isn’t the only thing that takes a dive when your career fizzles out. Your self esteem does too.
Whatever motivates these celebs we all benefit from and the chance to breath the same air as the gods!
