MARCH 2, 2007—“Stayin’ Alive,” indeed.

In the 30 years between Saturday Night Fever and Wild Hogs, John Travolta’s gone from cultural phenomenon to box office poison more times than he probably cares to remember.

But no matter how many Battlefield Earths or Two of a Kinds he endures, Travolta always finds a way to get back in our good graces.

During his recent visit to Miami, Travolta spoke about his ups and downs, how he chooses his roles, and the lesson he learned from turning down Chicago.

Travolta's many comebacks
I’m the Ali of actors. I would be doing it whether I was doing at a high-end like this or at a community theater. I really love acting. Pauline Kael was a very famous critic years ago, and I was one of her favorite actors. She used to say, “He’s an actor who loves to act.”  And that’s true. When I had my low period in the ‘80s, I would improvise sometimes eight to 10 hours a day and think nothing of it because I liked doing it. I could have one audience member, I could have five. There was the joy of creating. So I think that keeps you going more than anything. And people sense that.

What's required to mount a successful comeback
Oh, it’s everything. The right material at the right time is all that it takes. You’re always only one movie away from regaining your title. It’s not ever a real serious situation. It’s whether that opportunity comes. But if you have it or not have it, and continue to create in spite.… Also, I do other things. I’m a strong believer in getting out and living life, mingle with all sorts of people, and then you have something to give your craft. And if you don’t do that, so I’m on downtimes I’ve often been know to travel the world and I do unusual things and I get involved in different experiences because I can bring that back to the table and you can live an ivory tower life completely as an actor. Often you do that, and you’re prepped for a role and become that person to a lesser or greater degree. It’s not a bad idea to go out and do that anyway.

How Travolta chooses a role
Without being clichéd, for me it really is story, character and the quality. Moreover, can I do something with it that maybe another actor couldn’t? Can I give it an abundance of something? I want to give more than is evident. I feel if I’m replaceable, then maybe I shouldn’t be doing it.

Travolta’s decision to turn down the role in Chicago that eventually went to Richard Gere
I may have made a mistake with Chicago only because I didn’t sit with the director to see his vision. At the time I was offered Chicago, it was a bunch of coldhearted women that didn’t like men. I like women who like men. I didn’t want to be in that. But he had this idea of making them sympathetic by making her a battered woman. So when they did their killings and murders it wasn’t so harsh as when it was for fun or to get a kick out of it. I didn’t know they were resolving all those kinds of problems that I had with it. And by nature the women had better parts in that. But I thought I could have done something that was fun and interesting. I probably regret but I regret most not meeting with the director. And it was offered about three times. And with Hairspray, I said—it was the same producers as Chicago—I said, “Make sure that I meet with the director and that they give me their vision and make sure what they want to do with it, because that may make a difference in my decision. And it did.

Travolta’s experience of donning a dress for the upcoming musical version of Hairspray
That wasn’t easy, to be honest. That wardrobe was rough. But I was a 300-pound woman that she thought she was 150. She thought she was light. I played it that she was a girl and not a woman, and that was she Sophia Loren and not a girl form Baltimore. I just had this whole take on her that was pretty different. I didn’t the gimmick of the man in a woman’s thing. I played it as a guy playing a woman. It was kinda fun.

The factors that determine whether Travolta makes a sequel to one of his hits
Part of it would be how much fun you had on a movie. But I had so much fun on Grease. They just never came up with an idea that worked for me for Grease. That was all. I almost feel like Hairspray is a sequel to Grease more than anything they came up with. You know, what level of fun for your own life, what level of success was it, how good was the script at hand. A sequel has to have a good idea behind it; otherwise you should stay away from them, in my opinion.

Click here to John Travolta and William H. Macy's comments on Wild Hogs.

Wild Hogs opened March 2. Click here for more information.