John Travolta is one of the most entertaining actors to watch on screen. He started out in the 70s with memorable films such as Saturday Night Fever, Grease, and Urban Cowboy. He starred in his most recognizable role as Vincent Vega in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. This was followed by further successes including Phenomenon, Face/Off, and The General’s Daughter to name a few.
He was an accomplished and successful actor by the ’90s. He participated in films and was getting roles that he wanted to do. But there was one role that he didn’t get that he desperately wanted. He wanted to portray the iconic spy James Bond in a film but never got the chance to do so.
John Travolta Dreamed Of Playing James Bond But Was Never Offered the Role
By the 90s, John Travolta was an established actor who had given multiple hit films. He had become a huge movie star and was getting films that he wanted to do. But he didn’t get the chance to play his dream role. In an interview with Jonathan Ross, he revealed that he desperately wanted to play James Bond, while also praising Daniel Craig’s portrayal of the role. He said,
“Yeah, I like them a lot. I would have. I wanted to do James Bond although this new guy is awesome. He’s fantastic. He’s the one I like the most since Sean.”
It would have been interesting to see how Travolta would have portrayed the suave spy. But he doesn’t seem too dejected by the fact that he didn’t get the opportunity since he thinks Craig has done a good job as the latest Bond, maybe even better than what he could have brought to the role.
John Travolta Discussed Being a Bond Villain With Producers in Spectre
John Travolta might not have gotten to play James Bond but he left no stone unturned to be a part of the franchise in some capacity. In 2014, he talked about discussions he had with franchise producer Barbara Broccoli for him to be a villain in the next Bond film (which would be Spectre). He told Rolling Stone,
“They’re going a different way with their villain in this next film. I’ve spoken to (producer Barbara Broccoli) about it and she loves the idea, so that would be great,” said.
Unfortunately for him, the producers ultimately chose Christoph Waltz to be the lead villain in 2015’s Spectre. It remains to be seen whether Travolta gets another chance as the franchise is getting a new incarnation in the foreseeable future.
