John Travolta recently unraveled a horrifying incident when he was piloting a corporate jet with his family. This incident further became a significant reason for associating with his recent project, The Shepherd. Starring The Witcher actor, Ben Radcliffe, in the lead role, the movie revolves around a young Royal Air Force pilot who finds himself in trouble as his plane suffers an electrical failure. As he is about to lose hope with the situation worsening, he spots another plane flown by a man who offers to help him.
Based on Frederick Forsyth’s 1975 novel of the same title, the Oscar-nominee came across this book after facing a similar situation when he flew a corporate jet.
John Travolta Recalled His Near-Death Incident
His new movie, The Shepherd is the result of the experience he had gone through when piloting a plane. As per BBC, the Bolt star told the journalists after the movie screening,
“The kismet of the project is, I actually experienced a total electrical failure, not in a Vampire but a corporate jet, over Washington DC, prior to my discovering the book.”
John Travolta further delved into the details of the incident he was involved in, stating,
“So when I read the book, it resonated more because of this experience I’d personally had.” He added, “I knew what it felt like to absolutely think you’re going to die. Because I had two good jet engines but I had no instruments, no electric, nothing.”
He recalled that his family was also on board with him as he was scared about the whole scenario. However, things eventually ended on a safe note.
“I had my family on board and I said, ‘This is it, I can’t believe I’m going to die in this plane.'” The Face/Off actor recalled, “And then, as if by a miracle, we descended to a lower altitude, I saw the Washington DC Monument and identified that Washington National Airport was right next to it and I made a landing just like [character Freddie] does in the film.”
He further commented that he has lived the experience which is another reason why he resonated with the events happening when he read the book.
How John Travolta Encountered The Shepherd Novel?
While he did not mention the timeline of his incident, Travolta had addressed the same incident in a 1995 New Yorker interview. He talked about making an emergency landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in 1992. After it all happened, he came across Forsyth’s novel which instantly clicked with him.
As for how he came across that novel, he mentioned in the same screening event,
“I had just purchased a Vampire jet just like the one in the film. I had flown it for two years and I’m doing a film in Canada and I’m at a book store, and I see a small novella with a Vampire jet on the front of it, and I said, I have to read this.”
He added,
“I instantly fell in love with this book. And it was my dream to one day make it into a film. So a couple of years later I purchased the rights to this book.”
While he wished to make the movie sooner, he was working on different projects consecutively which led him to give up on it. However, it was movie director, Iain Softley, who reignited his interest in the movie as the novel also piqued his interest. Also serving as the executive producer in the movie, Travolta plays the role of the other man who helps the main protagonist (Ben Radcliffe) to alter his fate.
The Shepherd will release Disney+ on December 1.
