diesteldorf

Saw this on the Imdb.com yesterday and wondered what people thought:


Travolta K.O.'s Career with Salary Demands

Hollywood star John Travolta is ruining his glittering silver screen career with outrageous salary demands. The Pulp Fiction star, who suffered many years in the showbiz wilderness after his early career faltered, is infuriating studio executives with his over-the-top demands and in the process is estranging himself from powerful allies. And since the Grease star has made little impression at the box office in recent years, insiders predict he could find himself tossed off of the A list. A source tells gossip site Pagesix.Com, "He was attached to this script called The Outlaws. It is a really good western - very well-written - about these two New York lawyers in 1899 who move to Wyoming. (But no studio wanted the picture because) John insisted on the wacky salary. He wanted $23 million, plus $4 million in expenses. It is insane. He thinks he can get paid like this huge A-list star when he hasn't made a decent movie in years. It's not like Pulp Fiction came out yesterday."


Does anyone think that this should be taken with a grain of salt?

Josh-da-man

No. He's been coasting on "Pulp Fiction" fumes for almost a decade. Pretty much everything he's been in since has sucked. I even thought "Get Shorty" was boring.

Time to start working with talking babies for scale again, Barbarino.

the narrator

he definately isn't worth 23 million.. he makes decent movies, but noting spectacular

Tyler_Durden

I hate these arrogant bastards who are not only keeping themselves out of work with their outrageous salary demands but are also keeping good movies from getting made because of the negotiation hassles they cause with their greed.

Geofferson

I just watched Lucky Numbers over the weekend for the first time and let me just say that in no way is he worth $23M.

LBPound

I liked 'A Civil Action' a lot, but I don't think the movie is a real credit to his acting alone. I don't see where he has the leverage to make demands like this, with Battlefield Earth, Lucky Numbers, and Domestic Disturbance being what they were at the box office and with critics.

Buttmunker

With lines like "Ain't it cool" in Broken Arrow, I'd cool off on salary demands.

Lastblade

He isn't worth $20 worth of movie tickets, to me anyway.

hgar78

yeah, i'd say his second 15 minutes are UP! the crap he's put out since pulp fiction is embarrassing!

BTW, didnt i just read something about him being committed to a sequel to grease??? something about a 20 yr. high school reunion?

fumanstan

I like Travolta, but he's not worth 20 million. 10 at best. I've enjoyed the action flicks like Face/Off and Swordfish quite a bit, but in no way does he or can he carry a movie alone.

glassdragon

I loved Broken arrow and Face off. But i don't think anyone is worth 20 million no matter how good they are. That's way too much money to pay someone for at the most a year of shooting

ipkevin

They don't pay these people for the amount of work they do, they pay them for the amount of tickets they sell in the first few weeks. A guy like Tom Cruise is probably worth way more than $20 million by those standards. Mel Gibson is probably another. So those people exist. There was a brief run where Travolta was probably almost worth that as well (around Michael, Face/Off, General's Daughter), but definitely not anymore...

Ghostface180

I liked Travolta in Pulp Fiction, Face/Off, and Broken Arrow. I am anxiously awaiting his new film, Basic, which I hear is very good.

However, the man is worth nowhere near $20 million in my opinion.

Sunday Morning

he demands so much because he is a scientologist and they give away something like half their money to them.

clemente

I've immensely enjoyed Face/Off and Broken Arrow, but take away John Woo, Nic Cage, and Christian Slater and the film falls off my radar.

I really enjoyed Swordfish, but without Hugh Jackman, it would have been another hammy Travolta flick.

The man had to be whack to believe he's worth that kind of green....wait, he's a scientoligist, he is whack!

Numanoid

"Scientology Rocks!" - Kelly Preston (Mrs. John Travolta) on a Barbara Walters Interview Special

ashforsure

Well, now we know he didn't just marry her for her looks, but she is also dumb.

Daytripper

I don't think he's even worth that. Personally, I think he's a mediocre actor at best that's just been very lucky. And has had only two or three decent movies in his entire career.

rfduncan

Isn't Tom Cruise as well... in any case, all those Scientology bucks were WELL spent producing Battlefield Earth.

MarcinL

I don't want to start a religion war, but I heard somewhere that the scientologist cannot wash and wear the same clothing over and over again, due to chemicals in detergents???

Whats up with that???

tha_dvd_man

He's been in a couple decent action flicks since Pulp Fiction, and I think Get Shorty is hilarious movie which Travolta gives a perfect performance in. That said, he's not exactly an actor I'd go to a movie just to see. No way is he worth 20 million.

drunkrob

I like John Travolta, especially in Saturday Night Fever but I can't say I've loved many of his movies. He's put in some good performances but nothing exceptional. Maybe he should get a small percentage of earnings. Then again maybe I'd prefer he got the money rather than the fat cats in the board rooms.

JimRochester

Maybe he's too busy with the Battlefield Earth II project. [Sarcasm]there's one we're all waiting for [/end of sarcasm]

cooper2000

I am sick of Travolta.
He's outlived his welcome.
Anyone that would bring Battlefield Earth to the screen has got to get his head checked.
There are plenty other actors out there with more talent.
Please quite making movies John and take your Scientology Buddies with you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

diesteldorf

Just saw this on Imdb.com

Travolta Says He Passed on 'Chicago'


John Travolta has expressed regret that he turned down the role of lawyer Billy Flynn in Chicago three times -- before the part was offered to Richard Gere . "My research was to go see the show," he told TV Guide Online, "and each time I saw the show, I thought, 'Well, how are they going to do this [as a movie]?' I couldn't figure it out." Travolta said that he might have taken the part if he had met with director Rob Marshall . "That's where I needed a director's vision, to say, 'No, no, no, don't worry about that. What we're going to do with this number is this, and it will move into this...' I heard Rob and the producers were so disappointed [I'd said no]. I said, 'But why didn't you ask for the meeting to explain the movie to me?'"

Thought it was interesting since apparently this has happened before:

According to Imdb:

Richard Gere practically owes his film career to Travolta. Travolta turned down the leads for
Days of Heaven (1978), American Gigolo (1980) and
Officer and a Gentleman, An (1982) , all of which went to Gere.

Personally, I think Gere did a good job in "Chicago".