Hollywood icon John Travolta has revealed that he would relish the opportunity to make a movie in the UAE, describing Dubai as ‘the ultimate futuristic city.’
‘It’s a whole other universe here so if you needed to give that illusion in a movie, there’s nowhere else in the world that you would come,’ said the 59-year-old actor.
The Hollywood A-lister touched down in Dubai today (Monday September 9) and is in town to promote a partnership with Qantas. Appointed the airline’s international ‘Ambassador-at-Large’ in 2002, Travolta explained the relationship was forged from his love of aviation.
‘I’m an airline geek – I’ve been into airlines since I was five years old’, he admitted.
Speaking at The Palm’s Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Travolta also revealed that he was the inspiration behind this week’s visit.
‘It was my idea to come to Dubai,’ he told journalists. ‘I’ve been wanting to come here for many years – at least ten.’ The Saturday Night Fever icon is also a self-confessed architecture nut eager to tick off seeing the Burj Khalifa. Other plans for Travolta on his stopover include going ‘to the desert, to ride a camel.’
Ever the smooth talker, the Pulp Fiction star paid tribute to the emirate’s women, describing them as ‘very beautiful and exotic.’
Travolta has his own fleet of planes, along with 11 different jet ratings, including a qualification to pilot a Boeing 747. And he’s put his licences to good use, hosting a fair share of celebrity passengers.
‘I flew Marlon Brando from Mexico City to Los Angeles,’ he said. ‘I flew Mohammed Ali when I was very young. I flew Barbara Streisand and her husband on their honeymoon to the Caribbean.’
Famous for having a mansion with his own private runway, Travolta seemed keen to replicate the idea here, musing about building a new home in the UAE desert. A mansion with a runway, naturally.
‘That’s how I have it at my house in Florida,’ he added. ‘To go from one house to another with a runway would be awesome.’
