John Travolta is ready to introduce his daughter, Ella Bleu, to the world as a movie star. The actor and first-time director, 72, premiered his new film at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival alongside Ella, 26, who stars in the picture. The premiere marked a significant moment for both of them, as Cannes surprised Travolta with an honorary Palme d’Or, the festival’s highest honor, following its world premiere on Friday, May 15.Speaking with PEOPLE in Cannes on Sunday, Travolta talked about killing off his daughter and what he hopes the film will mean for his career.
John Travolta Ella Bleu in “Propeller One-Way Night Coach”.
In the film, Ella plays a flight attendant named Doris, who forms a memorable bond with the film’s main character, a young boy named Jeff, played by Clark Shotwell, on a cross-country flight. Travolta told the outlet that landing the role of Ella was “just kismet” in the end.“Doris is the one the little boy falls in love with. I said, ‘Ella is so much more suited to that magical connection that this little boy feels,'” she said. “It was great how everything worked. And Ella has screen presence Audrey Hepburn or I thought Grace Kelly, this is what we need for the part of Doris, because this boy fell in love.He added: “The little boy fell in love with Ella, so there was no acting at all. And it also gave me the opportunity to present Ella in the light that I wanted the world to see her in, because I wanted A Star Is Born to be, and it really was. It’s really evident now. People agree with me in this movie with Ella.”
About ‘Propeller One-Way Night Coach’ and John Travolta’s directorial debut
‘Propeller One-Way Night Coach’ marked Travolta’s directorial debut. The film is adapted from a book he published in 1997 and is inspired by his love of aviation. In addition to acting and filmmaking, Travolta is a trained pilot.Ella Bleu made her screen debut in 2009 in her father’s film Old Dogs and also appeared in the 2019 film The Poison Rose. The movie is streaming.
Ella Bleu working with her father
Ella told the publication that the father-daughter dynamic does not interfere with their professional relationship on set. “I think we both put our professional hats on,” he said. “It’s not, ‘Oh, Dad, I don’t want to do that.'” That is, ‘Okay, what do you think, how did that go?’ and ‘Oh, try this or try that.’ And then I would try something, and then it would be very honest, and I would be very honest. So it was very collaborative. Nothing unnecessary was added or removed. It was very natural.”Travolta echoed the sentiment, noting that previous collaborations made things easier. “We had worked together twice before, once in ‘Old Dogs’ with Robin Williams, and then in ‘The Poison Rose.’ So we were very familiar with being professionals together,” he said.The film premiered at Cannes 2026 and is now live on Apple TV.
