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Travolta, who turned 44 last month, shows few signs of age save a bulkier frame than his lean disco-daddy build in the '70s. He's choosing a wider range of roles now, from a simpleton security guard in Mad City to a hotshot yuppie lawyer in the upcoming drama A Civil Action. After a spring break, he may appear with wife Kelly Preston in a military thriller, The General's Daughter. And there's a good chance he'll play Frank Sinatra in a Dean Martin biopic to be directed by Martin Scorsese.
Another priority is a film of Battlefield Earth, the sci-fi novel by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Travolta is a strong adherent of the controversial "belief system." His friends and relatives say it empowers him with almost fearless self-confidence. He believes it does even more. "I once got so feverish we had to stop production on Grease," remembers director Randal Kleiser. "John decided to cure me using Scientology, and put his finger over my body for an hour. The next day I made a full recovery. Of course, it could have also been that flu shot from the medic."
Spiritual Nirvana. A beautiful wife and five-year-old son. Twenty-million-dollar paydays. Four homes, three jets, cool cars. Not bad for a guy whose movies went straight to video less than seven years ago. The only thing that would give him more power might be, well, politics. Is the world ready for Candidate Travolta? "Only doing this movie did it ever dawn on me," he says. "I don't have a natural or innate desire to run, so it would be a job someone would have to force me into." We can see it now: Super Tuesday Night Fever.