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'From Paris with Love' sees John Travolta get his Irish up with Jonathan Rhys Meyers


Published Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 11:46 PM
Updated Wednesday, February 3, 2010, 12:03 PM

 

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John Burke Travolta, 55, does not often talk about his Irish side but sitting alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers brought out the Celt in him.

His mother was in fact Irish American and his house, he says, had a distinctly Irish vibe.

“I’m half Irish. My mother’s people came from Kenmare in Co. Kerry and I’ve been down there to research where they lived. We’re related to Burkes and Murphys on her side, and I researched all the connections that there were,” Travolta revealed.

“It’s a beautiful country, just gorgeous and I’ve said many times I would love to make a movie there. You know, all it would take is the right script. I would love it. It would be great.”

His mother it turns out was an Irish American dance instructor called Helen Burke and he grew up in an Irish neighborhood in Englewood, New Jersey.

He is known for his edgy characters on screen - Think of his turn as misguided hood Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction, or as Baltimore bombshell Edna Turnblad in Hairspray.

But even by those standards, Travolta’s new role in From Paris With Love as badass trigger-happy Charlie Wax is a new direction.

Wax is a shoot ‘em up superhero who is seemingly impervious to bullets himself.  He’s also a comic book anti-hero who he turns ordinary people’s lives upside down to show them everything they’ve been missing.

“I’ve never done this much action in a movie ever,” Travolta told the Irish Voice during an interview last weekend. “This was the most running and jumping and fighting and flipping role I’ve ever played.

“I told them I’m old guy now but they didn’t listen, thank goodness, because I ended up doing my own stunts. I’m surprised the body is still able to do it.”

For Rhys Meyers, who’s 33 and in terrific shape, stunts weren’t the problem. It turns out the Irish actor suffers from vertigo.

“I don’t like heights, and of course I had to go up these endless flights of stairs and look down and I’m not height guy. That was an issue.”

Onscreen in this nonstop action extravaganza, it turns out that Travolta and Rhys Meyers have natural chemistry, playing their respective roles with so much conviction you can tell they hit it off behind the scenes too.

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4 Comments

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Posted by pat52rk on Feb 04, 2010, 12:48 PM EST
So Travolta is jumping on the Irish band wagen now, who's going to be next ,robert de niro ?
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Posted by bets731 on Feb 04, 2010, 01:39 AM EST
Haven't seen it yet but am very anxious to.
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Posted by Madeleine on Feb 03, 2010, 03:27 PM EST
I love Travolta, I lived in the place he made saturday night fever in, Bensonhurst, I danced in the club he danced in, I am a big fan of his and it amazes me how gracefully he has aged and gone into different roles that seem to be just made for him. I'm looking forward to seeing this movie. I like Jonahton Reese Meyers too.
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Posted by catarerina on Feb 03, 2010, 12:01 PM EST
I think both John and Ryan are fantastic actors. Great idea pairing them up. Sort of reminds me of the odd couple, lol. But that sort of pairing has worked in a lot of films. Hope its a box office hit.
 


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