John Travolta plays an angel in “Michael,” but his funky cherub doesn’t exactly fit the heavenly stereotype. For starters, Michael has a hearty appetite for wine, women and song. Then there’s his grimy wings, which look like they could use a good dry cleaning.
“Those wings were really strange,” says the actor. “It took a couple of hours every day to put them on because they were kind of blended into my skin. There had these mechanisms that made them go up and down, but I got so used to them, it was like they were a part of my body.”
Leave it to Travolta to wear wings and still be foxy. Something about his part-choirboy, part-gigolo looks are perfect for the commander in chief of the celestial army.
“No one ever said angels couldn’t be sexy,” notes Travolta, 42. “They’re not saints, right? They’re on a mission from God to do good things. But that doesn’t mean they can’t indulge in the physical sensations of life.”
Michael’s greatest vice might his sweet tooth. When he’s first spotted coming down the stairs of a rundown Iowa motel, he’s sporting a paunch to rival Kris Kringle’s. “That’s no stunt belly,” says the one-time “Saturday Night Fever” disco deity, laughing. “I’d like to say I put the weight on for the part, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. I only lose weight for parts.”
In the Nora Ephron-directed comedy, which opens in theaters on Wednesday, Travolta’s Michael is discovered by a trio of disbelieving tabloid journalists (Andie MacDowell, William Hurt and Robert Pastorelli). It doesn’t take long for these die-hard cynics to realize that they’ve stumbled upon the real deal.
“When I first read the script in 1992, it was full of about six different things that I loved,” notes Ephron, best known for directing and co-writing (with her sister Delia) “Sleepless in Seattle,” the 1993 hit starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
“What got me the most in (former Philadelphia Daily News columnist) Pete Dexter’s screenplay was this idea of the cynic on one side and the believer on the other. It’s like a cousin to the idea of what ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ is about. And the moment in the script when Michael comes down the stairs, I thought, ‘I want to see this movie.’ “
Lately it seems as if Hollywood has been touched by angels. In addition to “Michael,” there’s “The Preacher’s Wife,” in which Denzel Washington plays a cherub, and such TV series as “Touched By An Angel,” “Promised Land” and “Early Edition.”
When Ephron was location scouting in rural Iowa, she was surprised to discover just how widespread the angel phenomenon was. “There would be these small towns of 300 people that had a handful of shops. They’d have a pharmacy, a saloon, a garage, a grocery store and an angel shop — the angel shop being the card shop, the book shop, the record shop. There was angel stuff everywhere.”
So, why has American gone crazy for all things angelic?
“I think angels have become the embodiment of fate, and love, and a need to believe that there is a God and that God cares about the details,” muses Ephron. “It’s remarkable when you read these angel books, the endless number of flat tires that angels fix. But I believe the whole trend comes from a real need to know that somebody cares.”
Travolta, who’s a follower of the controversial Scientology religion, isn’t “absolutely sure” angels exist. “I believe in God, but I don’t know much more than that.”
As for his own guardian angels, Travolta says, “Besides my parents, who always protected me, I’d have to say my first two managers were very special to me. They took responsibility for me and helped me survive in this business. I also like to think that I’m a guardian angel to my wife and my son. I’m always there for them.”
Asked if he shares any angelic traits with Michael, Travolta says he had a genuine desire for equity on the set. “I’m the looking-for-decent-behavior police. If somebody who’s powerful is being a jerk to somebody’s who not powerful, I’ll call him or her on that. That’s a quality I have that I’m proud of. I’m protective of other actors, directors, crew people. I’m the guy who’s going, ‘Is justice being served?’ “
Beyond that, Travolta says he shares Michael’s capacity for having a good time. “I’m not sure if that’s angelic or devilish, but I’m always looking for the laughs on the set — and it doesn’t have to be at anyone’s expense. I just like having fun.”
Ephron seconds that emotion. “John is just a joy bug,” she enthuses. “He has such a *^5***^4^3k,
