The Truth About John Travolta And Sylvester Stallone's Friendship
With John Travolta and Sylvester Stallone both becoming household names in the 70s, the odds were in their favor when it came to striking up a friendship. After getting his start as a popular teen heartthrob in the hit TV series Welcome Back, Kotter, Travolta achieved superstar status with leading roles in box office smashes Saturday Night Fever and Grease. All the while, Stallone was rising to fame as the writer and star of the Academy Award-winning 1976 film Rocky.
With both Travolta and Stallone being at the height of their careers, Travolta found a way to get their names on a project together. The success of Travolta's disco hit Saturday Night Fever led to a 1983 sequel dubbed Staying Alive. Travolta shared how excited he was when he learned they secured Stallone as the film's director. "I had just seen Rocky III, and I said to my agent, 'This is a wild idea, but if I could get the kind of energy and excitement and pacing that Stallone brought to Rocky III, that's where I think this movie is going,'" Travolta told The New York Times. "A month went by... when my agent called me and said, 'You're not going to believe this, but Michael Eisner at Paramount wants to ask Stallone to direct Staying Alive." Even if the film turned out to be a bit of a flop, the bond the two actors made while working on the film followed them through the decades.
Sylvester Stallone was there in Travolta's time of need
Over three decades after working together on Staying Alive, Sylvester Stallone offered his support to John Travolta following the untimely passing of his wife Kelly Preston in July 2020. Preston was just 57 years old when she passed away from breast cancer. She and Travolta enjoyed nearly twenty years of marriage and shared three children together. Her passing came 11 years after they lost their son Jett Travolta at the age of 16.
After more than thirty years as friends, Stallone took to social media to offer his condolences upon hearing news of Preston's passing. "My heart felt sympathy goes out The wonderful Actress , Wife, and Mother , Kelly Preston , and my very long time friend John Travolta. RIP," Stallone captioned a throwback Instagram photo of Travolta and his wife. The post was not just a tribute to the late actress, but also a nod to the genuine friendship Stallone shares with Travolta.