Travolta Is Dancing Again ... In Drag

Jess Cagle Talks To The "Hairspray" Star About Movies, Music And The Fat Suit

(CBS)  John Travolta had his biggest film success with the musical "Grease," and now, at long last, he's back with another one — a movie version of the Broadway hit, "Hairspray."

This time, however, he plays a woman.

The Early Show's Jess Cagle talked with Travolta about the new movie and why he loves musicals.

"Musicals don't have any forgiveness to them. They have to be done expertly, otherwise people don't buy them," Travolta said. "I came off the most successful musical in history, and even though it took 30 years to decide to do another one, I didn't want to ruin that ... cache."

In 1978, Travolta teamed up with Olivia Newton-John for the film classic "Grease," which has since gone on to make close to $400 million worldwide and worked its way into the hearts of generations of fans, including Travolta.

"I fell in love with it because of all of the things that I identified with," Travolta said. "As a school life, as the different groups that form, the tough people and the kind of sweeter people, and the mixing of that, and the music, and the distinctive look, and the colors, and all that, of course, indescribable essence of an era, that only a movie can depict."

And what is the star's favorite musical number from "Grease"?

"I think that if I put them in order it would be, 'You're the One That I Want,' 'Summer Nights,' 'Sandy,' 'Greased Lightening,' or something like that," he said. "Those would be the four favorite of mine."

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In part two of Cagle's interview, Travolta talks, among other things, about how he related to Michelle Pfeiffer -- while dressed as a woman! Pfeiffer adds her thoughts, as well. To see part two, click here.

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Earlier that year, Travolta picked up his first Academy Award nomination for playing weekend dance king Tony Manero in "Saturday Night Fever."

"The solo from 'Saturday Night Fever,' I love, because I worked on it for nine months and perfected it," Travolta said. "And then, I can even remember that it was being cut in the final version in a closeup, and I had a fit. I even cried at the premiere, or not at the premiere, the first showing."

"To me, that was the icing on the cake, that solo. It was the set piece, it was the heartthrob of that movie."

Travolta is once again dancing on the big screen, playing the 300-pound Baltimore housewife Edna Turnblad, in the new big-screen version of the hit Broadway musical "Hairspray."

It's safe to say that, while Travolta has done a lot of dancing, he had never done it in a fat suit and heels.

"The heels were difficult. But, you know, there's a lot of energy in dressing in those layers," Travolta said. "And in 1962, I certainly observed my mother wearing layer after layer, and it was always exhausting for her."

The role of Edna has a long history of being played by men in drag, but Travolta did not want to play it just for laughs. He wanted Edna to be a real woman. His transformation was remarkable — and had a strange effect on the crew.

"I was flirted with quite a bit," he said. "And, of course, I was inappropriate back. I didn't seem to mind. I offered myself up quite easily. And I thought, 'Well, gee, would I have been a slut or what would I have been if I were a woman?' I scared myself a little bit there. But, because it wasn't really me, it was easy to allow these people to touch me."

And, how did Travolta's real-life family like the costume?

"They loved it, especially my daughter Ella," he said. "She's seven. She fell in love with Edna. But ... when I was half dressed, there was a flap from a prosthetic, and we nicknamed that mid-character, Flapper. And she didn't like Flapper, but she liked Edna."

[jacksteen1]

Nice that Vinne Barbarino didn't mention - for once - that he was a true Thetan and scientology "church" member.

This bufoon has NOT grown any brains since "Welcome Back Kotter."

Lose the highlights in the hair, Vinne. You're over fifty years old now.