John Travolta, Golden Globe Award actor and singer, plays the role of a woman in the upcoming movie Hairspray, a American musical film produced by Zadan/ Meron Productions and distributed by New Line Cinema.
Though it is a supporting role, we can say that it is a very different and a good role. The teenage prince of disco in Saturday Night Fever, the leader of the high school gang in Grease and the mob hit man in Pulp Fiction is now the mother of a teenage dancer in Hairspray.
Hairspray is the film adaptation of the Broadway hit musical “Hairspray”, which was based on John Waters’s 1988 comedy film of the same name. The New Line’s Broadway hit musical which debuted in 2002 won eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book and Best Director.
John Travolta wanted to do a musical for a long time and had turned down a few such offers before accepting the role in of Edna Turnblad in Hairspray. He was reminded of his mother’s time as he wore the women’s costumes and high heels. The actor even feels that wearing a fat suit, dress and high heels helped him to shed his weight substantially.
The original movie by John Waters had actor Harvey Fierstein portraying the role of Edna Turnblad. Singer-actress Queen Latifah plays the role of Motormouth Maybelle.
The movie revolves around the story of a pleasantly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad as she pursues her dream of landing a spot on a local TV show in Baltimore during the early 1960s. Hairspray has newcomer Nikki Blonsky playing the role of Tracy. The movie is slated for release on July 20, 2007.
Travolta was last seen in Wild Hogs where he played the role of Woody Stevens.
