John Travolta Explains Why He’s Really Into Berets Lately

John Travolta went viral this month when he attended the 2026 Cannes Film Festival sporting a beret, and he loves the reaction his new look got.

Travolta was at Cannes for the premiere of his directorial debut, Propeller One-Way Night Coach, which premiered in a non-competitive section of the festival on May 15. The same day as the premiere, he also debuted his new beret-accented look at the premiere of the French psychological thriller Karma.

Speaking with CNN last week (May 18), he explained the look was inspired by what directors used to wear to premieres. “The old school directors wore berets and the glasses. And I thought, that’s what I’m doing,” he shared. “I’ve been around for over 50 years doing movies, but I can’t tell, when I look back, the difference between the events. And I said, ‘I’m a director this time. You’re an actor, play the part of a director. Look like an old school director.’”

He added that he “looked up pictures” of talented filmmakers throughout history for inspiration, clearly making the most of his opportunity to premiere his directorial debut at Cannes. He wore a total of three different berets at the festival: an ivory-colored one, a navy one, and a black beret during the photo call for Propeller One-Way Night Coach.

“I’m gonna do an homage to being a director,” he said. “So I’m gonna play the part of being a director and then when I look back, I’ll know, ‘Oh, that was Propeller One-Way Night Coach, that was Cannes, that was when I won the Palme d’Or.’ And I will have vividness of it.” At the festival, he was given a surprise Honorary Palme d’Or award.