John Travolta is ready to introduce his daughter, Ella Bleu, to the world as a movie star. The actor and first-time director, 72, premiered his new film ‘Propeller One-Way Night Coach’ at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival earlier this month alongside Ella, 26, who plays a key role in the picture. The premiere marked a significant moment for both, with Cannes surprising Travolta with an honorary Palme d’Or, the festival’s highest honour, following the world premiere on Friday, May 15.Speaking with PEOPLE in Cannes on Sunday, Travolta opened up about casting his daughter and what he hopes the film will mean for her career.
John Travolta on casting Ella Bleu in ‘Propeller One-Way Night Coach.’
In the film, Ella plays a flight attendant named Doris, who forms a memorable connection with the movie’s lead character, a young boy named Jeff, played by Clark Shotwell, during a cross-country flight. Travolta told the outlet that casting Ella in the role was ultimately “just kismet.”“Doris is the one that the little boy falls in love with. I said, ‘Ella’s much more suited for that magical connection that this little boy feels,'” he said. “It was serendipitous that all worked out the way it did. And Ella has this screen presence of Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly that I thought, this is what we need for the Doris part because this little boy, he did, he fell in love.”He added, “The little boy fell in love with Ella, so there was no acting going on at all. And it gave me a chance also to introduce Ella in the light that I wanted the world to see her because I wanted it to be A Star Is Born, and it really was. It’s really evident now. People agree with me on Ella in this movie.”
About ‘Propeller One-Way Night Coach’ and John Travolta’s directing debut
‘Propeller One-Way Night Coach’ marks Travolta’s debut as a film director. The movie is adapted from a book he published in 1997 and is inspired by his lifelong love for aviation. In addition to acting and filmmaking, Travolta is a trained pilot.Ella Bleu made her onscreen debut in 2009 in her father’s film ‘Old Dogs’ and also appeared alongside him in 2019’s ‘The Poison Rose’. The film is currently streaming.
Ella Bleu on working with her father
Ella told the publication that the father-daughter dynamic does not get in the way of their professional relationship on set. “I think we both put our professional hats on,” she said. “It’s not like, ‘Oh, Dad, I don’t want to do that.’ It’s like, ‘Okay, what do you think, how was that?’ and ‘Oh, try this or try that.’ And then I would try something, and then he would be super honest, and I would be very honest. So it was very collaborative. There wasn’t anything added or anything taken away that wasn’t necessary. It was just very natural.”Travolta echoed the sentiment, noting that their prior collaborations made things easier. “We had worked together two times before, once in ‘Old Dogs’ with Robin Williams, and then ‘The Poison Rose.’ So we were very familiar with being professionals together,” he said.The film premiered at Cannes 2026 and is now streaming on Apple TV.
