Hairspray Q&A with John Travolta
I was, to be frank, a slut.
| 07 Nov 2007
Were you a big fan of Divine and did you ever think you'd be filling his/her shoes?
I never in a million years thought I would be starring in Hairspray, ever. Because if you think about my past, it's been 30 years of playing a macho leading man, so when I was offered it, I said, "Why me? What have I done to deserve that you think I should do this?" But their answer was "It's tradition. It's part of the gimmick of that movie and that role, for a man to play it."
How long did it take to put your body suit on, and Edna's face?
It took five hours every day. They start with the prosthetic that goes under your eyes and to the side of your face. Later they built some cleavage - that was glue, painting, all sorts of things. The suit was prepared so that you actually get into it; the breasts and buttocks were pre-formed. The legs right down to the feet were also synthetic. Some people thought they were mine, and I said. "I'm a big boy - but not that big!"
Did you ever go outside the film set in public, in the fat suit?
I didn't need to, because the crew was flirting with me so much. Every man and every woman wanted to feel those breasts and feel that ass - and I was, to be frank, a slut! I said, "Go ahead and feel me!" I didn't care, and I think I would be shameless as a woman. I learnt a lot about women. They have a lot of power, man! Everybody knew I was underneath that outfit, but they'd forget. I had crew guys come up to me going, "Hey! How you doin', Edna? Would you mind if I touched you there?" I had no back-off at all - it was worrying me!
How did you make yourself feel sexy - and did you feel sexy?
I did feel sexy. The women I liked when I was growing up were Sophia Loren, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, because they had these curvaceous figures, and they were erotic to me. One of my decisions was that I have to convince everyone that it really is a woman, and you can't do that by looking like Grandma. So if you imagined Elizabeth Taylor or Sophia Loren gaining 300 lbs, that's what I wanted to look like. So there's still a remnance of sexuality and sensuality to it, and I'd have the ability to move in a rhythmic and curvaceous way. If you're going to play a woman, you might as well play a woman that you liked, and someone sexy.
I never in a million years thought I would be starring in Hairspray, ever. Because if you think about my past, it's been 30 years of playing a macho leading man, so when I was offered it, I said, "Why me? What have I done to deserve that you think I should do this?" But their answer was "It's tradition. It's part of the gimmick of that movie and that role, for a man to play it."
How long did it take to put your body suit on, and Edna's face?
It took five hours every day. They start with the prosthetic that goes under your eyes and to the side of your face. Later they built some cleavage - that was glue, painting, all sorts of things. The suit was prepared so that you actually get into it; the breasts and buttocks were pre-formed. The legs right down to the feet were also synthetic. Some people thought they were mine, and I said. "I'm a big boy - but not that big!"
Did you ever go outside the film set in public, in the fat suit?
I didn't need to, because the crew was flirting with me so much. Every man and every woman wanted to feel those breasts and feel that ass - and I was, to be frank, a slut! I said, "Go ahead and feel me!" I didn't care, and I think I would be shameless as a woman. I learnt a lot about women. They have a lot of power, man! Everybody knew I was underneath that outfit, but they'd forget. I had crew guys come up to me going, "Hey! How you doin', Edna? Would you mind if I touched you there?" I had no back-off at all - it was worrying me!
How did you make yourself feel sexy - and did you feel sexy?
I did feel sexy. The women I liked when I was growing up were Sophia Loren, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, because they had these curvaceous figures, and they were erotic to me. One of my decisions was that I have to convince everyone that it really is a woman, and you can't do that by looking like Grandma. So if you imagined Elizabeth Taylor or Sophia Loren gaining 300 lbs, that's what I wanted to look like. So there's still a remnance of sexuality and sensuality to it, and I'd have the ability to move in a rhythmic and curvaceous way. If you're going to play a woman, you might as well play a woman that you liked, and someone sexy.