John Travolta has matured like a good wine, just like all legends. The 65-year-old gave James Corden a cheeky dance lesson to demonstrate that he still had the moves. In the first question of the episode, Corden questioned English power couple Aaron and Sam Taylor-Johnson about their Halloween costume transformations into Uma Thurman and John Travolta’s Pulp Fiction personas. Then Sam and Corden gushed about the beloved film, which includes a famous dance sequence starring Travolta and Thurman.
Then Corden requested Travolta to teach them how to dance. With appearances in Saturday Night Fever and Grease, Travolta commanded the dance floor in his prime and showed onlookers that he was still capable of shaking a tail feather. The other three learned various dance moves from Travolta, such as the mashed potato, the hip shaker, the twist, the swim, and, of course, the Batman. Even though the piece was so straightforward, Travolta’s charisma made it extremely entertaining to watch.
On December 5, 2019, an episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden was uploaded in which Travolta taught a dancing class. With 18.9 million views on Corden’s YouTube account, the sentimental video proved to be highly successful. Supporters expressed their delight at seeing Travolta back on the dance floor with remarks like “You never lose class, John Travolta,” and “John Travolta should be recognized as a national treasure.” I adore the guy; he’s charming, legendary, strong, and upbeat.
One of the most recognizable moments in all of cinema is the dance sequence between Travolta and Thurman from the Quentin Tarantino-directed film Pulp Fiction. In the movie, Travolta plays career criminal Vincent Vega, who is tasked with providing entertainment for Thurman’s character, Mia Wallace, the boss’s wife. When they get to the venue, Mia is determined to participate in the dance competition, so they start dancing to Chuck Berry’s “You Never Can Tell.” The original scene includes the maneuvers Travolta performs on Corden’s show.
Interesting details on Travolta’s contribution to the creation of the dancing scene in Pulp Fiction were disclosed in the Corden segment. “Quentin was dead set on both of us doing the twist, which is a very fun dance, but there’s a limit to how long one wants to watch someone doing the twist,” the leading man clarified.
“So I said to Quentin, there were novelty dances like the swim and the Batman when I was growing up,” Travolta added. “Perhaps we should broaden the spectrum on this,” I suggested. The director was persuaded by Travolta’s novelty dances, and the legendary dance scene was born.