Oprah And Steven Spielberg Gave John Travolta The Go-Ahead For 'American Crime Story'

If only we could all get such high-caliber advice.
John Travolta at a New York screening of "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" in March.
John Travolta at a New York screening of "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" in March.
Mike Coppola via Getty Images

Before John Travolta transformed into Robert Shapiro for “American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson,” he had to get the go-ahead from his trusted group of Hollywood heavyweights.

In a new interview with GQ, the actor revealed that he contemplated taking the role in the FX series for months. It wasn’t until “four of the top people” gave their blessings that he decided he should go for it.

But who, exactly, were those four people?

“It was Spielberg. It was Oprah. It was Rita Hanks and Tom Hanks. And it was [former Disney CEO] Michael Eisner,” Travolta said. (Note: This obviously amounts to five people, but perhaps the actor sees the Hankses as one entity.)

Talk about a power squad.

The actor added: “They all thought it was completely the right move.” And they were right ― the role garnered Travolta an Emmy nomination and the series became a critical success.

Maybe Travolta should consult with those “top people” for every life decision from now on.

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