The Big Break That Put Beret King John Travolta On The Map

Welcome to The Big Break, a column where The List staff looks back at how this week's headline-grabbing star made their claim to fame.

John Travola took this year's Cannes Film Festival by storm with his viral beret look that launched a thousand memes. At this stage in his Hollywood career, it's hard to think of him as a struggling actor, but Travolta's stunning transformation started decades before "Pulp Fiction" or even "Grease." "I grew up in a family of actors. I remember we always challenged ourselves to be different characters in different scenarios as kids," Travolta revealed to Youth Time Magazine in 2014. When he was just starting out, he landed a few guest stints on TV shows before finally getting his big break in 1975 as Vinnie Barbarino in "Welcome Back, Kotter." However, his growing success on Broadway almost caused him to miss the pivotal TV role.

Travolta may have a significant net worth now, but back then, he was just trying to pay the bills. Even though he was a shoo-in for Barbarino, he couldn't afford to wait for payday, so he seriously considered sticking with Broadway. Happily, the casting director thought Travolta was vital to "Welcome Back, Kotter" and arranged for him to have an interim gig.

From his audition onwards, Travolta was a natural. As Barbarino, he strutted his stuff in the classroom with dance moves that gave audiences a glimpse into his iconic role on "Saturday Night Fever." However, as his career exploded, Travolta eschewed diva behavior. "I got the memo pretty quickly that if you become big from a TV series, don't leave it, because your movie career might get hurt," Travolta informed Yahoo! Entertainment in 2019.

As Vinnie Barbarino, John Travolta was almost too convincing, at least for his mom's comfort. "My mother was an acting teacher, and she didn't want people to think that I had a New York accent or that I behaved in that less-than-ideal IQ way," Travolta recalled to Yahoo! Entertainment. Ironically, another actor having concerns about career-limiting roles opened the door for Travolta to land his starring role in "Grease." "Happy Days" star Henry Winkler was the top contender for Danny Zuko, but he felt the character was way too close to Fonzie. That left the role wide open for Travolta, who was uniquely qualified to take the job thanks to already playing another character in the "Grease" stage production.

Now that he's developed a lengthy resume as actor, Travolta wants to make sure he looks the part while taking on a new role behind the scenes.  In 2026, Travolta branched out into directing for the first time, adapting his 1997 book, "Propeller One-Way Night Coach," for the big screen. "I said, 'I'm a director this time. You're an actor, play the part of a director. Look like an old-school director,'" Travolta explained to CNN.

After doing some historic research, the veteran actor landed on his combo of beret and wire-framed eyewear. Just like his breakout success with Barbarino, Travolta created a massive stir. While not everyone was a fan, Travolta racked up plenty of praise for his bold choices. He not only made best-dressed lists, but Al Roker also emulated the actor's new look during their "Today" interview.