Why Returning To Cannes With Daughter Ella Bleu Was So Emotional For John Travolta

The 2026 Cannes Film Festival was already a special moment for John Travolta because of the premiere of his directorial debut, "Propeller One-Way Night Coach." And Ella Bleu Travolta, John Travolta's daughter with his late wife, Kelly Preston, made the event even more special by attending with her famous father. The "Grease" star shared with People in May 2026 that this Cannes was significant because it mirrored his first time at the event. John went back in 1994, with Preston, to promote "Pulp Fiction," the film that revived his failing acting career and won the Palme D'Or that year. The actor's wife was by his side when he returned to Cannes over the last three decades too. 

Preston died in 2020, two years after being diagnosed with breast cancer, which notably made Cannes 2026 his first time going without her. "Jump to now, with Ella starring in 'Propeller One-Way Night Coach,' and my winning the Palme d'Or, there's this beautiful, glorified connection that's like the pillars between 'Pulp' that won and 'Propeller' — that's reflective of this win, that it makes this gorgeous framework," John proclaimed. He was awarded an honorary Palme d'Or, aka a lifetime achievement award, this year. Ella Bleu was keenly aware of how special the festival was to her family. As for the premiere, "It felt very calm, actually, and very just beautiful and very emotional."

Kelly Preston initially met John Travolta when the two worked together on the 1989 film "The Experts," but they didn't start dating until 1990 because she was still married to somebody else at the time. The happy couple wed in 1991 and subsequently welcomed three children; Jett, who tragically passed away at 16 following a seizure, Ella Bleu, and Benjamin Travolta. John and Preston's only daughter has followed in her famous parents' footsteps by collaborating with both of them throughout her fledgling acting career. 

Ella Bleu made her onscreen debut in 2009's "Old Dogs," which starred John and Preston as exes, with Ella Bleu as their daughter. A decade later, she worked with her dad again on "The Poison Rose." Then, in 2026, Ella Bleu starred in "Propeller One-Way Night Coach," which was both directed by John and based on his 1997 children's book of the same name. 

Ella Bleu became a double threat after embarking on a music career in 2022. She released her first EP in 2024, which included "Little Bird," a touching tribute to her late mom, Kelly Preston. In 2024, Ella Bleu confirmed to People that the "Saturday Night Fever" star really encouraged her to record and release music after she played clips of song ideas for him.