After more than four decades in Hollywood, John Travolta is still surprised when his work gets noticed.
The actor recently earned his first Emmy nomination for his revelatory performance as Robert Shapiro in “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story,” but Travolta didn’t see it coming.
“I did not assume at all [that I would be nominated] by the way, because I’ve been around too long,” Travolta told CNN in an interview on Wednesday. “I’ve been acknowledged over the years for various performances, but the big acknowledgements were “Saturday Night Fever,” “Pulp Fiction” and this.”
Travolta’s Emmy nomination is among 22 earned by the FX anthology series. His breakout performance in “Saturday Night Fever” earned him Oscar and Golden Globe nominations in 1977, but 17 years passed before Travolta earned major critical acclaim again as Vincent Vega in “Pulp Fiction.”
“I know how much time between major acknowledgements there can be,” Travolta said. “A — never take it for granted and B — be the most surprised by the outcome.”
As for doing more TV projects, Travolta said he wouldn’t hesitate to once again work with the producing team behind “American Crime Story” (Ryan Murphy, Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson). Their next series will focus on Hurricane Katrina and Travolta said he’d love to be a part of it.
“I feel the emotional stories and dramas that were happening are so significant and important to tell,” Travolta said. “It was the best of humanity, and it was the worst of humanity, and I think that will make a great limited series.”
Regardless of whether Travolta wins the Emmy, he said he’s satisfied.
“I’m just so happy that I’m still in the game.”
The 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air on ABC September 18.
