John Travolta Cries as Cannes Surprises Him With Honorary Palme d’Or: ‘This Is Beyond the Oscar’

John Travolta got a major Cannes surprise ahead of the world premiere of his directorial debut “Propeller One-Way Night Coach” when the festival presented him with an honorary Palme d’Or, which is the Cannes equivalent of a lifetime achievement prize. Travolta was shocked and overwhelmed by the surprise honor, holding back tears while saying: “This is beyond the Oscar.”

“Surprise complétement!” an emotional Travolta exclaimed in French as the crowd erupted into rapturous applause. “I can’t believe this. This is the last thing I expected.”

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Turning to Cannes director Thierry Fremaux, Travolta added, “You said this would be a special night, but I didn’t know it would mean this.” Fremaux responded: “We knew!”

“This is a humbling moment, so thank you Thierry from the bottom of my heart,” Travolta continued. “When I met with you in November, I had no expectation that my film would be accepted. And when Thierry said it was not only accepted but it was making history because it would be the first film ever accepted that early, I cried like a baby because I just couldn’t believe it. Because in my opinion, you are the most discerning person in the movie industry. I was just happy to be here! I never expected this. Thank you so much.”

Travolta, who has been nominated for the best actor Oscar twice, attended Cannes this year to premiere “Propeller One-Way Night Coach,” his Apple-backed film based on his 1997 children’s book of the same name. The autobiographical family movie — which he called the “most personal film he’s ever done” — unfolds in the golden age of aviation as a young airplane enthusiast Jeff (Clark Shotwell) and his mother (Kelly Eviston-Quinnett) set off on a one-way, cross-country odyssey to Hollywood. The movie also stars Travolta’s daughter, Ella Bleu Travolta.

Following the screening of the hour-long film, Travolta strode back onstage for a conversation with Fremaux, where he discussed how his love of aviation was born in his childhood. Travolta said he cried when Fremaux told him he’d selected the film for Cannes five months ahead of the festival — even though Apple had already acquired the film.

“Why this film exists and actually why I exist as an artist is because of that group of people right there,” Travolta said, pointing to his family in the crowd. “My oldest sister, Ellen, was really this character, the lead in this film. But it’s really a mixture of my sister and my mother because they both influenced me so deeply, and they were responsible for all my hopes and dreams, and they watched me make them come true. So this is just a little taste of my origins and what it was like to be me when I was little. So I hope you enjoyed it. It means the world to me that you’re here.”

Cannes announced before the 2026 festival started that Peter Jackson and Barbra Streisand would be receiving honorary Palme d’Or statues on the opening and closing nights of the festival, respectively. But Cannes has gotten into a habit of giving out at least one surprise honorary Palme each year, with Denzel Washington getting awarded last year ahead of the world premiere of “Highest 2 Lowest.”

Travolta’s prior history with the Cannes Film Festival include screenings of “Pulp Fiction” (1994), “She’s So Lovely” (1997) and “Primary Colors” (1998). Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” won the Palme d’Or, while Travolta’s co-star Sean Penn was awarded the best actor prize for “She’s So Lovely.”

“Propeller One-Way Night Coach” starts streaming May 29 on Apple TV.