With the release of the new military mystery thriller “Basic,” John Travolta makes a return to the big screen once again. He has brought various characters to life throughout the past thirty or so years, but what about the man behind those characters?

In a stereotypical world, actors are untouchables who have been elevated to a plane the rest of the world simply cannot reach.

However, when nine other reporters and myself sat down with Travolta for a session concerning his new movie, he proved to be a genuine person who had no flamboyant tendencies, as we so often hear of celebrities.

He’s also not a shy man when it comes to topics that normally cause controversy. When questioned about scientology and its impact on his acting, he replied without missing a beat.

“I feel that I’m a better actor because of scientology. Life is filled with stresses, problems and issues, and it helps you sort it all out so you’re free to create. You have more available creativity to think clearly and to approach your parts and your subject matter with levity that you might not if you’re burdened with those stresses,” he said.

As most actors, Travolta too has something that brings him clarity. He also, as most actors do, has a set of ideals and motivations that propel him to continue to be dedicated to his craft, and for him that is inspiration and conveyance.

“There’s a blanket inspiration that I feel about work. I like to inspire others by inspiring myself, and hoping I create an effect on you that will be thought-provoking, or at a minimum, make you happy that you (have) seen it, or inspire you to do something you’ve never done before. There’s the blanket, generic feeling of being an artist.

Then there are the subplots of what you do with each project: What’s the message with each other character? What’s the message of your communication with the other characters?”

Once the inner workings of the actor were revealed, the roundtable turned to a discussion of Travolta’s new movie, “Basic,” and the stories behind the making of the film.

“What was the attraction for doing this project, and how much had it do with the fact that the script sort of played against the audience’s pre-conceived notions of ‘It’s John Travolta, it’s a movie, it’s set in the military, it’s corruption’?” asked Brian McCoy of Stockton’s The Record.

Travolta replied simply with, “I think that was all the attraction. I love that you thought it was one thing, and then every so often you were reminded it’s not. In order to surprise someone, you have to set it up as something that’s standard fare. I even think ‘Pulp Fiction’ was that way in a way. You thought you were seeing one thing, and then bam, it was something new.”

The subject of training also came up, as Travolta’s character is an ex-ranger in this film, and required him to train with the 75th Rangers in preparation for his role.

“It was awesome,” Travolta said earnestly. “These guys were so generous in their time with me. They spent time being patient and explaining everything. I even put grenades in bunkers, and ran around and crawled around with guns.”

Travolta expressed his indebted feelings to the rangers who took time out to help him research his role, and even grew attached to them, feeling a sense of worry and loss for them with the impending war.

“I felt I had to earn the ranger tattoo in order to feel like had some touch with the military, the rangers in particular. So it was worth that experience for that one moment (in the movie).”

Travolta will be returning to the screen sometime in the future as a fireman in a new movie, “Ladder 49,” in which he takes a backseat as a supporting actor to Joaquin Phoenix.

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