STARTING OVER at 70

AFTER A ROUGH FEW YEARS, THE BELOVED ACTOR IS GETTING HIS GROOVE BACK.

HE’S still got it. In a new holiday campaign for Capital One, John Travolta — dressed as Santa Claus — channels his iconic Saturday Night Fever character, Tony Manero, strutting his stuff on the street before breaking out his signature moves on a light-up dance floor. “Doing the ad was so fun for John,” says an insider. “He has a great sense of humor and likes to poke fun at himself. He loves that people are getting a kick out of it.”

As John’s 70th birthday approaches in mid-February, the source tells Star the beloved actor has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. “John has lots of things he wants to do, and places he wants to fly to on one of his planes and explore,” says the insider of the avid pilot. “He loves to keep learning.” The big birthday comes after a devastating period for the star. He’s still grieving the 2020 death from breast cancer of his wife of 28 years, Kelly Preston, at age 57, and the 2009 loss of their 16-year-old son, Jett, but he’s feeling ready for a recharge. “Turning 70 is a milestone he’s looking forward to,” says the source. “Despite losing Kelly and Jett, John still has a zest for life.”

HEALING JOURNEY

The Pulp Fiction star was heartbroken when Kelly died, and his recovery has been slow. In 2021, John opened up about his healing process. “I learned that mourning someone, dealing with grief is something very personal,” he told Esquire Spain, adding that he’d become overwhelmed by the grief surrounding him at the time. “Many people approached me, and then I felt [so] saturated with everyone’s sadness that I didn’t know what to do.”