INTERROGATION: Look who's talking

Do you enjoy being a celebrity? John Travolta: Yes, I do. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I appreciate what I get in return for the celebrity status, like doors opening and four-star restaurants that are closed serving you what you want to eat at 4am. The perks are amazing.

Talking of food, you've really slimmed down.

JT: I'm not a big fan of hard stuff like dieting and getting in shape, but I knew I had to do it for my kids. I started to think maybe it might be better for me to behave a little bit, so I can stick around longer.

What's your dieting secret?

JT: If I eat something fattening, I recognise how many calories are in it and then I work them off. If I've eaten 600 calories too many, then I work out an extra half hour on the treadmill with my trainer.

How hard is a disciplined regime like that?

JT: There are two areas where you can't stop people misbehaving: eating and sex. Seriously, if you want to hurt me, just take away food or sex. I need them to survive. I will never stop eating what I want and because of that, I know I have to exercise. It's not fun, but you have to do it and I've lost nearly two stone in the last year.

Does your wife, actress Kelly Preston, find your new body more attractive?

JT: If you're attracted to the person's personality, you love them regardless of how their shape and size changes. That's the key. And Kelly and I have never made sex an issue. It's always been natural and organic for us. The longer you are with your partner, the easier I think it is to explore sex and intimacy - it has nothing to do with how the other one looks at a particular time. If you break up because of an unhappy sex life, then it was really about something else.

Are you still romantic with Kelly after 11 years of marriage?

JT: When I first met her, she liked flowers but I didn't pick up on it. One day she started crying and said, 'Flowers are really important to me.' Now she gets flowers all the time.

Tell us about your children...

JT: Despite only being three, my daughter Ella is the most amazing little girl - she has the personality of an engaging 15-year-old. She will talk in-depth about anything you want and is really funny. I just can't get enough of her. My son, Jett, who turns 11 today, is a wonderful boy too.

What kind of dad are you?

JT: Pretty lenient. Unless my children are in danger, I don't interfere with what they want to do. I also make them and Kelly a priority. I'd rather be late for a meeting than cut short a conversation with one of them.

What's your most vivid memory from Saturday Night Fever?

JT: I think the day I did the bridge scene, where (dancing partner) Stephanie asks about my future and I kind of inadvertently start to cry. And the solo scene of dancing, which was such a kind of freak of nature that day. We put the cameras in the right place and I let loose - I had a whole prepared dance. No one expected what I did - the people in the club watching had never seen anything like it.

Do you feel responsible for reviving disco?

JT: It was going out of style at the time, fading away. We rekindled it somehow and made it mainstream.

Do you still like a bit of a boogie?

JT: Oh yeah. I always feel it's brave of people to ask me to show them a few steps because I'm associated with it, so I always do if they dare. I show people those locking steps where I move my arms, and people get so excited. I still like to sing too. The actress Connie Nielsen likes classic tunes, so one day on the set of my latest film Basic one day, Harry Connick Jr and I serenaded her with Spring Is Here.

Do you think you'd ever want to do a musical again?

JT: Yes, I would like to, but Hollywood has a tendency to give up on westerns and musicals quickly. I've been waiting 25 years to do another one... I know a studio has been talking about Guys And Dolls recently. They talked about Grease 3, but I have no idea what that would be like. Little kids think Grease was made yesterday, so why bother with a sequel?

What first inspired your joy of performing?

JT: It was the film Yankee Doodle Dandy, starring James Cagney. I think I've inherited the joy of performing. You can't kill it in me. I'm just a ham, I have been from the time I was 12, or eight even. They say, 'Action' and it's like, 'Gentlemen, start your engines!' That's what it's like - click, and you're off and running. A friend of my dad's recently gave me his high school yearbook, and the caption under Dad's picture said, 'I crave action!' We're the same.

Has the threat of terrorism and the war affected your love of flying?

JT: The pleasure of flying can never change for me. It's always there. The sad thing is the level that recent events have hurt the airline industry. I've always looked at the industry as a heartbeat for the planet. So I've joined Qantas, to inspire air travel again. And I flew around the world last year as a 707 pilot. I even learned how to fly a 747. My joy hasn't gone, I just feel bad for the flying scene.

JOHN'S REALITY CHECK

Is Mr T down with the facts, or are his ideas of real life more Pulp Fiction?

Do you ever wear your sunglasses inside?

Only if I forget to take them off on a sunny day.

Do you ever fly economy?

No. Because I'm a pilot, I tend to fly my own plane.

Do you ever refuse to sign autographs?

I try not to. I've been up and I've been down, and I owe a great deal to the fans who've stayed by my side.

Have you ever said, 'Don't you know who I am'?

No, my parents taught my siblings and I not to be full of ourselves, so that's just not something that would come to my mind.

Do you do your own housework?

It's not my favourite thing, but I will help the kids put away their toys and other house stuff. It's not a big deal.

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