“He is the best mentor that I could ever ask for,” said Ella Bleu Travolta, speaking of her most recent experience working with her dear dad, veteran actor John Travolta. They filmed detective thriller The Poison Rose together, released in movie theaters on May 23, 2019. These days, Ella is all grown up, and if her latest performance is anything to go by, then she has well and truly committed herself to the “family business.”
It’s not the first time that Ella, 19, has starred alongside her world-famous dad on the big screen. Ten years previously, Ella appeared in her first movie, Old Dogs, with her father and also her mom, Kelly Preston. Her role is more prominent this second time around; it seems the formula works! “[The Poison Rose] is a film noir detective thriller where my dad plays a private investigator who goes back to his hometown in Galveston, Texas, to solve a missing persons case,” Ella explained in an interview with Extra. “I play the wife of a college football player who gets murdered,” she continued, “and I’m the prime suspect.”
John Travolta, Kelly Preston, and Ella Bleu at the premiere of "Old Dogs," 2009 ©Getty Images | Kevin Winter
Ella has acclimatized to living in a famous family over the years but has long shied away from social media. She already seems to be a pro in front of the cameras, however, and has had numerous chances to practice her interview skills since starting filming on The Poison Rose. Ella is not only the spitting image of her dad but she’s showing off credible acting chops, too; the world is interested!
John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Ella Bleu, and Benjamin at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018 ©Getty Images | LOIC VENANCE
Ella and her father have, of course, been attending some press and television interviews together, and that’s when viewers get the real scoop. On Jimmy Kimmel Live, in front of her comically defensive dad, Ella revealed how her well-meaning parent had one time truly mortified her in front of her celebrity crush. Speaking to guest host Lena Waithe, Ella shared a relatable story; evidently, fame doesn’t prevent parents from being thoroughly embarrassing!
“Taylor [Lautner, of Twilight fame] was coming over to the house,” Ella began, as reported by ET Online, “and I loved him. My friends and I were looking up pictures of him, just sort of, like, researching him.” Sounds innocent, no? “And then Taylor gets there, and his family as well,“ Ella continued, ”so I was researching about them too, just to learn.” Again, that sounds normal enough! But did Mr. Travolta keep his daughter’s curious, crush-motivated research under wraps on her behalf? No way, José! He told the Lautners exactly what his little girl had been up to.
John quickly defended himself, of course: “A father’s point of view is, you know, everybody loves Taylor Lautner,“ he jokingly groveled. ”Wouldn’t he be flattered that Ella’s looking him up?” To his credit, Taylor laughed it off, but the same can’t be said for poor Ella. “I was, like, [grimacing] with my face bright red probably,” she laughed. Still, father and daughter are clearly close, love working together, and adore one another to the moon and back.
Ella even recently lifted her self-imposed ban on social media and started an Instagram page; she garnered almost 50,000 followers in just a few days, posting a sweet, friendly welcome message as her first video. “I’m so excited to be able to share my journey with you guys and connect with you guys,” she said.
We can’t wait for updates and news of her next venture!
