WESTWOOD, Calif., June 4, 2001–The Monday night premiere of the cyberthriller Swordfish was, oddly, filled with tears.
They began the moment John Travolta and wife Kelly Preston drove up in the sleek, British TVR sports car he drives in the film–and owns in real life. They continued as he, along with co-stars Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman and Don Cheadle, made their way down the red carpet at the Mann Village Theatre. But they increased when he reached the halfway point of the press line.
That’s when the mob of fans lined up behind the barrier got their first up-close glimpse of the superstar. That’s when one tearful fan, who managed to cross the secured barrier, got Travolta to sign her eight-track copy of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. And to her astonishment, after she gave him praise and handed him a tape of a tribute song she’d written for him, he thanked her and gave her a hug in return, which sent her into hysterics. (Luckily, her party caught the moment on video.)
Fortunately for Travolta fans, Swordfish provides more adrenaline than emotion. A top-notch computer hacker (Jackman), hoping for a chance to reunite with his daughter, is hired by a spy (Travolta) and his mysterious associate (Berry) to crack into illegal government funds while being chased by a cyber-crimes agent (Cheadle). The film opens June 8.
