The American actor John Travolta is making headlines in Italy after his awkward performance at the Sanremo Festival. Travolta, known for his roles in “Grease” and “Pulp Fiction,” was pushed to perform the “little birds dance” during the festival and was visibly uncomfortable. He refused to give permission for the images to be used in the future.
Travolta, one of the international stars invited to the gala, danced with presenter Amadeus and performed some of the songs that made him an icon. However, the gala took a surprising turn when comedian Fiorello encouraged him to do the “little bird dance.” Despite rehearsing it on camera, when the music started, several girls dressed as chickens appeared and tried to put a duck-bill-shaped hat on his head, to which he refused.
The images of the incident have spread on social media, with some users calling it “humiliating.” There has also been controversy over Travolta’s alleged covert advertising, with a consumer association requesting an investigation into whether the RAI advertised the sneakers he was wearing on camera.
The presenter and director of Sanremo, Amadeus, stated that Travolta “knew everything that would happen” and received only a “low reimbursement of expenses” for his presence at the gala. Despite the controversy, the gala attracted over 10.3 million viewers in front of the television and reached 60.1% of viewers.