Star gives rare glimpse inside lavish life

He was the biggest name of the 1970s, starring in a slew of the most iconic films of all time and picking up a net worth of $US170 million along the way.

But John Travolta, 65, is considered among the most down-to-earth, humble celebrities in Hollywood, this despite being the central star of movies like Grease, Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction.

During his quick visit to Australia this week, Travolta stopped by Foxtel’s unveiling of its expanded movie library in Sydney, where he gave guests an insight into his lavish lifestyle.

The actor, who is also a qualified pilot and has a runway and six aircraft on his personal property in Florida, said being a star was “just wonderful”.

“Hi-diddle-dee-dee, an actor’ life for me,” he joked.

“You pay the price in various ways. You have no privacy … But at the same time you have a golden ticket around the world.

“You experience the finest things in life.

“So I will not be a liar and tell you it’s tricky, it’s just wonderful.”

As far as what his most cherished film is, Travolta, who is being honoured by Foxtel with his own pop-up movie channel this weekend, revealed why Grease held a special place in his heart.

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“The truth is, with so many movies it’s very hard to choose your favourite,” he said.

“But if I had to put one in a capsule, it would be Grease. It’s lasted so many years.

“It’s given me one of the most special friends I’ve ever had in Olivia Newton-John. And just because of the history.

“If it’s led to this, it will lead to the future generations. So I have to pick Grease.”

Their memorabilia has turned out to be equally iconic as the movie-musical, with Newton-John’s famous leather jacket and satin pants she wore in the film selling for more than $US400,000 ($A580,000) at the weekend.

But did Travolta keep anything?

“No, I gave it all away,” he admitted.