NEW YORK — John Travolta and Kelly Preston didn’t just receive the Gotti family’s blessing to make a biopic about the late, infamous crime boss, they also were fed well, in true Italian style.
“Victoria Gotti made us a gorgeous spread one afternoon. It was awesome,” recalled Travolta at the film’s premiere Thursday.
“We’ve had quite a few meals. Quite a few great Italian meals,” added Preston, who plays Gotti’s wife, Victoria. “Victoria cooked us dinner, an amazing dinner in the same house that she and John lived in for many years, and the family was in and out and we spent all day long together and it was wonderful and then we’ve had other meals together. We had a great meal just when we landed here four or five days ago after the whole family had seen the film and that was incredible because they loved it. That was thrilling.”
John Gotti, who died in prison in 2002, was head of the Gambino crime family and was convicted of murder and racketeering in 1992.
“Gotti,” which opened in the United States on Friday, has been in the works for years, with even Lindsay Lohan in the running to play the mobster’s daughter in an early iteration. Travolta says the end result is worth it.
The actor says one of the things viewers will take away from the film is how popular Gotti was.
“Unlike (John) Dillinger and (Al) Capone, Gotti was loved and I discovered why he was loved. He was actually like a local Robin Hood …” Travolta said.
– From news service reports
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