George - 1998
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Bill Clinton's Grand Seduction
By Josh Young
He could talk all he wanted about an eternity of "false" smiles: His power came from the exact opposite direction, from the authenticity of his appeal, from the stark ferocity of his hunger. There was very little artifice to him. He was truly needy. And now he truly needs me. - Anonymous, Primary Colors
John Travolta knows the power of seduction. Dressed in black suede shoes and a black Italian blazer woven through with shimmering strands of white silk, he saunters into the dining room of the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston. He pauses at a table of socialites to air-kiss a lady's hand, then walks with Saturday Night Fever cool past a couple of button-down businessmen. "How are you tonight?" he inquires, enunciating each word. He sits down, softly rejects a menu, and flashes the waiter a misty look. "You know what I'd really love -- if it doesn't offend the room?" he asks. "A cheeseburger." He adds hopefully, "And I might have a little of the beluga caviar to start."
Travolta asks questions of his interviewer: where he's from, how he met his wife, where he bought his camel's hair sports coat. Now he fixes his gaze as he starts to tell the story of how Bill Clinton cast his spell on the actor. It happened last April, during a break in the production of Primary Colors. In the upcoming movie, Travolta plays presidential candidate Jack Stanton, who closely (closer than horseshoes and dancing) resembles Clinton. Travolta had piloted his Gulfstream II from Los Angeles to Philadelphia for the volunteerism summit to present educational materials created by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. "I spoke to 5,000 people, including four presidents," Travolta relates. "The next day, I met with Clinton. He told me, 'Your program sounds great.'" As Travolta repeats Clinton's next line, his eyes glaze over: "'More that that' [the president said] 'I'd really love to help you with your issue over in Germany with Scientology.'" He was referring to the German government's alleged persecution of the church.
