THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
Social media went crazy when Hollywood superstar John Travolta was spotted in East Anglia at the weekend.
The Hollywood legend is in the area shooting a movie based on a book by Frederick Forsyth that was inspired by RAF Lakenheath, the US Air Force Base in Suffolk.
On Sunday April 3, the star of Saturday Night Fever, Grease and Pulp Fiction among many more movie smashes posted an Instagram video of himself and his daughter Ella enjoying cream tea in a country hotel. Travolta said: "We're here in England having afternoon tea to celebrate [Ella's birthday] and I'm also here to shoot a short film called 'The Shepherd ' based on a book by Frederick Forsyth that I've always loved."
The 1975 novella, one of Forsyth's lesser known works, is the story of a pilot of an RAF de Havilland Vampire jet flying from Germany to RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk at Christmas time, 1957. After his airplane has an electrical failure he runs low on fuel and encounters heavy fog over the North Sea. In dire straits and losing hope, he encounters a de Havilland Mosquito fighter bomber which appears to have been sent to shepherd him safely home. The story explores what happens next, and how Travolta's character tries to discover the identify of the pilot who saved him.
The 68-year-old Travolta also spent some time exploring the area and was seen in a Morrisons supermarket in Norfolk and a Wetherspoon's pub in Dereham where he posed with amazed fans.
A USAF spokesperson said, "Though the 48th Fighter Wing was not stationed at RAF Lakenheath during the timeframe the book takes place, we hope the movie highlights the importance of the base and its critical role in NATO defence."
