Quentin Tarantino cast John Travolta in 'Pulp Fiction' because he wanted to "fix" his career after being left "so disappointed" with the actor's movies up to that point.
Travolta reportedly turned down 'An Officer and a Gentleman' and 'American Gigolo' in the 1980s in for several box office disasters.
He revealed Tarantino wanted him to star in the 1994 crime thriller because he was "disappointed" with the direction his career was going.
He said: "Tarantino asked to meet me and said, 'I'm so disappointed with what you've done with your career. I want to fix all that.' He had to fight with the studio but he only wanted me and I was so deeply touched."
Travolta earned an Oscar nomination for his starring role in the film and went on to receive a number of big movie offers, such as 'Face/Off' opposite Nicolas Cage.
Prior to that he appeared in 1977 hit US dance motion picture 'Saturday Night Fever', and the 58-year-old insists he never thought it would be a success.
He explained: "Disco dancing was on its way out and the clothing I wore, polyester this and that, was finished when we did the movie. I thought I was doing an art film, a slice of life about a small group of people obsessed with disco.
"I thought I had an interesting character but I didn't think it'd be a commercial hit."
While Travolta has gone on to have a glittering film career, he isn't about to start slowing down and already has two movies, 'Killing Season' and 'Gotti: In the Shadow of My Father', scheduled for release next year.
He added to The Scotsman: "The necessity to do well is high at this level. When the industry knows there's a great script and there's a big studio supporting it and the actors are all worth their keep, there is a pressure. You want to live up to a standard."
