What Travolta (like yours truly, a product of
Englewood, NJ) is talking about, in a sense, is his uncanny “ear” for how
people talk. While acting is the obvious vehicle for this talent, others of Irish
descent channeled that into writing instead: John
O’Hara, George V. Higgins, and James Joyce.
(The image accompanying this post shows Travolta in
the movie Primary Colors, in which he played Jack Clayton, a Presidential
candidate with a Southern accent and a smooth way with words—surely not like
anyone the American people have ever encountered, right?)
