Imagine walking down the streets of a sleepy beachside town along the Gulf Coast and bumping into superstar John Travolta. That’s what many locals in the town of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, have encountered this April, as a new film called “That’s Amoré” has brought well-known stars to the area to shoot an upcoming musical romantic comedy.
Shooting began in Ocean Springs on April 6, moved on to Biloxi, is traveling to Gulfport, and will return to Ocean Springs at the end of this month.
Seeing an A-lister on the streets of Los Angeles barely garners a reaction, and in New Orleans, locals have become fairly accustomed to seeing the famous walk among them. But, in Ocean Springs, a celebrity of Travolta’s magnitude has people perched on fences just to get a glimpse of the Hollywood icon.
“Here, people are so excited to lay eyes on John Travolta that they have used AI to place him at their businesses all over town,” said Cynthia Sutton, president and CEO of the Ocean Springs Chamber Main Street Tourism Bureau. “The locals are just thrilled, not to mention the tourists passing through. As an agency, we help share the casting information with the residents of Ocean Springs when it’s available for extras, and I’ve heard that some of our local folks have signed on for that. So, it’s exciting for the whole community!”
Apart from Travolta, who plays a lifelong bachelor, his romantic interest is played by Katherine Heigl, a woman whose secret has kept her from opening her heart to any new loves. Although many remember Heigl from “Grey’s Anatomy” or her many rom-coms, most may not realize she can sing. In 2014’s “Jackie & Ryan,” she played a former country singer and performed all her own vocals. In the more popular “27 Dresses,” people may recall her rowdy rendition of Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets” in the bar scene alongside prolific actor James Marsden, (currently starring along with Jon Hamm in “Friends and Neighbors”).
Nick Vallelonga, a two-time Oscar winner for “Green Book” when it won Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay in 2019, is the “That’s Amore” director. He always had Travolta in mind to play the never-married Nick, whose world changes when he meets Patty (Heigl).
Musicals are a no-brainer for Travolta, who’s starred in everything from “Grease” to “Hairspray” to “Saturday Night Fever,” so breaking into song is not something outside of his wheelhouse. But Vallelonga wanted to try something different with this musical and says that they’re not going to spontaneously break into big production numbers. They have recorded about seven songs so far with a full orchestra, so the songs will be more organic.
The cast is rounded out by Academy Award Winner Christopher Walken, whose Oscar is for the very serious “Deerhunter,” but as a versatile actor, he’s done his fair share of hoofing it in song and dance productions. Anyone who has seen his tap dance number on a table, in “Pennies from Heaven” knows how talented he is.