John Travolta has explained the inspiration behind his appearance at the Cannes Film Festival, where he debuted a new look while promoting his directorial debut, Propeller One-Way Night Coach.

The 72-year-old actor attended the festival wearing round glasses and a series of berets, prompting discussion among fans and media during the event in France. Travolta later said the look was intentionally created to reflect the image of a traditional film director.

“I said, ‘I’m a director this time. You’re an actor, play the part of a director, look like an old-school director,’” Travolta told CNN in an interview.

The actor said he researched directors from previous decades before deciding on the style. “So I looked up pictures from the ’20, ’30s, ’40s, ’50, ’60s, and the old-school directors wore berets, and the glasses, and I thought, ‘That’s what I’m doing. I’m doing an homage to being a director, so I’m going to play the part of being a director,’” he said.

Travolta is attending Cannes to promote Propeller One-Way Night Coach, which stars his daughter Ella Bleu. The film marks his first time directing a feature project.

The Pulp Fiction and Saturday Night Fever actor also said the appearance would help him remember the occasion in future.

“I’ll know — ‘Oh, that was Propeller One-Way Night Coach, that was Cannes, that’s when I won the Palme d’Or,’ and I’ll have a vividness of it,” he explained.

During the festival, Cannes delegate Thierry Frémaux surprised Travolta with an honorary Palme d’Or ahead of the film’s premiere. Accepting the award, Travolta described the recognition as “beyond the Oscar”.