John Travolta just broke down all the details on his night dancing with Princess Diana.
The new documentary In Their Own Words: Diana, Princess of Wales premieres today on PBS, and it features a segment with Travolta revisiting the famous dance at the White House. Here's how he remembered the iconic moment.
John Travolta on the real story of dancing with Princess Diana
The year was 1985, and the Princess of Wales was in the US on a royal visit during Ronald Reagan's presidency. She attended a dinner at the White House, and Travolta was also invited.
Travolta said he "went with a very humble attitude" to the White House since he "was an extra in a room of very important people," according to a People preview of the new film.
The now 67-year-old then revealed that First Lady Nancy Reagan was the mastermind behind the dance. He explained:
"About 10 o'clock at night, Nancy Reagan tapped on my shoulder and said, 'The princess, her fantasy is to dance with you. Would you like to dance with her tonight?' And I said, 'Well of course.'"
Moment Travolta asked Diana to dance at the White House
Right on cue, Reagan escorted Travolta to meet Diana at midnight. Here's how the actor described the moment:
"My heart starts to race, you know, and I tap her on the shoulder and she turns around and looks at me, and she had that kind of bashful dip [of her chin] that she did, and she looked up at me, and I said, 'Would you care to dance with me?'"
Travolta added that "the whole room cleared" and they "danced for what felt like 15 minutes" — to music from his film Saturday Night Fever. The moment became a sensation, and Diana's gown from the night earned the nickname: the "Travolta Dress."
In another interview earlier this year, Travolta also described the dance as "a magical moment" and "one of the highlights" of his life.
PBS's In Their Own Words: Diana, Princess of Wales premieres on Aug. 8.
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