"A Love Song for Bobby Long" is one of those terrific indie films that quietly enters theaters during the Oscar/awards nomination season without much fanfare. In need of a few nominations in order to attract an audience, "A Love Song for Bobby Long" received its first big acknowledgement with Scarlett Johansson's Golden Globe nomination. Thanks to Johansson's nomination, which is justly deserved, "A Love Song for Bobby Long" may have a chance to survive in theaters long enough for audiences to discover this treasure.
John Travolta stars as Bobby Long, a former professor of literature who leaves his family and former world behind for life as an alcoholic in New Orleans.

Along with his young protege, the struggling writer Lawson Pines (Gabriel Macht), Long exists in a world where nothing matters as much as pouring his next drink and spending hot, hazy, lazy days with old companions.

Life becomes complicated when Bobby and Lawson's good friend Lorraine, the owner of the house in which the two reside rent free, passes away. Lorraine's young daughter, Purslane (Scarlett Johansson) comes to town expecting to take possession of her mother's house. Instead, she discovers two strange men residing in the house who claim Lorraine's willed them each one-third interest. What starts out as an antagonistic relationship between the young woman and her two male roommates evolves into something much deeper.

INTERVIEW WITH JOHN TRAVOLTA ('Bobby Long'):

This is pretty brave of you to do this role. Were you the least bit hesitant to look the way you do as this character?
No. Matter of fact, quite the opposite. I was frightened that if I didn?t look the way I did, you wouldn?t believe it.

And that?s more frightening to an actor than looking good - and that?s the truth. Actors that are serious about what they do, want to get it right for you. They want you to be lured into the reality of that scenario and that character. So it?s quite the contrary. There?s almost a panic if you don?t look correct.

What was your first reaction when you saw yourself in the mirror sporting the white hair and stubble?
It was relief because, ?Ahh, It works. It?s there. I buy it.? That was my first reaction. Second and third reaction is, ?Wow, that?s interesting.?

Along with the physical attributes of this character, you also had to nail that accent. How daunting was that going into it to make sure you got it right?
Well, there was a couple of locals that were helping me. They were from Alabama, even though they were living in New Orleans. Then there was a famous accent coach that helped me as well. Between the three of those people, I felt that the reality was somewhere in the middle. And I did that.

All the characters seem so far removed from your being this Hollywood star. How do you relate to these people?
Well, you know, that?s an interesting question because I do feel far from them in my own life. However there?s so many things that one has experienced that are parallel. You know, I grew up and experienced so many drinkers in my life that lectured to me and were wicked to me and were nice to me. And unedited thoughts ? that part of it felt quite easily, in my opportunity, to almost exercise those experiences out by putting them through a character.

I spent a lot of time in the South. I live in Florida now, and I have over the years. But moreover in my travels, it wasn?t unusual for me to spend time in any number of Southern states. So getting familiar with them? I spent years in Texas on and off. I spent years in New Orleans and a lot of time in Savannah. So it wasn?t difficult to acclimate to the characteristics of a type of person. That?s an easy assimilation. It?s fun, too. That?s the journey of it all. You know, I was never a heroin addict or a hit man either. You know what I mean? ?Pulp Fiction? ? I have my obligations there to portray that correctly, so if you?re a mirror of humanity of some sort, that?s your job. That?s what you do. And it?s fun doing it.

How did you deal with the heat of filming in New Orleans in August?
We dealt with it by using it, and it?s the oldest trick in the book. If you can use something that?s in your environment, and I don?t care what it is, use it to your advantage. I feel that it was exciting to have something so ever-present to use. The only time it was difficult is when we were playing it cold. We were playing it winter and we had no heat, and we were boiling. That was acting (laughing).

How many suits did you soak through?
It didn?t matter because the soaked through you could use many [times]. If you were sweating, there?s not a problem. You just sweat more. That?s accurate, and you go on from there.

Page 2: John Travolta on Scarlett Johansson's Golden Globe Nomination and Working with First-Time Directors