Travolta Shows The 'Human Side' Of Mob Boss In "Gotti"

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston star alongside each other in Gotti, a film about the notorious mobster John Gotti.

CBS4's Bianca Peters got a chance to sit down with the duo and talk about such a heavy-hitting role that sheds light inside the underground world of organized crime.

The "Teflon Don" has a tightknit family but Travolta and his wife had this to say about their role portrayals, "We've heard now from two of them who've seen it, and they are very happy and said that it was quite eerie and uncanny, which would have to be because everything in it is exactly what happened."

The film follows the life of John Gotti, played by Travolta, as the Italian-American mobster rises in ranks to become the head of the powerful Gambino crime family. It reveals that Gotti was not immune to family tragedy, trials, and prison.

It's a gritty and honest look at the organized crime life.

Travolta talked about the rooted and sinister side of the character saying, "the darker side is easy to explain because La Costa Nostra has its own rules. That's the original mafia and it has to do with loyalty and honor and live and die by the sword and everybody knows the game. So even though it's rough and edgy and violent, it is what it is. What I think they're less aware about is that these people can be but not all the time, human beings as well. I think John was equally that."

Preston who plays Victoria, John Gotti's wife in the film credits the relationship with the real Gotti's that helped define her and Travolta's acting method saying, "Well its our first time married in a film and I think this time the characters were so well drawn and so great to play and we had such access to them. John Gotti Jr was on set every day and we spoke to Victoria and she made us lunch and we asked her questions."

Director Kevin Connoley brings some relative newcomers to the big screen like Spencer Lofranco who plays John Gotti Jr, the eldest of Gotti's kids who follows in his footsteps and ultimately in real life pushed to tell the story of his father.

Gotti is out in the theaters today.