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The Many Faces of John Travolta in ‘The People v. O.J. Simpson’

The Many Faces of John Travolta in Last Night’s Premiere of ‘The People v. O.J. Simpson’

No one gives face quite like him

It was hard to keep track of where to look in the first episodes of Ryan Murphy’s FX miniseries, The People v. O.J. Simpson. I suggest you take on multiple viewings — if only to zoom in on the many faces of John Travolta (playing defense attorney Robert Shapiro), whose eyebrows arch and lips purse in ways previously unknown to mankind.

Here, a cheat sheet.

Taking an “emergency” phone call. “Hello? It’s me, Robert Shapiro.”
More phone calls, cause that’s what lawyers do.
Here is his attending-a-funeral face — at Nicole Brown Simpson’s — thinking about how jealous he is of Kato Kaelin’s gorgeous blond locks (see background).
This is what it looks like when Travolta, playing a celebrity defense attorney, shows the paparazzi his best angle.
Here he is looking at OJ Simpson — whom we know that he knows is guilty.
See? He knows.
“I think I smell pot roast cooking in the kitchen, and anyone who knows me knows that I love pot roast.”
For comparison’s sake, David Schwimmer’s (as lawyer Robert Kardashian) “concerned face” has nothing on Travolta’s.
“Would you like to see my impression of the “Thinking Face” emoji?”

Lindsey Weber is MEL’s deputy editor.

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