The Pulp Fiction Dance has been parodied and recreated more times than we count – but it’s a little different when John Travolta himself gets involved. The actor dons a Santa Claus costume to have a boogie in a festive ad for banking company Capital One.
In Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 movie, hitman Vincent Vega (Travolta) and Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) dance to "You Never Can Tell" by Chuck Berry in a diner. In this version, however, Travolta and Mrs Claus (not played by Thurman, sadly) are throwing shapes to Berry’s more seasonally appropriate track Run Run Rudolph.
Travolta’s Pulp Fiction co-star Samuel L. Jackson also makes an appearance in the advert. (Jackson played Jules Winnfield, Vincent’s partner in crime.) Travolta Claus receives a video call from Jackson while he’s online shopping.
There are some other fun nods to the classic movie in the ad – for example, Jackson is wearing a T-shirt that reads “Happy Holidays With Cheese”, a reference to his famous Pulp Fiction line “Royale with cheese”, which is what he tells Vincent they call McDonald’s quarter-pounders in France.
It’s no wonder Travolta is happy to pay homage to the movie – his role in Pulp Fiction revitalised his career in the 1990s. However, he recently hinted in an Instagram post that he would be taking some time away from acting after the death of his wife Kelly Preston earlier this year.
If the Capital One advert hasn’t quite scratched your festive itch, you can check out our list of the best Christmas movies of all time.
