The Yuletide season brings out plenty of family traditions and playing board games is all part of the light-hearted festive fun.
Apart from in John Travolta’s house, where he’ll make you play Monopoly with real money.
At least he gets the thrill of really passing Go and collecting £200.
Appearing on The Late Late Show, fellow guests Sam Taylor-Johnson and husband Aaron Taylor-Johnson brought up the classic game and told host James Corden that when they play over Christmas, things get intensely competitive and rounds often last three days.
To everyone’s surprise, Grease star John then revealed his own way to ramp up the tension after dinner: ‘Did you ever replace the money with real money? That’s the way to do it.’
Immediately host James quipped, ‘John, we get it. You’re rich. We get it,’ before asking, ‘hang on, you have played Monopoly with real cash?’
As if every man and his dog is used to splashing the cash, John replied: ‘Yes, but look, it’s $20, it’s $100. I think the totality is $2,000, I think, if you replace the whole thing.’
Stunned, James, who is back on UK screens on Christmas Day with a Gavin & Stacey Christmas special, went on to ask if the Pulp Ficton actor ever tries his luck in gambling haven Las Vegas.
He said: ‘What are you like in Vegas?’
‘I don’t do that,’ John said.
Just the board games he likes to make really, really serious then.
During the TV interview, John also said that he preferred to do all of his shopping at night. ‘Correct, because a) I’m nocturnal and b) there’s a countdown on those shows and I get nervous that I’m not going to get the purchase before the countdown has finished,’ he said, referring to shopping channels.
‘If I’m not successful then I go to Walmart because it’s open all night.’
James enquired further: ‘So if you’re nocturnal, when do you sleep?’ to which John said, ‘from 6am to 3pm,’ adding bizarrely, ‘Elvis did this, this is nothing new!’
John recently spoke about the terrifying moment he discovered a stalker fan had broken into his house and waited for him – in his wardrobe.
He said the incident took place over 30 years ago at his Santa Barbara home.
‘I opened the closet, and there she was,’ John, who plays a superfan in new psychological thriller The Fanatic, said. ‘It did scare me, but it turned out to be an innocent person. She was a girl who probably wanted to meet me and didn’t know how to do it.’
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