John Travolta's busy hands at the Oscars were 'scripted in total', according to his rep

Actor John Travolta (L) and actress Scarlett Johansson attend the 87th Annual Academy Awards

The 'I'll always be Danny Zuko in my heart' pose

He goes for it

Told you.

Actor John Travolta (L) and actress Scarlett Johansson attend the 87th Annual Academy Awards

John Travolta at the Oscars

The 'I'll always be Danny Zuko in my heart' pose

The finger touch

He goes for it

Caitlin McBride Twitter Email

February 25 2015 12:34 PM

John Travolta's handsy behaviour at the Oscars was all part of a calculated script, according to his spokesperson.

After grabbing Scarlett Johansson's waist and kissing her cheek on the red carpet, the actor took it up a notch by grabbing and holding on to Idina Menzel's face during the ceremony.

Their presenting was part of a stunt for Travolta to redeem his 'Adele Dazeem' gaffe last year when awarding her the Best Original Song award. But this year, her clenched teeth and reluctant smile while he palmed her face made for uncomfortable viewing.

He gives the 'I'm about to grab your face in front of a billion people' look to Idina Menzel

John Travolta (and his hands) were the the most awkward part of the Oscars

However, a representative for the iconic star has claimed the entire skit was carefully scripted.

“It was rehearsed in total,” the spokesperson told Us Weekly. “John Travolta loved working with Idina Menzel. "John had a great time at the Oscars because his wife, Kelly Preston, and his daughter, Ella, were in attendance with him.”

Host Neil Patrick Harris later joked about it, saying: “Travolta will be back next year to apologise to Idina for all the face-touching.”