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The Frozen singer praised John Travolta's mispronounciation of her name at the Oscars as a turning point in her career.
Idina Menzel said John Travolta may have helped her become a household name.
Speaking a recent panel at the Tribeca Film Festival, the Frozen star and singer said Travolta's incorrect introduction of her as "Adele Dazeem" at the 2014 Academy Awards was the "best thing that ever happened to me."
However, Menzel not thinking this sentiment at the time, as the flub occurred right before her televised performance of the song "Let It Go." At the Tribeca event, she remembered how Travolta's mispronounciation rattled her momentarily.
"The honest truth? Right when it was happening, I was like, What the fuck did he just say?" Menzel recounted to the laughter of the audience. But with the orchestra playing and America watching, the Broadway star checked her feelings at the door.
"Get over yourself. You're so vain and conceited. Just go. Sing. Like, Meryl Streep is there," she told herself at the time. "That's the whole thing that went on, about eight seconds to get myself back in the zone."
After Travolta's introduction, "Adele Dazeem" began trending on social media. Major news outlets also reported on the flub, which Menzel credited to a rise in her profile. Also, Travolta, who Menzel called "sweet," emailed her and sent her flowers after the show.
Prior to this performance, Menzel had been an acclaimed Broadway star in shows like Wicked and Rent, but had yet to become a household name. Today, children around the world know the lyrics to Disney's 2013 animated musical film Frozen, in which she voiced the main character. She also sang the national anthem at the 2015 Super Bowl.
"It was the best thing that ever happened to me," she said, "because all these people who are really not from the theater who didn't know" her, now know.
Watch Dazeem--er, Menzel--discuss the Oscar experience at 32:00 in the video below.
