John Travolta took training for his role as a fire chief in the upcoming movie "Ladder 49" a little too far, his wife of 12 years, actress Kelly Preston, tells PEOPLE.
What Travolta, 49, did to upset Preston, 40, was enter a burning building.
"The final training was in a very smoky burning building," she says. "And they're doing it with very heavy equipment, and they're not always able to see. It made me nervous."
Granted, she admits, "He's all right. He did great. But as a wife, it's like being a firefighter's wife. You're thinking, 'Oh my gosh!' He called me right afterward (and) said it's the most physically strenuous film he's ever had to do."
As for the married life of two working actors, Preston tells PEOPLE that the separations are "not fun. It's part of the job. And it's lucky that it's only for a couple months if we do a couple of films a year."
Then again, there are the many rewards -- such as the movie-star vacation that the Travoltas are about to take with son Jett, 11, and daughter Ella Bleu, 3, now that "Ladder 49," costarring Joaquin Phoenix, is wrapping.
"We're going to go on a long vacation. We're going all over -- Bermuda, Australia, England, Tahiti, and Hawaii," she said.
Preston spoke to PEOPLE in Washington, D.C., this week during her visit to lobby senators to support the Child Medication Safety Act, a bill that would prevent schools from requiring children with behavioral problems to be medicated.
Preston, a self-admitted and devout Scientologist, made the rounds on Capitol Hill with fellow Scientologist, former "Dharma & Greg" TV star Jenna Elfman.
Your Reaction
