Travolta 'grateful' for time to mourn son

John Travolta has thanked the cast and producers of The Taking Of Pelham 1-2-3 for giving him the time he needed to mourn the death of his son.

In a message on his official website, the actor conceded that he was noticeably absent during the promotion of the film due to his 16-year-old boy's passing.

"Tony Scott, Denzel Washington, Luis Guzman, John Turturro, James Gandolfini and Sony Pictures stepped up without hesitation to help promote this wonderful film, and their unselfish efforts have allowed my family the additional time to reconcile our loss," he wrote.

The star also revealed that his role in the movie was "the ultimate evil mastermind".

Travolta wrote of his character: "This role as an actor gave me the chance to dispense with all moral and ethical limitations, and explore just how bad this character could really be. I believe you will like the result".

Jett Travolta died on January 2 while on vacation in the Bahamas.

The Taking Of Pelham 1-2-3 arrives in US cinemas on June 12 and in the UK on July 24.