Travolta says he's still trying to heal

NEW YORK, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Hollywood film star John Travolta says he and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, are working on healing a year after the death of their only son, Jett.

Jett, 16, died in January 2009 after a seizure while on vacation with his family in the Bahamas. Two people were subsequently arrested for allegedly threatening to provide the media with medical documents pertaining to the teen's death if Travolta and Preston didn't pay them $25 million. The case ended in a mistrial last October and is expected to be tried again at a later date.

In New York Friday to promote his new thriller, "From Paris with Love," Travolta was asked how he's been holding up since his family tragedy.

"It's been a rough year," the 55-year-old actor told reporters gathered at the Directors Guild of America Theatre. "I'm not going to say it's not been, but we've been working very hard every day at healing. We still are, but it's working. We've worked with our church (the Church of Scientology) and we've worked with each other and our friends and our family. It's been a tough one, and it's going to be, but at least we have help and it's working. Thanks for asking."

The "Grease," "Pulp Fiction" and "Hairspray" star said one of his favorite memories of shooting "From Paris with Love" was taking Jett, his younger sister, Ella, now 9, and a few of their friends out for some after-midnight pizza and hot cocoa in the City of Lights.

"They said, 'At this time of night?' And I said, 'Yes, believe it or not ... .' So, we went downtown and we had pizza and then at 2 a.m. we were sitting, having hot cocoa and they thought this is a whole universe of lifestyle. So that was one of my highlights, with the kids in the middle of the night in Paris."

"From Paris with Love" is to open in U.S. theaters Feb. 5.