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Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Joseph Gordon-Levitt42 posts

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is an American actor who is also known for his work on television, theater, and online media. Born in 1981 in Los Angeles, California, he started doing film and TV roles at a very young age, but it was his work in the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun that made him a household name. He proceeded to take on a diverse variety of roles in such films as 10 Things I Hate About You, Manic, (500) Days of Summer, Inception, and Don Jon. He is also co-creator and founder of the online collaborative production company, hitRECord Productions.

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3 Jul, 2014

‘The Walk’ sneak peek image

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JGL The WalkGordon-Levitt gives the public a sneak peek of his new upcoming movie, The Walk on his official Facebook page. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the film is based on the Oscar-winning documentary, Man on Wire, which tells the story of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit and his death-defying tightrope walk between the World Trade Center Twin Towers in 1974. Also starring Sir Ben Kingsley, James Badge Dale, and Charlotte Le Bon, the film is set to be released in October, 2015.

Nov 2013

Lady Gaga and the Muppets’ Holiday Spectacular

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Gordon-Levitt appears in the Thanksgiving TV special, Lady Gaga and the Muppets’ Holiday Spectacular. Wearing a black suit and tie, the actor performs the classic holiday song, Baby, It’s Cold Outside with Gaga, who wears a long, red dress. The special also features appearances by Elton John, RuPaul, and Kristen Bell.

Lady Gaga - Joseph Gordon-Levitt Baby It's Cold Outside

27 Sep, 2013

Don Jon

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Gordon-Levitt stars as New Jersey playboy Jon Martello in this romantic comedy, which he also writes and directs. His character is addicted to pornography even though he is popular among women and does not have any problems having flings on a regular basis. He dates Barbara Sugarman, played by Scarlett Johansson, and both of them struggle to stay together due to their varying ideas of love and relationships. The film also stars Tony Danza, Glenne Headly, and Julianne Moore. On his first stint as director:

I really wanted this movie to have a flair to the filmmaking. Especially comedies, it seems, often stay pretty conservative and just leave the comedy to the writing and acting and the rest of the filmmaking is very standardized. I didn’t want to do that. I wanted the filmmaking to reflect what was going on with the character and the evolution of the character.

Don Jon OFFICIAL Trailer

20 Jul, 2013

The Wind Rises

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Gordon-Levitt lends his voice to the English-language version of Hayao Miyazaki’s Japanese animated WWII drama. He voices the lead role of Jiro Horikoshi, a talented engineer who designs and builds airplanes for a living. He is conflicted by his passion for his job and the use of his aircraft in war. Stanley Tucci voices Jiro’s mentor, Caproni, and Emily Blunt voices his love interest, Naoko.

I love really good movies and Miyazaki is clearly one of the living masters of filmmaking. I’ve been fan of his movies for a number of years, and so when I got the call that I had the opportunity to do a voice in the English version, I jumped at the chance.

9 Nov, 2012

Lincoln

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Gordon-Levitt stars in this epic historical drama film by director Steven Spielberg as Robert Todd Lincoln, the eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln. The only surviving son of the couple, he shuns the comforts of his family life to serve the government as Secretary of War. Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field play role of his parents. The film also stars Tommy Lee Jones, David Strathairn, and James Spader.

Robert and Abraham Lincoln, it was a bit of a strained relationship. Abraham Lincoln was a bit of an absent father, especially when Robert was young. He was out on the circuit. I thought that was really interesting. You’d think, “Oh, one of the greatest men in history, he probably had a great relationship with his son”, but this movie doesn’t just paint a patriotic picture of an angel, it really shows a man, a human being.

28 Sep, 2012

Looper

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Gordon-Levitt stars in this sci-fi action thriller as a young hired assassin – or “looper” – named Joe. He lives in a world where time travel exists, but is used by crime syndicates to eliminate their targets. Like every hit man, Joe is expected to “close the loop” by assassinating his older self, played by Bruce Willis. The two Joes come face to face and attempt to deal with the implications of their encounter. The actor’s co-stars include Jeff Daniels as the future mob boss and Emily Blunt as young Joe’s girlfriend. On the concept of the movie:

I would say sincerity is more important than originality. You could cite all kinds of influences that this draws from. What’s most important to me is — are you sincere? Do you have something to say? I feel like this movie does.

LOOPER - Official Trailer (HD)

22 Sep, 2012

Hosts ‘SNL’ for the second time

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Gordon-Levitt hosts Saturday Night Live for a second time. The actor’s opening monologue features a Magic Mike-inspired routine in which he takes off his shirt and dances to the song, It’s Raining Men along with SNL cast members Taran Killam, Bobby Moynihan, and Jay Pharoah. He acts in various comedy sketches including one where he plays a pathetic heir to the Dos Equis beer empire and self-proclaimed “Son of the Most Interesting Man in the World”. He also introduces musical guest Mumford & Sons.

Tres Equis I - Saturday Night Live

24 Aug, 2012

Premium Rush

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Gordon-Levitt plays a New York City bike messenger named Wilee in this action thriller directed by David Koepp. Along with his fellow bike messenger girlfriend played by actress Dania Ramirez, he gets caught up in a dangerous chase with a dirty cop who wants to get his hands on a valuable delivery. The film also stars Michael Shannon, Jamie Chung, and Aasif Mandvi. On the film’s stunt-filled scenes:

This was the most challenging film I’ve ever done. You’re on a bike the entire movie. You’re having conversations on a phone the entire movie — while you’re riding a bike through New York City.

PREMIUM RUSH - Official Trailer - In Theaters August 2012

20 Jul, 2012

The Dark Knight Rises

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Gordon-Levitt plays John Blake in this final installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. Blake is a young police officer whose idealism and heroic deeds in solving crime in the city gets him a promotion from Commissioner James Gordon, played by Gary Oldman. The film also features Christian Bale as Batman, Michael Caine as butler Alfred Pennyworth, and Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. On his character:

I would call him an idealist. Gotham has become a sort of a cynical place. It’s been eight years since the last movie ended, and Batman is nowhere to be seen, status quo has set in, the rich getting richer, no one asking a lot of questions. But Blake is the kind of guy that will raise his hand and he doesn’t mind ruffling a few feathers.

The Dark Knight Rises Official Movie Trailer Christian Bale, Batman Movie (2012) HD

30 Sep, 2011

50/50

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Gordon-Levitt portrays a cancer-stricken radio writer named Adam Lerner in this comedy-drama film directed by Jonathan Levine. Based on a true story, the film revolves around his character’s discovery of his illness and how it changes his life and that of his friends and family. He is joined by actor Seth Rogen who plays his best friend Kyle, Anjelica Huston who plays his overbearing mother Diane Lerner, and Anna Kendrick who plays his therapist Katherine McKay. On accepting the role of Adam:

First of all it’s just a good script, which is just rare to come by. You know I read a lot of scripts and most of them are just sort of not so good. You know, the characters don’t feel like human beings. They feel like plot devices, stereotypes. Especially scripts that make me laugh. It’s very, very rare to come by a well-written funny script. And so when I read “50/50,” I was really taken with it off the bat.

13 May, 2011

Hesher

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Gordon-Levitt portrays the title role in this dark comedy drama produced by Natalie Portman. A foul-mouthed nihilist who loves heavy metal music, Hesher enters the life of  TJ, teenage boy who recently lost his mother and lives with his grieving father and grandmother. Hesher and his rebellious ways proceed to change TJ’s life as the young man deals with his own feelings of fear and grief. The film also stars Portman as a checkout clerk, Rainn Wilson as TJ’s father, and Piper Laurie as the grandmother.

11 Mar, 2011

Elektra Luxx

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Gordon-Levitt stars in this comedy sequel to Women in Trouble. It is directed by Sebastian Gutierrez, and features the actor as Bert Rodriquez, a Hispanic sex blogger who is an avid fan of retired porn star Elektra Luxx played by Carla Gugino. The actor is joined by Josh Brolin, Timothy Olyphant, Emmanuelle Chriqui, and Malin Ackerman.

Elektra Luxx Movie Trailer Official (HD)

16 Jul, 2010

Inception

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Gordon-Levitt stars in this big-budget science-fiction thriller film directed by Christopher Nolan. He plays the role of Arthur, the right hand man and partner of professional thief Dom Cobb played by actor Leonardo DiCaprio. While Cobb leads missions in stealing corporate secrets from the minds of executives as they sleep, it is Arthur’s job to apply his vision and make sure that the plans work without a hitch. The actor is joined by Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, and Ken Watanabe. On his character:

He’s the organized one. I think Cobb is sort of like the artist and I consider Arthur sort of like the producer. He the one that’s saying, “Okay, you have your vision, I’m going to figure out how you can do you thing and make the nuts and bolts underneath it work.”

Inception - Official Trailer [HD]

24 Jan, 2010

Morgan M. Morgansen’s Date with Destiny

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Gordon-Levitt directs and stars in this six-minute romantic silent film as the lead role of Morgan M. Morgansen. He goes on a date with his vegetarian love interest, Destiny, who is played by Lexy Hulme. Destiny is offended when he orders rabbit for dinner:

It was written by a young lady named metaphorest, and I loved her words so much that I recorded some voice-over for it, which inspired drawings, which inspired animations. There will always be a very special place in the heart of our HitRECord community for our man, Morgan M. Morgansen.

MorganMorgansDateWithDestiny.mov

21 Nov, 2009

Hosts ‘SNL’

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Gordon-Levitt hosts Saturday Night Live for the first time. His opening monologue includes a musical number to the Donald O’Connor tune, Make ‘Em Laugh, with the help of SNL cast member, Bobby Moynihan. He also plays singer Jason Mraz in the sketch, The Mellow Show and European electro-pop singer Klaus Future in the sketch, What’s Up with That? The episode also features former US Vice President Al Gore and musical guest Dave Matthews Band.

The Mellow Show - Saturday Night Live

13 Nov, 2009

Uncertainty

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Gordon-Levitt stars in this indie drama thriller directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel. He plays Bobby, one half of a young New York couple who flips a coin to help them decide where to go on the 4th of July and whether or not they should have their unborn baby. They both experience two different realities that each take place in Brooklyn and Manhattan. The actor is joined by Lyn Collins, who plays his pregnant girlfriend.

It’s really different than my usual movie. They had written a script so the story was all very well thought through but the actual specifics of how everything was going to play out was sort of left up to the moment. The moments were left up to the moment. It allowed for just a whole new kind of creativity for me which, that’s what I’m in this for. I had a great time.

7 Aug, 2009

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

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Gordon-Levitt takes on the iconic role of Cobra Commander in this sci-fi action film directed by Stephen Sommers. As the supreme leader and head scientist of the terrorist organization Cobra, his character perfects nanomite technology to get back at the Joes. G.I. Joe field commander Duke is played by Channing Tatum. On playing Cobra Commander:

That toy is not my face. It’s a mask. I like that I get to keep my face. It has less to do with me and more to do with this character that I helped create. That’s more thrilling to me. It’s this thing that was born out of a creative, collaborative process between me and a bunch of other people that all worked on creating this character.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra Official Trailer

17 Jul, 2009

(500) Days of Summer

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Gordon-Levitt plays Tom Hansen in this offbeat romantic comedy directed by Marc Webb. A trained architect who writes greeting cards for a living, his character falls in love with his co-worker Summer, played by actress Zooey Deschanel. Their contrasting beliefs about love and relationships eventually end their 500-day romance.

He develops a mildly delusional obsession over a girl onto whom he projects all these fantasies. He thinks she’ll give his life meaning because he doesn’t care about much else going on in his life. A lot of boys and girls think their lives will have meaning if they find a partner who wants nothing else in life but them. That’s not healthy. That’s falling in love with the idea of a person, not the actual person.

500 DAYS OF SUMMER | Official Trailer | FOX Searchlight

23 Jan, 2009

Killshot

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Gordon-Levitt stars in this thriller based on the Elmore Leonard novel of the same name. His character is Richie Nix, a troubled young man who is recruited by hit man Armand Degas, played by actor Mickey Rourke. Together, they hunt down a couple who managed to escape their extortion attack. The film also features Diane Lane, Thomas Jane, and Rosario Dawson.

"Killshot" trailer

28 Mar, 2008

Stop-Loss

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Gordon-Levitt plays an American war soldier in this Kimberly Peirce-directed drama film. He plays PFC Tommy Burgess, a troubled young soldier who witnesses the death of his best friend during the war, and has a difficult time adjusting to civilian life when he comes home. Other members of his squad are played by Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum, and Timothy Olyphant.

Tommy, the character I play, is a real good soldier and not so good when he gets back. Life is so different, all the things that you need to focus on and care about when you’re over there, are just not things you need to focus and care about when you’re back here.

Stop-Loss - Trailer