Joseph Gordon-Levitt

I remember when Gregg was composing shots on the set, he was always all about symmetry, wanting everything to meet up in the center and be equal on both sides. And not only is it like that aesthetically in the composition of the shots, but it’s like that narratively in that it goes back and forth between two storylines, and it’s like that in its cast of characters. (Joseph Gordon-Levitt)

Trippy picture of Joe during his make-up transformation into Bruce Willis for Looper

Excerpt from the new issue: Tarra Martin on Brick (2005):

“Brick is interesting in that it’s mostly played straight. The genres of noir and high school align so neatly that it’s as if the tension has to manifest itself somewhere else: in the body of our teenage detective, Brendan Frye (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). His body is what is flung. His body is what cracks into pretty pieces.

I read several profiles of Joseph Gordon-Levitt looking for a line I was sure existed: “Gordon-Levitt is sought out by directors for his willingness to literally throw himself into his roles.” I found iterations of that thought everywhere. I also found him doing back-flips for an interviewer on a playing field, and the time he hosted Saturday Night Live and did an entire routine to “Make ‘Em Laugh,” running up walls and taking fall after fall.

Gordon-Levitt acts with his whole frame, his physicality utter and fearless. He has a willingness to get knocked about in order to put on a good show. There is something old-fashioned about it, coming through clearest in the Classic Hollywood showmanship of that Donald O’Connor homage. It’s a quality I’ve always respected in actors, and Gordon-Levitt has it in spades — this deep understanding of how his body works, of what his body looks like.”