Joseph Gordon-Levitt: “The most moving stories are the most complicated ones”

While I’m preparing for my interview with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, I find an article that says he’s synonymous with the “chirpy everyman”. That’s true, to an extent – it’s probably his roles in The Dark Knight Rises and Inception that are behind that slightly diminutive label. It’s not how I know Gordon-Levitt, though. Like all teens with access to Tumblr and iMovie, films like (500) Days of Summer – in which Gordon-Levitt plays Tom, a hopeless romantic for the ages – were hugely formative. I was palpably nervous before the interview, but when he appears for our call, that immediately evaporates. He’s smiley, animated, passionate and always gracious – “You raise a valid point, but no one stole more stuff than Shakespeare,” he responds when I ask him about the contentious state of reboots right now.

The conversation turns to Hollywood’s penchant for a reprise because Gordon-Levitt, now 43, is about to grace our screens in a reboot of the much-loved Beverly Hills Cop franchise. This time round, it’s called Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, and Gordon-Levitt is Eddie Murphy’s comedy sidekick. That might seem like an odd segue for an actor who has also played weighty roles like Mysterious Skin’s Neil McCormick, a wayward teenage hustler, but those familiar with The Night Before will know that Gordon-Levitt offers a dose of “reality” that complements the broader strokes of comedy titans. That’s on full display in his most recent stint behind the camera, Mr Corman, a series that first aired in 2021. Penned and directed by Gordon-Levitt, Mr Corman is a nuanced exploration of mental health in the modern age, and when I bring it up, the actor is touched that I watched it.