IAm Joseph Gordon-Levitt. My new show Create Together is out now! AMA...

When you were getting ready to shoot Mysterious Skin you stayed in Kansas City for about a week or so. My boyfriend said he met you randomly at a Royals game and you ended up staying with him and his roommate during that time. He said you were very cool and actually helped get him out of a driving infraction. Do you recall this-Is he telling me the truth?? Did you enjoy your time in Kansas City?

Definitely. Is his name Todd? I could be misremembering, it was a long time ago. But yeah, I went to Kansas when I was prepping for Mysterious Skin. That's where the novelist, Scott Heim, is really from, Hutchinson, Kansas. So I flew into Kansas City, and rented a car, and was looking around for something to do, and couldn't find anybody. Kansas City was a ghost town. I was like, "this place is dead." So I got on the highway and headed out of town, and I passed the stadium. Which was packed. And I was like, "oh, this is where everybody is." So I pulled off, and headed in. Game was sold out. It was against the St. Louis Cardinals, so there was a cross-town rivalry. I couldn't get in. Then a couple of super nice people (including Todd, unless I have his name wrong) helped sneak me in through an unwatched gate. We watched the rest of the game together. And we ended up hanging out for a few days. I stayed with them. We went and had BBQ. I ended up recording everybody's voice. I discovered there's not really one singular Kansas accent, but I was able to cobble something together. Please say hi for me. Hugely fond memories!

It is Todd!! You’re amazing and I’m showing Todd now. Thank you for this reply! ❤️

Awesome story! I’m impressed that he remembers your friend’s name! Tell Todd i said hi!

I showed Todd. He said hello back! :)

👊

What’s your favorite movie that you’ve been in, and why is it 10 Things I Hate About You?

Because of the marching band, and in particular, the tuba player.

What is your favorite memory from filming Angels in the Outfield?

rollerblading around the Oakland Coliseum with Tony Danza.

damnit i miss the 90’s

ha

Do you wish the “Robin” persona would have went a little further in The Dark Knight Rises?

I actually don't. I know it's become the norm to view movies (and especially super hero movies) as episodic. But I think there's something really nice about stories that conclude. Don't get me wrong, I love episodic storytelling. I'm in the middle of making a series right now for Apple, called Mr. Corman. But I think the end of Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy is a great ending. And it would change it if it continued. It wouldn't be an ending anymore.

Out of all the movies and TV shows that you've ever done, which one had the steepest learning curve? Was there ever a time where you had to learn a skill that you were completely unfamiliar with?

Probably The Walk. I learned to really walk on a wire. Philippe Petit taught me himself in an intense 8-day workshop. Then I kept practicing after that as well. I could really do it. Certainly never did it 110 stories in the air, like he did, I was usually about 12 feet off the ground. But I did learn to do it. Very satisfying, because you can't focus on anything else, so it forces your mind into a flow-state.

Hey, how are you doing today?

Pretty good. Grateful. How are you?

Not too bad. Can't complain.

word

I really enjoyed 50/50! Are there any upcoming projects with you and Seth?

Thanks, glad you liked that movie. Seth and Evan did an episode of the podcast I made recently. Lemme find a link...

(EDIT) Here it is: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/collaboration-friendship-seth-rogen-evan-goldberg-comedy/id1472587591?i=1000449237476

What would you like to be remembered about you?

Stuff that very few people know about. Or my butt, I'd like to be remembered for my great ass. It's pretty great.

What was it like working with Heath Ledger? What's one of your favorite memories from working with him on 10 Things I Hate About You?

Pretty sure I've mentioned this before, so forgive me for repeating myself, but I remember riding in the back of his car and hearing OK Computer for the first time. For you young'ns, that's an album by Radiohead, and arguably the triumphant conclusion of guitar-based rock music.

what's your to go song on karaoke?

that's cheating. (purple rain)

How have you been spending your quarantine? Are you feeling stir crazy like the rest of us? Eat any good food lately?

Yeah, I definitely wouldn't mind being done with quarantine. That said, I feel incredibly lucky to be able to stay home. Not everyone can.

Have you watched any non-English language movies or programs recently, and have any stood out to you?

李子柒 Liziqi

李子柒

I had no idea what this was but ended up watching 20 minutes and am hooked. Thank you!

yeah, it's mesmerizing

What was it like working with Christopher Nolan on Inception and The Dark Knight Rises? His new movie, TENET, is due out in a few months and have been watching a lot of his stuff lately.

Chris never sat down. He'd sit at lunch. But when we were shooting, he stood the whole time. Principled guy, that Mr. Nolan. Very principled.

Have you created music with any other famous actor/actresses other than Zooey Deschanel?

Anne Hathaway sang at one of our HITRECORD shows. Lemme find that link...

(Edit) Found it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0pdfQwLYjw

On that 70s show, what do you think would happen between Buddy and Eric if you stayed on the show?

It would probably be sorta like those 50 shades books, but hotter

My biggest regret in life is that I stopped playing piano when I started high school as it was ‘too nerdy’. Are there any similar decisions you made in your past that you look back on and would have done differently?

Yes, tons of them. I think that's unavoidable. And ultimately, I'm grateful to be where I'm at, so I can't really fault any of my past selves. Btw, just start playing piano again. I know, easier said then done, but it's easy to create hang-ups for ourselves like "Oh, I stopped in highschool, so now it's too late, I can't play now," but all of those hang-ups are our own fabrication. You can totally play now.

What advice would you give to someone who is an aspiring actor who is just starting out without a ton of experience? Also, what advice would you give to your younger self? Thank you for creating HITRECORD, it truly helps me stay creative!

One of the biggest things I think you can do to practice skills as an actor is actually really simple -- read out loud. Do it a lot. Doesn't have to be a scene. Although those are great. But you can read anything. Read this reddit page. Read the ingredients of your cereal. Just practice getting words up off the page and coming out of your mouth. It's a muscle. All the other stuff about acting, creating your character, finding sincere emotions, etc, all of that is what you want to be focussing on when you're really doing it. You don't want to be focussing on being able to say your lines. So you need to practice a lot to get it so that saying lines is easy. You don't have to think about that. Then you can focus on the harder stuff.

Fwiw, doing voice-acting prompts on HITRECORD is a great way to practice this. The app makes it really easy to record yourself at the same time as your reading a piece of writing. Then you can listen to yourself, and listen to how other people do it too. Plus you're contributing to a project that can potentially turn into a larger piece of art.

Can you tell me a joke?

No.

What has been your favorite role to be in? Or if thats too broad, favorite kid role and favorite adult role?

Holy Matrimony. Don Jon.

whatre some albums that inspire you musically?

Fiona Apple's new one is great. Been digging some Erik Satie too.

Do you put pineapple on your pizza?

I don't usually order that, but I'll definitely eat it. I don't think I've ever really had any pizza I didn't like.

Favourite flavour ice cream?

chocolate, the darkest I can find

Do you ever feel like Mysterious Skin is overlooked due to the subjects it touches upon? (Personally, I loved the movie--so dark and wonderful with a perfectly cathartic ending).

I don't think of it as overlooked exactly, because I got/get a lot of recognition for it. But sure, it's not a mainstream movie. Never was gonna be. And yes, like you say, that's because of the subject matter, but also because it handles the subject matter in a complicated way, whereas most sensitive topics must be reduced to simple terms in order to enter the mainstream.

As a high school senior, I just want to say thank you for doing this project. It really means a lot.

What was your graduation like? Did you go to prom?

I actually didn't get to participate in a graduation ceremony either. For very different reasons than the Class of 2020, and I'm not complaining. But yeah. I did high school sorta piecemeal, in 5 years, since I was working as an actor. So when my friends all graduated, I still had a few more units to do. I also didn't go to prom, because I was a vehement non-conformist and a masochist.

I have loved watching some of your interviews in French, and you speak very well in all of them! How and why did you come to learn la belle langue française?

Jacques Prévert, Jacques Brel, et Anna Karina. Merci <3

Hey Joe! You have been one of my biggest inspiration for getting into creating my brand and my content. I am currently going through a divorce and it feels like my thoughts and creativeness are gone. Do you have any advice to help get through this and get back in my game? Much love! #alwayscreate 🔴

I can't imagine how hard a divorce must be. Well, this is advice I give to a lot of questions about creativity, but I think it really applies here, if you're having trouble finding the energy yourself -- don't do it by yourself. I find it pretty hard to be creative when it's just me working on a project. I've done it, but it's harder. Of course there are challenges that come along with collaboration as well. But I find that feeding off the energy of other people is a huge driver for me. Always has been.

any plans to return to Columbia University?

Well, no. Had a great time there (and Barnard), read some good books, met some life-long friends. And if I were gonna live a million years, sure, going back to school sounds great. But, yeah, no.

What would HESHER do during quarantine?????

He'd probably catch Covid and give it to as many people as he could

Hi there Golden rabbit, do you still wear mismatching socks?

yup

What's the type of project you most want to see come out of HITRECORD, but that maybe hasn't materialized yet? Is there a scale you're aspiring to that you haven't hit yet?

Right now there's tons of really great projects around sort of whimsical writing and people doing voice-acting performances of the writing. I love those. But I always appreciate an eclectic variety, so of course, I'm craving the exact opposite. I'd love to see more dialogue. Weird, funny, dark, whatever, any kind of dialogue. With written dialogue, then we could do voice-acting prompts around dialogue, in addition to all the great whimsical monologues. Of course, we've done tons of dialogue over the years, I'd just like to see more of it right now, especially because the voice-acting UI on our app just got really good.

If someone were to narrate your life, who would you want to be the narrator? Alive or dead.

My kids

Serious question: have you done at least one Bane impression while you've been wearing a mask?

Boblikanvertigo sounds sorta like Bane, and I've been doing him a lot

Could you explain how time travel works in your movie Looper?

No, I decidedly could not. I think the explanation you get in the movie itself is what it is.

What makes you truly happy in this world ??? If there’s another job you could do what would it be ?

My dad was a journalist in his first career. I've always been drawn to that. My mom was a teacher at one point. I really love the idea of teaching. Something I really might want to do at some point. I'm making a show for Apple right now called Mr. Corman where my character teaches 5th grade a public school in the San Fernando Valley

How do you keep yourself mentaly healthy during this pandemic? Also what is the toughest challenge making this show?

The answers to your two questions are the same :) For me, it's been about staying creative, and doing it together with other people. That's what the show is about. And the hardest part of making this particular show was that we've been doing it in the midst of this strange and stressful time. I think all of us, both on the production team, and in the HITRECORD community, we've all been coping together by making this show together.

How and what do I post on that webseries? I have a video where I play you in one of your scenes. Can I send it to you on here or there for your approval? :)

Ha, that's awesome, which scene? You should link it here. We don't put copyright material on HITRECORD, because we're really big on remix and proper attribution. But there's plenty of stuff for actors to do. Like I said in another reply just now, there's lots of great voice-acting prompts that I think are excellent for developing your skill as an actor, and often lead to great short films, etc

Ça va ?

ouais

Hi Joseph, thanks for doing this AMA! I asked you last time about your Passover (and thanks for the response!); my question is, do you have any funny Jewish stories to share from your life?

oy

Favorite band?

Y La Bamba

Which is more challenging -- starting a project or finishing a project? Please explain your answer. :-) (this can apply to hitRECord or other projects you've worked on)

Finishing is much harder. Although it's true that starting is no small thing. As I've said, to me the biggest differentiator is doing it with other people. And this isn't just true of HITRECORD, although, yes, that's the whole point of HITRECORD. But throughout my entire creative life, when I involve other people in a project, it has a MUCH higher likelihood of getting finished than if I try to do it alone.

How fun is it working with the genius Rian Johnson? 😄

I already shouted my podcast out once, but fuck it, let's do it again. Rian's episode is really good. Finding link...

(edit) Link found: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/originality-imitation-rian-johnson-filmmaker/id1472587591?i=1000447233910