Joseph Gordon-Levitt: Indie, Bowie Lover, Cobra Commander

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Indie star Joseph Gordon-Levitt may not be as mainstream as some of the other former child stars that have entered full on adult celebrity, but this broody wonderboy is about to be a household name. He’s leaving the art house flicks (Brick, The Lookout) and taking on the cinema with two supporting roles in Stop-Loss (the Boy’s Don’t Cry directors foray into the Iraq war) and Killshot, a thriller starring Diane Lane. Oh yeah, there’s also that “minor” roll as Cobra Commander in the upcoming G.I Joe flick.

Joe talks sex, drugs and rock n’ roll with Wonderland Magazine.  Here are a few of our favorite excerpts…

What is your drug of choice?
I guess marijuana. I’ve had a select set of really beautiful, powerful, psychedelic experiences on certain drugs but I never got into just doing it at a party: ‘Oh let’s get fucked up and drop acid’. That’s so retarded and disrespectful to your body and the drug itself. Mushrooms, acid and ecstasy can offer you a new perspective. They can also offer you nothing.

On what occasions do you lie?
I don’t. Maybe when I’m talking to interviewers. That’s about the only time I’ll bald-faced lie. Because interviewers lie about me.
Often? 
Of course, but it’s not that big a deal. When I think about how soldiers get misrepresented by journalists it makes me stop complaining. I’ve been thinking a lot about the way the Iraq war is portrayed in the media. Journalists are trying to get ratings, they’re showmen just like I am. You never get much more than a sound bite from the actual soldier, hand-picked to make the show entertaining. That’s why I’m proud of Stop-Loss – because it tries to represent soldiers in a respectful and accurate way.

Do you make a playlist of music for every character?
Yeah. My G.I. Joe one is still developing. He’s a weird one. I’ve been listening to big, illustrious classical music, and Jay-Z. I think the ?rst song on my Stop-Loss playlist was Kick Out the Jams, the MC5 song.
Is music crucial to you?
Yeah. We’re all made of music. It’s the most basic thing in the universe.

Have you ever been star-struck?
When I saw David Bowie in concert I froze the fuck up. I was there with my then-girlfriend and hardly looked at her for two hours – and she was good to look at. Usually when I see a band I watch what the drummer is doing, what the bass player is doing, but I only had eyes for David.

Are you worried that doing big movies like G.I. Joe will make your life dif?cult?

In what way? In terms of fame. I don’t feel famous. That word gives me the creeps. Personally, I don’t think fame has that much to do with it – it’s about making good movies. When I was younger, if people recognised me, I would lie or hide. I’d rather have just gone to work and then burnt the ?lm. I was a sel?sh little kid, really. But now I want to do stuff that matters. So when people come up to me and say that a movie I was in made them laugh or cry, it means everything to me.