Actor Lives for Parts, Not Paychecks

By GREG HERNANDEZ

Some child stars end up on reality shows like “The Surreal Life,” in rehab or behind bars. Not Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the 27-year-old actor who began acting at the age of 6 and achieved fame as a teenager on the NBC sitcom “Third Rock From the Sun” as extraterrestrial Tommy Solomon.

But he was always more interested in good roles than fame and his career post-”Third Rock” has been a steady stream of acclaimed roles in such independent films as “Mysterious Skin,”"Brick,”"The Lookout” and “Manic.”

“I’m honored and blessed,” Joseph said when we spoke recently.

“I get to do work with artists who I admire and I couldn’t be happier. … It’s no fun doing a movie that I wouldn’t like. I try to do movies that I would like.”

A movie that he really likes is “Stop-Loss,” a military drama that hit theaters this weekend. Joseph plays one of the soldiers serving in Iraq with his hometown buddies, portrayed by Ryan Phillippe and Channing Tatum, among others. The action begins in Iraq, then follows the group back home, where they try to resume lives that have forever changed.

“I didn’t know any soldiers personally before I took this movie and having done the movie, I’ve made friends with a bunch of guys that have been over there and have been through it, and it’s been enlightening,” he said. “What soldiers do is, I think, braver than just about anything a human being can do.

“I was playing pretend. We hung out with real soldiers who had been over there and been through it, just soaked it up from them. And they were always around us — before we made the movie, while we were making the movie. A lot of the guys you see in the background in scenes are real soldiers.”

Joseph’s character in the film is especially traumatized by horrific events that took place in Iraq and comes home an emotionally damaged person. But the actor said “Stop-Loss”"doesn’t preach one simplistic message. That’s what’s good about it. It presents the story of some people’s lives. That’s why I’m so proud of it.”

Since Joseph has already accomplished such an outstanding body of work for someone so young, I wondered what he looks for when choosing a part.

“I want to work with people who love what they’re doing and not just doing it for a paycheck,” he said. “Kimberly Peirce, who directed ‘Stop-Loss’ made ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ before this, which I think is one of the best movies to come out in recent times. She’s a quintessential artist, she loves what she’s doing and is doing it because she believes in it. And I think she hired a bunch of actors to work on a movie who felt the same way.”

(c) 2008 Daily News; Los Angeles, Calif.. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.