Gordon-Levitt on realistic war movie 'Stop-Loss'
Ed Komenda
Issue date: 3/26/08 Section: The Edge
You may know him as the teenage alien from "Third Rock From the Sun," or maybe even the kid in that Disney flick who could see "Angels in the Outfield." He's also played a genius, adolescent detective in "Brick" - a role that would make old Bogie proud. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has played many diverse roles, and with his latest film, "Stop-Loss," he adds yet another as an American soldier.
Directed by Kimberly Pierce ("Boys Don't Cry"), "Stop-Loss" showcases the events surrounding United States army Sgt. Brandon Leonard King (Ryan Phillipe), who refuses to return to war after being called back to duty. Gordon-Levitt is Tommy Burgess, another veteran mentally plagued by the gears of war.
Crazy Tommy Burgess is different from anything else Gordon-Levitt has taken on. He said in a conference call the role is more realistic and it made him look at the world and the Iraqi conflict in a new light.
"We never really hear what it's like to be a human being over there. We're told of soldiers in terms of numbers and in terms of politics, and the fact is that the men and women over there are not just numbers and not just policies; they're human beings.
"And that's what 'Stop-Loss' is all about - trying to get people to consider it from the point of view of the human beings in the mix as opposed to the systems and the money and all the other things that we hear about every day," Gordon-Levitt said.
The 27-year-old actor accredited his beloved director, Kimberly Pierce, with helping him see the big picture, saying, "She's just about the smartest, strongest observer of humanity that I've ever met."
In preparing for his role as Tommy Burgess, Gordon-Levitt spent days surrounded by real Army sergeants, commandos and veterans. His refined view of the United States military is perhaps the driving force that pushed "Stop-Loss" along during production.
"If you talk about the U.S. military as a group of individual people, so many of the men and women that I've met who are in the military are honorable, brave, smart and cool people," Gordon-Levitt said. "And I have the utmost admiration and respect for them."
Directed by Kimberly Pierce ("Boys Don't Cry"), "Stop-Loss" showcases the events surrounding United States army Sgt. Brandon Leonard King (Ryan Phillipe), who refuses to return to war after being called back to duty. Gordon-Levitt is Tommy Burgess, another veteran mentally plagued by the gears of war.
Crazy Tommy Burgess is different from anything else Gordon-Levitt has taken on. He said in a conference call the role is more realistic and it made him look at the world and the Iraqi conflict in a new light.
"We never really hear what it's like to be a human being over there. We're told of soldiers in terms of numbers and in terms of politics, and the fact is that the men and women over there are not just numbers and not just policies; they're human beings.
"And that's what 'Stop-Loss' is all about - trying to get people to consider it from the point of view of the human beings in the mix as opposed to the systems and the money and all the other things that we hear about every day," Gordon-Levitt said.
The 27-year-old actor accredited his beloved director, Kimberly Pierce, with helping him see the big picture, saying, "She's just about the smartest, strongest observer of humanity that I've ever met."
In preparing for his role as Tommy Burgess, Gordon-Levitt spent days surrounded by real Army sergeants, commandos and veterans. His refined view of the United States military is perhaps the driving force that pushed "Stop-Loss" along during production.
"If you talk about the U.S. military as a group of individual people, so many of the men and women that I've met who are in the military are honorable, brave, smart and cool people," Gordon-Levitt said. "And I have the utmost admiration and respect for them."
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sally
posted 3/26/08 @ 7:38 AM CST
Joe Gordon-Levitt and Chan Tatum made their own TRAILER for Stop-Loss, to help promote the movie. I like it much better than the ones I saw on tv. You can see it at http://youtube. (Continued…)
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