Real life is not the same as a movie. "People say to me, 'If only my life could be like that movie you were in,'" Gordon-Levitt says, describing some of the things his fans tell him. "If only I could have somebody like you in that movie."
While obviously flattered, the unrealistic expectations moviegoers often develop while suspending their disbelief don't necessarily sit right with Gordon-Levitt. He says it's startling. So naturally, he "wanted to tell a story that pokes fun at that."
In "Don Jon," Gordon-Levitt plays Jon Martello, your typical strong, handsome, good old-fashioned guy, the kind that gets all the girls, all the time -- except he's also hooked on pornography.
Scarlett Johansson plays Barbara Sugarman, a bright, beautiful, good old-fashioned girl looking for her Prince Charming -- except that she believes, literally, in riding off into the sunset.
"The guy watches too much pornography and the girl watches too many romantic Hollywood movies," Gordon-Levitt explained. So, you can kind of see where this is going. It's romantic. And it's funny. But that's not quite enough for Gordon-Levitt's tastes.
"I'll laugh with you for like a good sketch half-hour," he said. "But if I'm gonna watch a whole movie, a whole 90 minutes, I need a little something more."
And this one definitely offers more. This story about love, sex, and false expectations opens Friday.
(Don Jon clips courtesy of Relativity Media.)