Joseph Gordon-Levitt: His best performances to date

Simply put, it’s hard to find a more charming up and coming A-lister in Hollywood right now than Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He is one of the industries most uniquely talented actors, with an eye towards filmmaking as well. This week, he goes the raunchy buddy comedy route while mixing in the holiday movie route with The Night Before. Interestingly enough, this also re-teams him with a cast member and a director that led to some of his best work to date (Seth Rogen and Jonathan Levine, respectively. As such, I have a list of his best performances below for you to check out, after a bit on the new flick and what Gordon-Levitt’s career has been like so far… The Night Before is a comedy centered around three friends (Gordon-Levitt and Rogen, along with Anthony Mackie) who have a Christmas tradition of going out and partying. As age and life interfere, they plan on one last night out this holiday season, and it becomes a memorable one, to put it mildly. A cross between a raunchy comedy and a holiday themed romantic comedy, it’s a weird mix, but it works. Levine directs and co-writes with Evan Goldberg, Kyle Hunter, and Ariel Shaffir. In addition to the main trio of Gordon-Levitt, Mackie, and Rogen, the cast includes Jillian Bell, Lizzy Caplan, Nathan Fielder, James Franco, Ilana Glazer, Mindy Kaling, Michael Shannon (who steals the show), Lorraine Toussaint, and more. A primer/revisit on the actor now from my piece on him last year: Gordon-Levitt got his start at a young age, first working in television at the tender age of just seven. He’d continue with small parts on the small screen up until he got a few tiny roles in films, including A River Runs Through It. He got his first lead in the remake of Angels in the Outfield, where he was first noticed. If not there, it was when he became a part of the hit TV show 3rd Rock from the Sun. Gordon-Levitt was beginning to make his mark in entertainment, though unlike many child stars, this wasn’t the pinnacle of their careers. JGL’s screen presence was limited until he won over hearts in 10 Things I Hate About You. He and Heath Ledger made plenty of girls swoon, but critics took note of the talent they had. This film launched many a career, including our subject Gordon-Levitt’s. Plenty of people were excited [...]