At 44, Joseph Gordon-Levitt still retains his boyish good looks, flashing the dimpled Mona Lisa smile that made him a leading beau in 500 Days of Summer and Don Jon—which he also wrote and directed. We’ve seen Gordon-Levitt in movies since 1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You, but now the actor and filmmaker is trading scripts for Substack. His newsletter, Joe’s Journal, covers media, technology, “the end of civilization as we know it, and credible reasons for optimism.” In the three months since its launch, Gordon-Levitt has amassed almost half a million subscribers. To celebrate, he shares his least favorite things. —Carolina de Armas
Least favorite number: 42.
Least favorite color: Taupe.
Least favorite team: Boston Celtics.
Preferred deadly sin: Lust.
Book you never finished: The Neverending Story, by Michael Ende.
Film you walked out of: Why are all these questions so negative?
Item of clothing you would never wear: I’ll try anything twice.
Worst form of transport: “Oh really, what happened next? Did you fly through the air incredibly, like a bird?”
Preferred form of revenge: Forgive them—for they know not what they do.
Favorite curse word: “E chu ta.”
Least favorite habit (in you): Seeing things in a negative light.
Least favorite habit (in others): Being afraid to deliver bad news.
Least favorite apology: “As a company, we take the safety of our users very seriously. We are continuing to add new safety features that you can read about here:”
Least favorite conversational topic: Complaints.
Least favorite present you’ve received: That horse with those fucked-up teeth.
Person you’d least like to share a lifeboat with: Your mom.
Words you’d hate to have spoken behind your back: “You can’t say that to him.”
Thing you said but wish you hadn’t: “No.”
Thing you didn’t say but wish you had: “No.”
Worst advice you’ve ever gotTEN: “Never change.”
Worst advice you’ve ever given: “Look, you’ve got time for Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts.”
Last words before execution: “Thanks again.”
Joseph’s Inessentials
