Why Bobby Abbott From Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F Looks So Familiar
Eddie Murphy returns to the land of the billionaires and the beautiful to crack a new case in Netflix's "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley," and with the new movie come some familiar faces to bring the funny as well.
In addition to Taggart (John Ashton) and Billy (Judge Reinhold) being roped into the madness of another adventure, Axel is also joined by some young blood in the form of Detective Bobby Abbott, who has a connection that might not sit right with Detroit's finest — he's the ex of Foley's own daughter, Jane (Taylour Paige). Thankfully, this new cop on the block has some things going for him, not the least of which is that he's played by the consistently charming Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Levitt, like so many of Hollywood's finest, spent his childhood in front of the camera, where he grew into a talent that's an always welcome addition to any project he puts his name to. The actor's filmography is comprised of a long list of hits that have seen the star work under an incredible collection of creators, including Rian Johnson, Christopher Nolan, Marc Webb, and more. Here, we run down some projects that you may have seen him appear in, and if they're not on your watch list already, they absolutely should be.
10 Things I Hate About You made a name for Joseph Gordon-Levitt and another icon in-the-making
With a career starting to flourish, thanks to his time on "3rd Rock from the Sun" and earlier appearances in films like "Angels in the Outfield," Joseph Gordon-Levitt's name got just a little bit bigger when he appeared alongside Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, and Larisa Oleynik in "10 Things I Hate About You." The high-school-set adaptation of William Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" casts Gordon-Levitt as Cameron, a lovestruck teen who is pulled into a tangled web of teenage romance that he hopes will see him win the affections of Oleynik's Bianca.
While the teen rom-com remains a favorite to some fans 25 years later, there are moments in the movie that make even Gordon-Levitt himself cringe. In an interview with Vanity Fair, the actor revealed that even now fans still repeat "... and he's back in the game" to him, a line that Cameron says to himself after kissing his on-screen interest for the first time and one the actor isn't a fan of.
"So that's one of those lines that is really hard to do because it's completely unrealistic," Gordon-Levitt said, though he acknowledged that it might still have been necessary for the moment. "So if you can help the audience out and say what you're feeling, it makes the audience feel great, and people still talk to me about that line, even though in real life, no one would ever say that, but in that moment it could happen, but he wouldn't say that."
Brick laid the foundations of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's next chapter in his career
Long before director Rian Johnson was sparking totally civil discussions amongst the "Star Wars" community and turning Daniel Craig into a detective, he was putting Joseph Gordon-Levitt to work as a high school student on the hunt for the truth. In Johnson's directorial debut, "Brick," the young actor plays Brendan Frye, a young man following a trail of double-crosses and seedy criminal dealings while searching for the killer of his ex-girlfriend, Emily (Emilie de Ravin).
For Gordon-Levitt, "Brick" is undeniably a career-defining role. It allowed him to shake off the child star label and transform into an up-and-coming talent with serious acting potential. However, the project took its toll on the actor, who mirrored his character's attitude even after Johnson yelled, "Cut!"
Speaking to IGN in 2006, the star admitted, "I was pretty driven during 'Brick.' Brendan is the ultimately driven character. He never rests [and] he has such a narrow mindset." His time with Brendan lingered, Gordon-Levitt revealed. "When I was making Brick, all I wanted to do was do a good job. I didn't relax, I didn't really talk to my girlfriend for the four or five weeks we were doing it." Strains on his personal life aside, the effort paid off. "Brick" quickly became a cult classic and led Gordon-Levitt to reunite with Johnson for "Looper" before sharing his voice in both of the "Knives Out" mysteries so far. He sure did a great "Bong!" in "Glass Onion," right?
Joseph Gordon-Levitt spent a season in love with 500 Days of Summer
It was a story of boy meets girl, but you should know by now that it was not a love story. While some might enjoy having their heartstrings pulled by "500 Days of Summer," it's not for everyone and stands as one of those romantic comedies with a really messed up ending.
Marc Webb's vibrant but occasionally crushing story of the making and breaking of Tom (Gordon-Levitt) meeting Summer (Zooey Deschanel) is one of the few stories about love that continues to leave those who watch it divided years after it was released. In fact, in a recent interview promoting "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F," Gordon-Levitt himself cleared up details about why the film is so often misinterpreted.
Speaking to inews, Gordon-Levitt broke down the crucial scene that highlights everything the film is trying to tell audiences, even if it still might not be heard after all this time. At one point in the film, Summer tells Tom a story about a dream she had. "[T]he narrator just starts talking over her," the actor recalled. "This is a great cinematic representation of a selfish young man who's not even listening to his girlfriend. He's thinking all about himself. It's no wonder she broke up with him."
Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Nolan double-bill with Inception and The Dark Knight Rises was a dream come true
It takes a lot to earn multiple gigs working with Christopher Nolan, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt landed himself a pair of back-to-back projects with the acclaimed director with "Inception" and "The Dark Knight Rises."
Standing in the top half of the rankings of Christopher Nolan movies, "Inception" casts Gordon-Levitt as Arthur, the point man of the dream team led by Leonardo DiCaprio's Cobb. He then helps Batman take back Gotham City in "The Dark Knight Rises" as GCPD cop John Blake, a role that sent the internet into a fan-fueled tornado when it was revealed he was secretly Nolan's iteration of Robin.
While some were disappointed with the handling of the reveal, Nolan set it up as an ambiguous bow at the end of his revered iteration of DC Comics' Caped Crusader. Looking back on the part, Gordon-Levitt can't help but compare Nolan's end reveal to the mass production machine that comic book movies have since become. "He never wanted to make any more movies. This was an ending to his trilogy," Gordon-Levitt explained to Inverse. "It's funny, we look back on it now with the context of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — everything is a sequel to a sequel to a sequel. But back in those olden days, doing a trilogy was a lot, and that was how it was thought of."
Joseph Gordon-Levitt got the best praise possible for his turn in Looper
The sci-fi thriller "Looper" marked the second time director Rian Johnson would call on the aid of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, this time casting the actor as a hitman who catches his older self, played by the legendary Bruce Willis, in his crosshairs. Earning this site's designation of one of the best sci-fi movies ever made (not that there's any favoritism involved), "Looper" is an immensely layered time travel tale that became a lot easier for Gordon-Levitt to sink his teeth into when he got the unofficial approval of his co-star.
Looking back on his career with Vanity Fair, Gordon-Levitt recalled a time when, after shooting a heated scene with the present and future versions of Joe (Gordon Levitt and Willis) arguing, he caught his iconic co-star saying something that stuck with him like a badge of honor. "It was right after they said 'Cut,' he was turning away and walking back to his mark. He didn't even say it to me, he just kind of said to himself, 'Sounds like me.'"
Willis was referring to Gordon-Levitt's effort to play a younger version of the older actor's seasoned hitman, and it was all the younger star needed in order to know he'd done a good job. "I just turned to myself and went, 'F***ing yes!' I think knowing him, that was really his ultra-generous way of paying me a compliment, but it was very kind to do it in that way."
Don Jon was Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut
Proving himself a man of many talents, in 2013, Joseph Gordon-Levitt decided to add directing to his creative résumé with "Don Jon." The film, which he both wrote and starred in, saw Gordon-Levitt as an Italian-American barman whose relationship with pornography impacts the real one he has with a potential new love, played by Scarlett Johansson.
The actor-turned-director earned praise from critics for his first-time filmmaking effort. But before he fully committed to the project, he was given words of warning from Christopher Nolan himself about spinning so many plates at once.
Gordon-Levitt told The Huffington Post that his "Inception" director was wary of the workload's potential effect on the actor. "I told him I was going to act and direct at the same time and he was like, 'Are you sure you want to do that?' So, he wasn't just like, 'Do whatever you want.'" The daring actor reassured Nolan as best he could. "I said I really do and he was like, 'OK, but I'm raising my hand now and saying that you might want to think about that. That's a whole extra challenge that you maybe want to do your second time.'" The advice was taken on board and, thankfully, Gordon-Levitt pulled the task off regardless. "Most people probably wouldn't want to ask me that and I'm glad he did."