Joseph Gordon Levitt won’t answer gay rumors: ‘That would be really tacky’

Joseph Gordon Levitt

Joseph Gordon Levitt covers the October issue of Out Magazine to promote Don Jon. He doesn’t quite look like a cartoon character on this cover, but damn, the Photoshop gods have not been good to JGL this week. It’s such a shame because he’s such a cutie. I don’t know if the mags are trying to make him look older and lose the babyface, but whatever the reason, it’s not working. Leave Joe’s face alone.

Other than the cover, this shoot isn’t too bad. Joe cuddles with a kitten and flaps his coat around sort of like Batman. Out’s piece is called “Return of the Leading Man.” JGL talks about all sorts of stuff including his transition from child star to adult actor, his brother’s passing, and his feelings on pr0n. Oh and he talks about those pesky gay rumors too:

Joseph Gordon Levitt

Leaving child stardom behind: “I auditioned for lots of little movies and no one wanted to put me in their creatively challenging roles because they didn’t think I could do it. And I don’t blame them. I was known for being on a farcical television show.”

He’s ambivalent toward fame: “It comes from a really young age. It can be really awkward and difficult to be thought of as this thing on TV. Before understanding it or being able to analyze it, I just knew it made me really anxious. I wouldn’t just say ‘No.’ I was way more convincing than that. I would first act confused, and then I would try to understand what they were saying. I would play the part.”

On his late brother, Dan: “He was so overwhelmingly positive and warm. One of my favorite things about hitRECord is how positive it is, especially compared to most of what goes on on the Internet, which can be snarky and cynical. I credit Dan with that. He couldn’t help but get swept up in it, and it makes me so happy that the momentum continues today. I’m on the site every day, and the fact there’s this warmth to it, it reminds me of him every time.”

On his hippie parents: “I think they both instilled into me and my brother the feeling that we’re part of the world, and that that’s important — that we’re all connected and everyone’s well-being is tied to each other. They’re hippies, but they were not so much about being flower children as getting something done, trying to stop this war, or changing civil rights or the feminist movement — and they still are that way.”

On his new film, Don Jon, in which he plays a pr0n addict: “I wasn’t interested in making a movie about pr0nography. I was interested in making a movie about how people treat each other like things, and all kinds of media can contribute to that. I’ve been working as an actor since I was a little kid, and I’ve always been fascinated, and a little horrified, by the way people relate to images they see on screen. Sometimes I feel I am seen as a thing more than a person, and I don’t think that’s unique to actors. I think everyone is subject to that kind of pigeonholing.”

On not refuting paparazzi allegations he is gay: “That would be really tacky — they would win if I had to clarify.”

[From Out Magazine]

Since the main character in Don Jon is comically obsessed with pr0n, I guess questions on the topic are inevitable. JGL seems very conscious about how that industry treats women, but it’s not like he can change things with Don Jon. Like he says above, his movie isn’t even really about pr0n.

I do like how Joe answered the question about gay rumors. Obviously, that kind of gossip doesn’t bother him at all. He has had girlfriends before, right? My gaydar isn’t going off for him at all.

Joseph Gordon Levitt

Joseph Gordon Levitt

Joseph Gordon Levitt

Joseph Gordon Levitt

Photos courtesy of Out magazine

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70 Responses to “Joseph Gordon Levitt won’t answer gay rumors: ‘That would be really tacky’”

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  1. Sloane Wyatt says:

    He’s cute, and I too love the way he handles his personal business. *coughJTCough*

    • TheOriginalKitten says:

      Me too, Sloane. He manages to come across as truthful and genuine without oversharing.
      Just a classy guy IMO.

      I wish there was a photo of him just smiling with dimples, wearing the shearling coat and holding the kitten. That would be perfect.

  2. Daahling says:

    I would totally hit it. Oh, yes!

  3. LB says:

    From what I’ve read, he’s had girlfriends and boyfriends (Michael Pitt being one of them) before.

    It’s a good response – it would be wrong to say anything if it’s only said due to the pressure of tabloids.

    • A says:

      Scared Straight
      March 21, 2012 Posted at 6:46 PM Posted by Lainey

      Blind Riddles
      Both are acclaimed actors. One’s an actor you find super cute. He’s popular and adorable, like dimples and old fashioned dresses. The other’s an actor I find super gross. And dramatic. And full of his own sh-t. He fronts like he’s dark. He’s difficult. The work is often beneath him. The work is often taken away from him because the attitude that it is beneath him is so often intolerable The two had a torrid affair. Which is nothing unusual, of course not. Except that dimples broke up with drama and drama practically had a psychotic break. There was a month-long spiral. A couple of times he came close to really hurting himself. He also threatened to expose them both, though no one is taking that seriously. As a result, his heartbreaker is trying, ignorantly, to go back to the other side of his bisexuality.

      • lori says:

        Sounds like James Franco.

      • QQ says:

        Yeah A i believe im one of her gossip soirees she confirmed it was him, And uh I kinda Love it! (id love to go to one of them things, usually after i troll fb and the internets for what were the reveals this year)

      • I Choose Me says:

        As a result, his heartbreaker is trying, ignorantly, to go back to the other side of his bisexuality.

        Don’t care whether JGL is bi or not but I’m puzzled by the use of ignorantly here. Does Lainey not understand what being bisexual means?

      • Tiffany :) says:

        I Chose Me, I thought the same thing.

  4. T.fanty says:

    Those pictures are really cute. He’s so likable;
    I just wish he looked less like a little boy.

    Re: the gay thing. If he’s not making a career out of hawking his personal life to the tabloids, then it’s nobody’s business what or who he does.

  5. A says:

    There was a Lainey blind last year that he had an affair with Michael Pitt and that he is bisexual.

    • T.fanty says:

      I hadn’t heard that. Personally, I would respect a man for being openly bi in this business. I’m tired of women in hetero relationships claiming they’re bi. It feels exploitative and I think a man admitting to being so would really open up up the conversation.

      • Ella says:

        Ugh, so a bisexual man is groundbreaking but a bisexual woman is exploitative and possibly a liar.

        Seems that no matter how far gay rights go, bisexuals (women especially) are always the ones who just can’t win.

        The gay community thinks they just “haven’t decided” or are too scared to come fully out, and the straight folks think they’re just faking it for attention.

        That said I do agree on how great it would be if a famous man came out as bisexual and opened up the conversation, but I hate this attitude towards bisexual women.

      • Venus says:

        Ummm, I’m married to a man and I’m bi. If I was in a committed relationship with a woman, I would still be bi. That’s the way it works — I’m not straight because I’m with a guy, and I’m not a lesbian because I’m with a woman. I don’t understand how you consider that to be “exploitative.”

        And I want to be that kitten!

      • T.fanty says:

        Sorry – I should clarify. In show business. The ones who openly claim bisexuality, or insinuate it even though they have never been seen with anything other than men. Eva Longoria did it, FFS. It’s the interview equivalent of grinding against your female friend in a club to pick up a man. My apologies if I offended; I assumed everyone would know I meant in the Hollywood context and that was wrong.

      • Pink says:

        T.Fanty

        Have a look at your country stats on lgbt populations. Bisexual women out number Bi men and lesbians, I bet.

        We dont know how sexuality quite works and let me tell you, there are very few studies into female sexuality! What we do know is that male and female sexuality are very different and may not even result from the same in-utero processes.

        No expert. Just a bisexual lady currently married to a man but aware of my sexual and romantic attraction to women.

      • T.fanty says:

        Hey – hope you got my amendment above. I misrepresented (or entirely failed to represent) my context. Personally, I believe sexuality is a spectrum and everyone has the capacity to go every way. I know many bi women IRL, but I’m criticizing the starlets who jump on the bandwagon because it comes across as a bit sexy to men.

        Please don’t make me be unwittingly controversial two days in a row!!

      • Pink says:

        Oh I wasnt trying to pile on, sorry if it felt that way. Now I feel bad ……………actually I dont but I would were it not for my black cold-as-ice heart.

        Let me just add (in a completely unaggressive way) that some of those bisexual starlets may be victims of an anti-lesbian culture. Bisexual women are still “available” whereas lesbians arent in the minds of guy audiences. Lesbians are “ball busters” “boner killers” “p*ssy hoarders”. And we all know male audiences determine what execs (who are also male) do in Hollywood.

        Anyway, this is why there are zero sex pot lesbians in showbiz. Lipstick lesbians come out only when the sexy girl roles dry up. So yeah, bisexuality provides a glass closet for femme gay women.

      • T.Fanty says:

        No offense taken! I just wanted to be ABSOLUTELY clear that I wasn’t generalizing and I was worried that I might have caused offense.

        I agree about the whole anti-lesbian thing (and think Amber Heard is a prime example of that), but I think it’s also characteristic of the general sexual misogyny of our culture to assume that women will “explore” other options before settling for a p#nis. At uni, we used to call them LUGS (Lesbians Until Graduation). Male sexuality is absolute – if a man is bi, he’s probably gay and that feels quite binary, but I feel that a lot of women play the “bi” card as a strategy to make themselves more available to men and it simply reinforces the stereotype of female sexuality being something that still ultimately depends on a phallus.

        And you can absolutely make that argument fro the lack of sexy lesbians in show business, too. Butch, or male-oriented lesbians (like Ellen) still manage lesbiansism as something that can’t exist without the man, because their identity is EITHER male or female. The trouble with bisexuality, in mainstream culture, is that it also obfuscates more general gender distinctions.

      • Venus says:

        Thanks for the clarification, but I have to admit I still take some offense. You have no idea about the actual sexuality of anyone in the public eye who is claiming bisexuality. They may be relatively closeted lesbians who feel that saying they’re bi is “safer” than coming out all the way. Or they may be bi. I’m not sure whose all these starlets are who are jumping on the sexy, cool bisexual bandwagon, anyway. “The ones who openly claim bisexuality, or insinuate it even though they have never been seen with anything other than men. Eva Longoria did it, FFS.” — Um, being bi means being sexually attracted to men and women. Just because you’ve never seen a particular star out with a chick doesn’t mean she’s not attracted to women.

        “Butch, or male-oriented lesbians (like Ellen) still manage lesbiansism as something that can’t exist without the man, because their identity is EITHER male or female. The trouble with bisexuality, in mainstream culture, is that it also obfuscates more general gender distinctions.” I have no idea what this means. Ellen is butch so she’s a “male-oriented” lesbian, whatever that means? BTW, I submit Portia del Rossi as a pretty f**king sexy lesbian.

      • Pink says:

        Portia is indeed hot. But note that she didnt comeout as pure gay until her age shifted her out of ‘hot babe’ roles/image. While i dont follow her career, I doubt she was ever high enough on the radar for male viewers to have cared, anyway.

        Imagine a genuine sex symbol saying they dont do d*ck AT ALL. Career ender.

      • T.fanty says:

        I cede the Portia point to an extent. I think that ultimately I agree with Pink on that one.

        And I do stand by the bulk of my statement. There’s a vast difference between people in the world who are in the public eye and people who sell their personal life for public consumption. I fully think Amber Heard was probably quite open before she upped her status with Depp and I have full sympathy for those pressured to stay in the closet. But, if like Longoria, a person trades on their personal life as part of their public image then they are fair game for my judgement. They opened the door and if there is a part of their life that they don’t want to be public then they shouldn’t try to sell themselves publicly. They choose to play *that* particular game. And part of it is making themselves sexually attractive and I do believe many women (and almost no men) do so by playing with the male-gaze-oriented version of sexuality. If they want to do that, fine. But I reserve my right to roll my eyes at them and I reserve my right to publicly wish a man had the courage to do the same.

      • T.fanty says:

        I cede the Portia point to an extent. I think that ultimately I agree with Pink on that one.

        And I do stand by the bulk of my statement. There’s a vast difference between people in the world who are in the public eye and people who sell their personal life for public consumption. I fully think Amber Heard was probably quite open before she upped her status with Depp and I have full sympathy for those pressured to stay in the closet. But, if like Longoria, a person trades on their personal life as part of their public image then they are fair game for my judgement. They opened the door and if there is a part of their life that they don’t want to be public then they shouldn’t try to sell themselves publicly. They choose to play *that* particular game. And part of it is making themselves sexually attractive and I do believe many women (and almost no men) do so by playing with the male-gaze-oriented version of sexuality. If they want to do that, fine. But I reserve my right to roll my eyes at them and I reserve my right to publicly wish a man had the courage to do the same. The world would be a lot more interesting if people were more playful about their sexuality.

      • Jolene says:

        UM, maybe they ARE BI. I certainly am.

      • Mindy says:

        @TFanty

        That would mean that any guy who “traded on their personal life” would be fair game for scrutiny, right? Jake Gyllenhaal, John Travolta, Hugh Jackman even Wentworth Miller have all at some point asserted hetero relationships. You good with forced outings?

        Purporting to know which way Longoria swings beyond what she tells us is obnoxious and kind of dangerous. How could you possibly know either way. And even if you could know, it would remain none of your business because even though she has “traded on her personal life” she retains the right to control our access to that life. Much like Wentworth issued a statement in 2006 refuting the gay rumors and was allowed to get away with that even while many insiders thought otherwise.

        God knows I am not one to throw sexism accusations but I do feel that queer women get a very raw deal. I intentionally used male examples of rumored gays because over the years it has become clear to me that they are treated with greater sensitivity. As though their circumstance makes them more vulnerable than women in the same boat. When as Pink states, young feminine lesbians are clearly being forced to closet too for a career. Can you imagine someone getting away with suggesting that Frank Ocean faked that still unnamed boyfriend for the attention?? That he is not bisexual?!

        The damage caused by straight girls faking bisexuality is miniscule compared to that caused by people who take it upon themselves to police sexuality.

      • Sardinia says:

        Mindy, some of that sexism is on prominent display in the comments under the Sara Gilbert story. An important story about a girl coming to terms with her sexuality has somehow become about the dude she dated as a teen years ago. Fran Dresher and Arianna Huffington were actually married to gay men who they supported to come out. Those commenters would not be wetting themselves over what Fran and Arianna did, for sure. If anything, they would be saying how BRAVE those men are for coming out and asking how those women married gay men in the first place.

      • T.Fanty says:

        Hell yes, men are fair game, and if a man had to play sexually ambigous to get ahead I’d be all over that, too. I’ve taken a whole heap of crap on more than one occasion for criticizing Robin Thicke. Compare the fact that people are actually debating the extent of Thicke’s exploitation and defending his video versus how universally and brutally people are going after Miley. It’s a TOTAL double standard.

        For the record, I thought my original statement was supportive of people who are actually bi. I’m just slamming the people who pantomime it in a way that perpetuates the straight-male defined standards of sexuality. I’d criticize men for doing it, but no young male movie stars are trying to generate Daily Mail pages by admitting they find other men attractive. Tom Hardy nearly did it, but he decided to backtrack (and I judge him a little for that). The more starlets jump on the Katy Perry bandwagon, claiming that “I like women” in spite of never actually being seen with anything other than a man, the more it promotes the idea that lesbianism or bi-sexuality is a stop-gap until a man comes a long. It also insinuates that it’s a “phase” that a woman does until a man comes along. All of this reinforces a gay/straight binary that effectively pushes bisexuality out of the conversation, which is kind of present in all of the objections listed above.

      • Mindy says:

        I dont for a second think you are biphobic btw, I just think you are misguided.

        My point was that you have no way of knowing who or what Katy Perry or anyone else is attracted to. One can afterall be bisexual and NEVER have dated same sex. By way of example, many gay men have never dated other men but that doesnt make them straight though.

        And let me hastily add that she may just in the past few years fallen for guys because well, thats how that went down. Or she may have dated girls and because of the hostility actually dating a girl generates (remember Lindsay and Sam?) does so quietly. Who knows?! Certainly not you.

        Are there women playing at bisexuality? Probably. Should they be called out? Absolutely Not. What criteria would you even begin to apply? Same goes for gay men playing at straight to titillate female audiences and retain a heart throb status. Those motives are hardly pure either but we never want a witch hunt situation that could easily victimise innocents.

        I am confused by the Robin Thicke tie in but for the record I agree he got off easy for that video and the VMAs. A definite double standard. But in regards to his possibly open marriage, I take a non-judgemental view. What adults do or claim to do is not my concern.

  6. Zoë says:

    Kinda off topic but I remember him playing a gay character on that 70s’ show. That was my first discovery of him.

  7. bns says:

    Why is it tacky? If he wants to keep his personal life private then fine, but I don’t see how it would be tacky for him to clarify it. No big deal.

    • MBP says:

      It’s not a “one or the other” question at all, just fyi 🙂

    • booger says:

      Because whenever the press dogs actors about gay rumours, it reinforces that being gay is something sensational, shocking, and even shameful. Actors who vehemently deny being gay and assure that they are straight encourage these negative connotations.

      • T.C. says:

        +10000 Booger

        I think JGL is a true Gay ally. He doesn’t want to deny it and make the press associate being gay with shame.

  8. carol says:

    “I wasn’t interested in making a movie about pr0nography. I was interested in making a movie about how people treat each other like things, and all kinds of media can contribute to that. I’ve been working as an actor since I was a little kid, and I’ve always been fascinated, and a little horrified, by the way people relate to images they see on screen. Sometimes I feel I am seen as a thing more than a person, and I don’t think that’s unique to actors….” very interesting statement. He’s right, we are a consumerist society and we even ‘consume’ people, thus we think of them as objects.

  9. Pastyousayyouneverknew says:

    Don’t really think “tacky” is the right word, nothing tacky about Wentworth Miller taking a stand the way he has this year but I agree that it’s his business and if he doesn’t want to talk about it, then it’s cool. He makes good movies, that should be the focus.

  10. Kristin says:

    Gay or not, I don’t give a damn! He’s just too damn cute for words:) I seriously love this guy!

  11. blue marie says:

    I like the pictures and the kitten. He seems like a really nice guy. As for the gay rumors, it’s really no one’s business but his own.

    • j.eyre says:

      I really like him and this is a nice interview but… he has a kitten. A little, small-faced wuzzy kitty. It’s in his jacket and he’s pretending to steal it. A kitten.

      There’s my pr0n; I am bookmarking that shot as my Happy Place for today.

  12. Kemper says:

    OMG the kitty pic!!! He is amazing in The Lookout. A must see for ant JGL fan. Now give me the kitty.

  13. shitler says:

    He comes across very well in interviews.. I hope his movie does well

  14. Elodie says:

    That would be really tacky — they would win if I had to clarify.”

    well I didn’t know it was a game (or partly a game since once in the Hollywood machine one has to sell a certain image), some people address it, others don’t, to each their choice, nothing really tacky, except perhaps the tacky should be the way the media treat your public image and invade your privacy? other than that no biggie…

  15. Kiddo says:

    I don’t know if the word tacky is the best choice of descriptors, but some people are very private regardless of their sexual orientation. They may consider divulging any intimate details of relationships in their lives as tacky, in general. If he spewed about women he has dated, then the statement is more loaded. However, I don’t recall him ever going gonzo in the press with any relationship. Maybe I’m wrong?

  16. eliza says:

    I love this guy and I am not sure why everyone thinks people need to clarify their sexuality. No one asks if you sre straight, why should anyone ask and get an answer about being gay? This need to identify everyone’s sexuality in this country has become a sick obsession. Gay, straight, bi, transexual WHO CARES. People are people. End of story.

  17. Ellen says:

    But it’s almost always the LGBTQ actors who claim privacy, isn’t it? It’s not like there’s a glass closet for straight people. Which sucks, but SEEMS to be fact, at least in Hollywood.

  18. booger says:

    He’s not saying that revealing your sexual preferences and personal life is tacky. He’s saying that vehemently denying being gay, as though there’s something shameful about it, is tacky.

  19. Virgilia Coriolanus says:

    All this interview did (the gay rumors part) was remind me just how much John Blake/Bane porn I read…..hehehehehe.

    If Tom Hardy was single and gay/bisexual then, I’d want to get a viewing of THAT action!

  20. Nadia_R says:

    I have liked JGL since his Tommy days in 3rd Rock from the Sun. He is a good actor who does interesting roles and shows a lot of promise. If the Don Jon reviews are anything to go by, he may even be a good director. I predict he will surpass Gosling mania in the long run. In short, he does good work and stays out of trouble. His sexual orientation is irrelevant.

  21. Samigirl says:

    I love him, and I looooove how he answered the gay question. BUT, I think Johnny Galecki wins for best response to gay rumors. =)

  22. Yelly says:

    I’d hit it with him all day and all night. And why’s there always gotta be gay rumors? Just because the guy doesn’t whore himself out in the tabloids doesn’t mean he’s gay.

  23. Decloo says:

    Is there some reason why we have to say “pr0n” instead of “porn?” Or is “pr0n” something different that I am not aware of?

  24. Lucy says:

    I love him!!!

  25. magpie says:

    Didn’t he date Devon Akoi?

  26. Eileen says:

    I found an app on my appleTv that lets me watch old shows in rotation and ‘3rd Rock from the Sun’ is one of them. I’ve been watching tons of episodes-it used to be my favorite show when I was a kid.
    He was SO adorable back then!
    …..and smoking HOT now. I don’t get a gay vibe from him…but Bi would make sense. Regardless…I’d hit it!

  27. Sarah says:

    Lainey says that he is gay. Or at least that he had been in relationships with men before. He is “dimples” in her blinds. She revealed it at one of her Smut Soirées.

  28. Reece says:

    It looks like he’s hoarding the kitten in the first pic. Like I wouldn’t want to go in his house because of things i wouldn’t be able to unsee.

    Which is why I stopped watching those hoarding shows.

  29. Janet says:

    He’s right. I’ve always liked him, he’s a good actor and I hope one day he gets to win an Oscar.

  30. Bodhi says:

    I take anything Lainey has to say with a MASSIVE handful of salt. She says that she is super connected with all kinds of people all over, but some of her posts read like paid shilling for publicists & studios

  31. Lauren says:

    Am I the only one who doesn’t like him? He seems so cocky. He’s got smugface.