Movies

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tony Danza reunite in ‘Don Jon’

It says a lot about Joseph Gordon-Levitt that he can make even a sex fiend charming. The actor stars in ā€œDon Jon,ā€ opening this Friday, as Jon, a New Jersey stud who indulges in pornography up to 11 times a day. In fact, he prefers it to having actual sex with Scarlett Johanssonā€™s character āœ±(say what?!). Not only did Gordon- Levitt write and direct the movie, he brought in Tony Danza ā€” his costar from 1994ā€™s ā€œAngels in the Outfieldā€ ā€” to play Jonā€™s father. The Post sat down with the two to talk porn, workouts and, much to Gordon-Levittā€™s chagrin, orgasm faces.

Was it awkward for you, Tony, to be directed by your former child co-star from ā€œAngels in the Outfieldā€?
Tony Danza: Not at all. First of all, he gave me the job, so youā€™re beyond awkward at that point. Coming up to this movie, he had worked with three of the greatest directors working today: Spielberg [āœ¤ā€œLincolnā€], Chris Nolan [ā€œThe Dark Knight Risesā€] and Rian Johnson [ā€œLooperā€]. When [Gordon-Levitt] was 12 years old on ā€œAngels in the Outfield,ā€ he was watching the direšŸŸctor. So believe me, when he was on those big movies, he was watching the director.

Joe, did you always know youā€™d eventually direct?
Joseph Gordon-Levitt: When I turned 21, my birthday present to myself was a copy of Final Cut, the video editing software.
TD: Not to be overly paternal, but there was a certain pride I had for him that he was doing this. I remember getting āœ…the script and thinking, ā€œWait a minute. He wrote this?ā€ Iā€™ve always thought Joseph ā€” Joe ā€” is a great talent and a brilliant guy and a driven guy. And he can do a backflip!

The men in the movie rank the womenā€™s hotness on a 10-point scale. What number are you?
JGL: [Laughs] Eleven.
TD: Well, if wešŸ”“ā€™re giving out 11sā€¦12. What do ya think oź§‚f that?

It seems like you both bulked up for the movie.
JGL: Heā€™s just like that! Heā€™s just crazy fit.
TD: Iā€™m in shape. What do you want from me?
JGL: This guy, even when I was at the height of training like crazy, we did a push-up competition, and he beat me. Barely, but he still beat me. Iā€™m 31 years old, ā™working out hours every day for the last 6 months, aāœ±nd this [62-year-old] guy still beat me in a push-up competition.

So what is an acceptable amount of porn for a man to be watching?
JGL: I donā€™t think thereā€™s any rule.
TD: I just think everybody [should] wait until theyā€™re 18 to do anything ā€” to do marijuana, to do drugs, drink, pornography. Just wait till youā€™re 18, so your brain is formed.
JGL: It depends on the 18-year-old.
TD: You really canā€™t make a rule, but the problem is that while weā€™re thinking about this, thereā€™s an 11-year-old going ā€œdinkā€ [gestures like heā€™s pressing a computer keyboard]. When I was a kid, if you wanted to get pornography, you had to raid your uncleā€™s stash of Playboā™ys. Or you had to go to the store and pick up a magazine. Youā€™re standing there with this magazine, your neighbor walks in. She looks at you like, ā€œHuh?ā€ That is a tremendous governor on behavior. You didnā€™t want to go through that. But if you could just press the button . . .

Joe, you make a lot of orgasm faces in this movie.
TD: [Laughs heartily.]
JGL: Keepinā€™ it classy, buddy.

How did you decide what they should look like?
TD: He watched ā€œWhen Harry Met Sally.ā€
JGL: I donā€™t know how to answer that question.

Well, were you trying to make it funny?
JGL: Of course! The movieā€™s a comedy. One of the funniest things is just šŸ·hearing the lines said in those phenomenal Jersey accents.

Tony, you grew up in Brooklyn ā€” how would you characterize the differences between the two accents?
TD: Brooklyn becomes really [voice gets guttural], itā€™s down here, you know? Itā€™s all the same, just the characterization is different.
JGL: My experience with accents in general is that everybodyā€™s an individual. Weā€™re not saying that everybody in New Jersey talks like Tony and I talk in this movie. Julianne Mooreā€™s character is also in New Jersey, and she speaks differently.
TD: So thereā€™s hope.