The Big Picture

Joseph Gordon-Levitt explains why Flora and Son presented a new challenge for him. Levitt wrote a letter to convince director John Carney that he was the right actor for the role. He also discusses why Apple TV is the perfect home for Flora and Son.

From writer-director, John Carney, Flora and Son is his latest modern musical to explore how music creates human connection when the world starts to feel a little too heavy. Flora and Son stars Eve Hewson and Orén Kinlan in the titular roles and enlists the talents of Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Flora’s L.A.-based guitar teacher, Jeff.

Talking with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Levitt shares why, although he rarely gets nervous on set, working on Flora and Son proved to be one of the most nerve-wracking roles of his career, including working alongside Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln. In the film, Jeff helps Flora understand the impact music can have when he plays her renditions of “I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)” and Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.” According to Levitt, making music in a film has been on his bucket list, and for Carney’s Flora and Son, they took a rather “unconventional” approach.

Find out why Levitt wrote Carney a letter for his role in the movie, what makes Apple TV the perfect home for a dramedy like this one, if he’ll return to host for Saturday Night Live, and what he knows about Rian Johnson’s Knives Out 3. You can watch the full interview at the top of this article, or you can read the transcript below.

Flora and Son A single mom at war with her son is trying to find a hobby for him. One day, she rescues a guitar from a dumpster. Release Date September 29, 2023 Director John Carney Cast Eve Hewson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Oren Kinlan, Jack Reynor Rating R Runtime 97 minutes Main Genre Drama

Read Our ‘Flora and Son’ Review

COLLIDER: Always a pleasure to see you. I am a big fan of your work, and you are great in this. This is just what we call a really, really, really good movie.

JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT: I feel like it is, too, man. I’m really happy to be in it. It is a really good movie.

It really is. I have nothing but positive things to say. But listen, there’s going to be people out there who’ve never seen anything you’ve done before, so besides this movie, which obviously everyone should see, what is the first thing you’d like them watching and why?

LEVITT: Oh, wow, that’s interesting. Well, if you’re watching Flora and Son on Apple TV+, I’m not just saying it because of them, but I made a show called Mr. Corman that also came out on Apple a couple of years ago, and I wrote a lot of it and directed a lot of it. It’s also kind of Sundance-y. You know, Flora and Son came out of Sundance. Mr Corman never played at Sundance, but it’s very much in that spirit of kind of weird ‘90s indie movies in a half-hour dramedy, and I’m very, very proud of it. Yeah, watch that one.

How ‘Flora and Son’ Challenged Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Image via Apple TV+

You have done so many cool things in your career. What was the project that, before you stepped on set the first day, you were probably the most nervous to play that role?

LEVITT: Oh, that’s interesting. Well, I don’t get easily nervous. Playing opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln was pretty exciting. Hosting SNL was very nerve-wracking. That’s not exactly a role in a movie. But actually—and I’m not just saying this—Flora and Son, because I’m singing and playing guitar in it, I was way more nervous for those scenes than I usually am for a shoot day.

I’ve always wanted to make music in a movie and this is really kind of the first time I got to, and so I had been practicing and singing. We shot some of these scenes in a sort of unconventional way. Usually, for a musical, you go and sing in a studio. You do lots of takes, and they edit together the best pieces of all the takes, and then when you shoot you lip sync to what you sang before. We did do that on some of the songs, but on some of the songs, we just recorded them for real when it was just me singing and playing guitar, and there wasn’t other stuff going on. So, those days I definitely had some nerves, which again is kind of irregular for me. But to just sit there and sing a whole song and play it with no accompaniment and no editing or anything, that challenged me in a very thrilling way. But it is a challenge.

Why Joseph Gordon-Levitt Wrote John Carney a Letter
Image via The Weinstein Company

I am a big fan of John Carney, just like you and just like so many people, and I am just curious when you found out you could work with him, how much did you pay him to be in the movie?

LEVITT: I had to convince him. It’s really true. He initially was thinking that this role should be played by a musician, like a great, well-known professional musician. I wrote him a whole letter about how, like, “Man, I’m telling you, you don’t want a big golden-voiced rock star to play this part. You want an actor, and you want kind of a normal guy who can sing and who can play—and I’ll sing, and I’ll play, and I’ll practice, and I’ll do it all well—but who’s more a little grounded and down to Earth, and more than anything just feels like a real person. That’s what’s gonna make this character really pop.” And luckily I was able to convince him of that.

By the way, you’re 100% right. If some big name had been in the role, honestly, I don’t think it would have worked for me. I think it’s because you’re playing a normal person.

LEVITT: [Laughs] Right.

What Makes Apple TV the Perfect Fit for ‘Flora and Son’

You guys premiered at Sundance and then you were one of the big sales and went to Apple. I think this movie is perfect for Apple. It’s a great fit. What was it like for you premiering at Sundance and having it sell, you know what I mean? It’s really cool.

LEVITT: We had the quintessential Sundance experience. I’ve been lucky to have it a few times in my career, like it happened with Brick, which is Rian Johnson’s first movie. 500 Days of Summer was a little different because it was already at Fox Searchlight, and it wasn’t playing in competition. It had already been sold. Don Jon was another one. We made that as an independent movie without distribution and had that night where people first saw it and then buyers were coming at us, and we’re like, “Thank god, buyers want to buy it. Who should we…?” And that whole experience that you’ve heard of. It was a real thrill to get to live it.

With Flora and Son, it was the same. I also want to say you’re absolutely right. It really fits at Apple. Like I said, I did another show at Apple, and having them with this movie, they really have a slightly different mentality than a lot of the other big streamers. Frankly, I think it’s because they don’t make their money with movies; they make their money with phones. So, their thing is more about like, “Let’s actually just make sure that the stuff has an integrity to it and is beautiful and good. Let’s respect the artists.” There’s a tradition at Apple of respecting individuals as opposed to just looking at data and market research and things like that. I’ve had a really good experience at Apple. I’m glad to have this movie there.

I mean this sincerely, and I think some of the other streamers will get mad at me for saying this, but if I had to cancel my streamers, I would keep Apple. I really love the sci-fi they’re making. They just make really good stuff, and I really think it’s a great fit.

LEVITT: Well, thank you for saying so. I mean, I’m not them [laughs], but I thank you on their behalf.

Is Joseph Gordon-Levitt in ‘Knives Out 3’?
Image via Lionsgate

Totally. So, two quick things: One, you were a great host at SNL. I could pinpoint a whole bunch of skits and the opening monologue, but any plans on going back to that?

LEVITT: Yeah, call them up. Tell them that the guy from Flora and Son wants to host.

My last thing for you: I know your relationship with Rian; have you been talking about possibly a Knives Out 3?

LEVITT: No. The answer is no. [Laughs]

Flora and Son is available to stream on Apple TV in the U.S.

Watch on Apple TV