“How aboutGeorge C. Scott as Patton?”
Then, he hits on another answer: “Michael Douglasas Gordon Gekko, fromOliver Stone’sWall Street.
“It’s an Icarus story,” the actor tells EW.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt preaches the gospel of Uber in ‘Super Pumped’.Elizabeth Morris/SHOWTIME
And the more you do that, the more you will lose touch with reality.
By the end, he’s a mad dog.”
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How much did you know about the story of Uber before joining this project?
Joseph Gordon-Levitt in ‘Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber’.Elizabeth Morris/SHOWTIME
It was pretty fascinating.
And Travis was one of the best in the world at that.
He did want to win at any cost, and he had a good time doing it.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt in ‘Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber’.Elizabeth Morris/SHOWTIME
And it made for a pretty fascinating story.
And people really loved him.
He was really winning, really inspiring, really positive, really high energy.
So finding that human complexity in both his strengths and his shortcomings was really important.
Was there anything in particular from those conversations that influenced or made its way into your performance?
Actors who play unlikable characters often talk about finding a way to relate to the character.
That’s an urge I think every human being has, because we’re animals.
This role requires a lot of monologues, a lot of intensity, a lot of energy.
Was there anything you found particularly difficult while filming it?
I’ll tell you the truth, man.
This was fun, and kind of came easy in a weird way.
I think a lot of that has to do with the writing being good.
People often ask me, “How do you memorize lines?”
And inSuper Pumped, I had alotof lines.
I say a lot of words.
But when the writing is good, it makes it pretty easy, because it just makes sense.
They made it pretty easy.
I think about this all the time.
I think entertainment deals in emotions, but it can’t deal in bigger, harder ideas.
It’s just not built for that.
One is sort of your animal brain; it’s emotional and it’s intuitive.
Then there’s your more rational, logical, and harder-working brain, and that second one is hard.
It takes a lot of energy.
Like, they proved scientifically that it takes more calories to run those processes.
It feels like work, and we don’t watch TV for work.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Super Pumped: The Battle for Uberpremieres Sunday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.
