Joseph Gordon Levitt is playing the best friend to Duke, leader of G.I. Joe in the film adaptation of the 1980s cartoon - and this same best friend may turn out to be Cobra Commander. But what attracted Levitt to the film? Well, Movies Online caught up to the actor and asked him just that.

Levitt said:

Well what attracted me to being in G.I. Joe was when they showed me the drawings of the character that I was going to get to play. I love the idea of just getting to play something way, way larger and huger than life. It's kind of the opposite of Stop Loss, in fact. Stop Loss is a realistic portrayal of what it's like to be a solider today. I think movies can be two things - or many things. Movies can be any number of things, they can be - despite the fact that some people don't believe this - but I think movies can be a meaningful and profound work of art about humanity.

They can also be just a spectacle for pure entertainment and that's another tradition. And that's the tradition that G.I. Joe fits into, as opposed to Stop Loss, which is, I think, a layered and profound human story. G.I. Joe is not layered or profound at all; it's just a big thrill ride...it's like have some fun. And it's a lot of fun. And when I saw those drawings of the character I was going to get to play, I got that feeling of like just being a kid and wow, that's so cool, and I get to be that and yeah...that's why I wanted to do it.

G.I. Joe is currently filming and is scheduled for an August 7, 2009 release. The film stars Ray Parks, Sienna Miller, Rachel Nichols, Said Taghmaoui, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Marlon Waynes, Channing Tatum, Dennis Quiad, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Arnold Vosloo, Karolina Isela Kurkov and Christopher Eccleston.