Joseph Gordon-Levitt on why 'pop culture is pornographic'

"I considered myself an artist even back then. Which, I grant, was pretentious. But a lot of pop culture is pornographic." Photo / Getty Images

Joseph Gordon-Levitt thinks "pop culture is pornographic".

The 39-year-old actor - who found global fame as a teenager on the hit sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun - has claimed that everything in mainstream culture is now objectified.

He reflected: "I considered myself an artist even back then. Which, I grant, was pretentious. But a lot of pop culture is pornographic.

"We don't see people as people. We see them as things, and when we watch pornography we don't see the people in the video as people either.

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whodat⚜️

A post shared by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (@hitrecordjoe) on Nov 13, 2018 at 3:36pm PST

"We don't think about who they are or what their lives are like. We just see them as a thing. We do that to each other in general.

"We put labels on people and objectify them, rather than trying to understand them as a whole person."

Gordon-Levitt also admitted to being "guarded" about his personal life because he doesn't enjoy being objectified.

He told the Sunday Times newspaper: "I'm guarded about not putting myself out there for that sort of consumption of objectification."

Last month, he admitted to "having a blast" amid the coronavirus lockdown.

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Whoa I just got nominated for an Emmy? Did NOT expect that 😃 I loved hosting Sesame Street’s 50th Anniversary Special. Honestly one of the highlights of my career and my life. And now this. Thank you!!

A post shared by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (@hitrecordjoe) on May 21, 2020 at 3:13pm PDT

The Hollywood star has relished the opportunity to spend a prolonged period of time at home with his wife Tasha McCauley and their two sons, revealing he's tried to remain creative during the lockdown.

He shared: "I'm here with my family having a blast together.

"It sounds weird to say that when you see people struggling with their health, what's happening with the economy and [a] weird polarisation where people are seeing what's happening in such different lights.

"That's all quite stressful, which is why I've been trying to focus on just doing something creative every day, staying productive and spending time with my family."