The Hollywood Reporter brings word Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Rainn Wilson will join Natalie Portman in the Spencer Susser directed indie dramedy Hesher.
The film centers on an awkward 13-year-old boy living with his pill-popping father (Wilson) and grandmother. His mother recently passed away and a loser twenty-something named Hesher (Gordon-Levitt) has entered the young man’s life serving as both a good and bad influence. Portman, who is producing the film with Lucy Cooper, plays a supermarket worker for whom the kid falls for after she saves him from a bully.
Gordon-Levitt is apparently really excited about the project, so much so he has written a short piece on Hesher at his blog writing:
Before starting work for Mr. Nolan [on Inception], I’m doing this independent film called HESHER. I love it. Don’t wanna tell you too much about it, specifically, because personally, I prefer watching movies that I don’t yet know much about. I will say that the director is named Spencer Susser, and he’s the genuine article. Natalie Portman is producing and playing a part, and I think it goes without saying how cool that is. And I’ve taken up smoking for the temporary time being — sorry kids!
And there’s another reason I wanted to break this news here among the hitRECorders. In the 20th Century, in the Old Media, actors (or any other type of artists) didn’t have a direct dialogue with their audience. They had to go through the press. Well times have changed, and I gotta say, I much prefer it this way. I think the Hollywood Reporter is going to report on this story tomorrow, and I’m super grateful, and they’re awesome for doing that. Still, it feels good to speak for myself.
For me, Susser is the unknown quantity with this film, but some Star Wars fans may recognize his work as he co-directed R2-D2: Beneath the Dome in 2001, a 20-minute mockumentary telling the never before told life story of the fictional robot R2-D2 from the Star Wars film series. I attached a preview of the doc to this post and you can buy a copy from Amazon’s Marketplace for $1.87 if you are interested. Never seen it myself, so I can’t give any additional info.
Hesher begins shooting next week in Los Angeles from a script penned by Susser and David Michod.
