WE'RE HERE WITH THE YOUNG, HANDSOME AND TALENTED JOSEPH
GORDON-LEVITT.
AS WE WERE SAYING BEFORE THE BREAK YOU'RE IN THE NEW MOVIE
"SNOWDEN," DIRECTED BY OLIVER STONE.
>> RIGHT.
>> Stephen: NOTICE, HE IS A BIT OF A CONSPIRACY THEORIST.
>> WELL, I MEAN -- >> TELL ME WHAT PART SNOWDEN
PLAYED IN THE ASSASSINATION OF J.F.K.
THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO KNOW.
>> HE WAS THE HIDDEN GUY-- HE WAS NEGATIVE 23 YEARS OLD ON THE
GRASSY KNOLL, MAN.
>> Stephen: WHAT'S IT LIKE HANGING OUT WITH OLIVER STONE?
IS HE FUN OR IS HE CONSTANTLY SPINNING TALES?
HE SEEMS LIKE A BIT OF A DARK FIGURE.
>> I MEAN, I WOULD NOT DISAGREE WITH YOUR CHARACTERIZATION OF
HIM BEING A DARK FIGURE.
LOOK, I ACTUALLY THINK OLIVER STONE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD
HAVE MADE THIS MOVIE ABOUT EDWARD SNOWDEN BECAUSE IT'S
TRUE.
HE IS A SORT OF A CONTRARIAN.
HE'S A PATRIOT MAN.
FIRST OF ALL, HE HAS A PURPLE HEART.
OLIVER STONE WENT TO VIETNAM AND FOUGHT AND SAVED SOME GUYS'
LIVES AND HAS A PURPLE HEART.
HEART.
( APPLAUSE ) HERE'S THE THING-- OLIVER
STONE'S MOVIES TEND TO BE CRITICAL OF THE AMERICAN
GOVERNMENT, BUT, AGAIN, WE LIVE IN A COUNTRY WHERE WE'RE ALLOWED
TO BE CRITICAL OF THE GOVERNMENT.
THAT'S WHAT IS SO BEAUTIFUL ABOUT OUR COUNTRY.
WE CAN HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
THAT'S A PATRIOTIC THING TO DO TO SAY, "I LOVE MY COUNTRY, BUT
THIS THING THAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT HERE IS NOT RIGHT AND WE
SHOULD BE TALKING ABOUT IT."
THAT'S WHAT OLIVER DOES IN HIS MOVIES.
>> Stephen: DID YOU DO ANYTHING OFF SET?
DID YOU HANG OUT WITH HIM?
I IMAGINE HE HAS A FUN SIDE.
HE LOOKS LIKE HE'S BEEN TO A PARTY OR TWO.
>> I THINK OLIVER STONE HAS HAD SOME FUN IN HIS LIFE, YEAH.
HE LOVES MOVIES, OLIVER DOES.
I MEAN, IT'S NOT SURPRISING, HE'S A GREAT FIL FILMMAKER.
BUT HE KNOWS SO MUCH.
>> Stephen: DID YOU WATCH ANY FILMS TOGETHER?
>> WE WATCHED A MOVIE TOGETHER, A GREAT WAR MOVIE, ACTUALLY.
THE FIRST TIME-- THE FIRST TIME THAT OLIVER AND I GOT STONED
TOGETHER ( LAUGHTER )
WE WERE-- WE WERE-- WE WERE TALKING ABOUT WAR STORIES.
I ASKED HIM ABOUT VIETNAM, AND HE WAS TELLING ME ABOUT IT, AND
THEN WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT WAR MOVIES AND WHAT WAR MOVIES
HE LIKED.
BY THE THE WAY, HE MADE ONE OF THE GREATEST WAR MOVIES
"PLATOON," NOT TO MENTION "BORN ON THE 4th OF JULY."
WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW AND I DID NOT KNOW BEFORE DOING
THE MOVIE IS EDWARD SNOWDEN ENLISTED IN THE U.S. ARMY IN
2004 RIGHT WHEN THE WAR IN IRAQ WAS THE MOST DANGEROUS, SNOWDEN
ENLISTED.
THE MOVIE BEGAN THERE, IN BASIC TRAINING.
WE STARTED OUR PRODUCTION GOING OUT AND SHOOTING THESE MILITARY
SCENES.
I'M IN, LIKE, FATIGUES, IN FULL BATTLE GEAR DOING BASIC TRAINING
DRILLS, SHOOTING THESE SEQUENCES WITH OLIVER STONE, THE GUY THAT
MADE "PLATOON."
I WAS LIKE, OKAY, THIS IS NO JOKE NOW.
WE'RE REALLY DOING THIS.
>> Stephen: WAS SHOULD THOUGHT ON DIGITAL?
>> YES, THIS WAS HIS FIRST TIME SHOOTING ON DIGITAL.
>> Stephen: FOR HIM.
THERE WERE ANY CONCERNS SOMEBODY MIGHT HACK YOUR FILES AND TAKE
THE MOVIE BECAUSE?
>> THERE WAS A GUY ON SET, HIS NAME WAS RALPH, WHO WAS SORT OF
OUR TECHNICAL CONSULTANT.
HE ACTUALLY USED TO BE A HACKER.
HE'S AN EXTREMELY SOPHISTICATED HACKER.
NOW HE WORKS ON THE OTHER SIDE.
THEY CALL HIM A WHITE HAT HACKER, AND HIS JOB ON SET WAS
TO PROTECT THE FOOTAGE COMING OFF OF THE DIGITAL CAMERAS AND
MAKE SURE THAT NO ONE COULD, YOU KNOW, TAKE THE FOOTAGE.
>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU DO TO PROTECT THE FOOTAGE, PUT IT IN A
ZIP-LOCK BAG?
WHAT DO YOU DO TO PROTECT THE FOOTAGE.
>> LOOK, I'M NOT A COMPUTER PROGRAMMER --
>> BUT YOU PLAY ONE ON TV.
>> YES, I DO, IT'S TRUE, IT'S TRUE.
HERE'S THE FUNNY THING, TO TIE IT ALL BACK IN, RALPH ALSO
HAPPENED TO HAVE THE BEST WEED.
AND I DON'T EVEN THAT'S A COINCIDENCE --
>> MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER.
MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER, I GUESS.
SO, THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE, MAN.
NICE TO SEE YOU.
"SNOWDEN" OPENS IN THEATERS THIS FRIDAY.
JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT, EVERYBODY!