150 Greatest Movie Performances Of All Time

Part one (150-121)

By Total FilmDec 8th 2008

28. 124. Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Neil McCormick, Mysterious Skin (2004)

Gregg Araki’s child-abuse fable transformed 3rd Rock From The Sun’s alien kid into, as the director put it, “this James Dean, sexy outsider character”.

Levitt had auditioned for the more introverted Brian, but Araki gambled on casting him as the cocksure gigolo with “a bottomless black hole where his heart should be”.

JGL implied that Neil’s real feelings are actually buried beneath trauma, pinpointing the hurt behind the hustle by febrile intuition and making the leap from child star to proper grown-up actor look natural.

Greatest Moment: The reconciliatory ending: Neil shows tenderness as he comfort-hugs Brian.

Also See: Brendan (Brick).

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