East Valley : Teen Sitcom Star Prefers Low Profile

Please don’t ask Joey Gordon-Levitt for his autograph. He’ll sign it if he has to, but never at school. Really, judging from his scuffed tennis shoes and loose T-shirt, he’s not an autograph kind of guy.

And don’t ask if it’s hard to memorize all those lines. The precocious high school freshman has acted regularly since he was 7. Anyhow, memorizing lines is just part of the job because of his role on the hit NBC series, “3rd Rock From the Sun,” which airs at 8:30 tonight. The surprise hit sitcom follows four aliens who come to Earth, assume human forms and observe the human condition.

“It’s classic fish out of water,” said Gordon-Levitt, the freckle-faced 15-year-old who lives and attends public school in the east San Fernando Valley.

For Gordon-Levitt, who has had roles in “Angels in the Outfield” and the current movie “The Juror,” acting is more a way to keep busy than a calling. Life on the set, where the freshman is tutored three hours daily, can be hard, but frankly, he’d be bored if he just went to high school.

Despite his recently acquired high profile, Gordon-Levitt likes to see movies, read, play electric guitar and hang out with friends. He dislikes the spotlight and paparazzi. “It’s phony and fake and stupid,” he explained, pushing his unruly shoulder-length hair from his face.

His dislike of attention is exactly why he so enjoys “3rd Rock,” where the crew and cast members, Jane Curtin and John Lithgow among them, are down to earth, he said.

“I’m basically a normal kid,” Gordon-Levitt said. “Except I’ve probably seen more of the world and spent more time with wiser people.”

Then he quipped: “Although sometimes I don’t act any wiser for it.”

But, he said he has enough wisdom that he doesn’t expect to act forever. He’s thinking about going to film school and maybe becoming a director. Or perhaps he’ll follow in the footsteps of J.D. Salinger--even Michael Crichton--and become a novelist.

“I want to have lots of things to show for my life,” Gordon-Levitt mused. “And not necessarily so people will say, ‘Oh, he wrote a novel, directed a film and acted as a kid,’ but for self-gratification. I like being able to do something, to create something and to be able to look back on it.”