Watch Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Awesome Reaction to Rian Johnson Getting 'Star Wars' Gig

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has witnessed first-hand the Hollywood rise of writer-director Rian Johnson. Nine years ago, the actor starred in Johnson’s first film, the wildly inventive contemporary noir thriller Brick. (It was a somewhat of a breakout film for Gordon-Levitt, too; the 2005 movie, along with a few other notable indies like Mysterious Skin, helped put to rest his days as “that 3rd Rock from the Sun kid”). Both actor and director — who still maintain a close personal relationship —would reunite years later for another wild ride, the 2012 sci-fi favorite Looper.

So when we talked to JGL recently about his new role in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (which, it’s worth noting, marks his return to noir), we had to ask him about the recent announcement that Johnson had scored what many would think the best gig in the galaxy: writer-director of Star Wars – Episode VIII.

As you could probably guess, Gordon-Levitt was very, very excited. “Dude! Aw!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands, a glowing beam of a smile lighting up his face like twin Tatooine suns. “I’m so happy. I’m so happy. I couldn’t speak to you about superlatively happy I am that Rian Johnson is gonna make Star Wars.” Really, though, you just need to watch the video to see how truly happy-excited Gordon-Levitt is about the whole thing. Be prepared to like the guy even more.