Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Voice Is Unrecognizable In ‘Snowden’ Trailer

Joseph Gordon-Levitt sounds nothing like himself as NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden in the new trailer for Snowden.

‘Snowden’ Trailer

In a previous teaser trailer for Snowden, Gordon-Levitt made his debut as the titular former NSA contractor – though it wasn’t until the recently released full-length trailer that it was revealed what Gordon-Levitt sounds like as Snowden.

“I’d like to help my country make a difference in the world,” Gordon-Levitt intones, his voice reedy, his cadence halted. “There’s something going on inside that government that’s really wrong, and I can’t ignore it. I just want to get this data to the world. I feel like I’m made to do this and if I don’t do this, I don’t know anybody else that can.”

Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who Snowden communicated with during his time spent hiding out in Hong Kong, believes that Gordon-Levitt nailed the impression, tweeting, “Uncanny how well @hitRECordJoe replicates @Snowden’s tone and cadence.”

Snowden, directed by Oliver Stone, will start with Snowden’s Special Forces training, which ended when he broke both of his legs. It’ll follow Snowden as he lands a big job with the CIA, then as a NSA sub-contractee for Dell, and eventually as an NSA contractor for Booz Allen Hamilton. Eventually, the movie will recreate Snowden’s decision to leak the documents, which were published with the help of Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill, and documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras.

Snowden is slated to hit theaters Sept. 16.