Joseph Gordon-Levitt addressed reports Thursday that he’d taken part in a controversial secret-society conference run by incendiary billionaire Peter Thiel.
The actor broke his silence on Instagram Thursday morning, admitting that he attended two Dialog conferences, but emphasizing he had never met Thiel directly or corresponded with his representatives. The tech entrepreneur co-founder of PayPal and Palantir Technologies is widely known for his anti-democratic and -media views along with support of monopolistic business practices.
Gordon-Levitt maintained that his experience centered around an exchange of ideas between thought leaders and “was not of a single ideological gathering” and that “there were a wide variety of people” present.
“I understand why people have questions and are suspicious. Some of the headlines and posts circulating about this are alarming, if not bizarre,” he wrote, later clarifying: “Over the last couple of years, l’ve been focused on trying to make a positive impact on how the future unfolds, especially when it comes to tech and Al.
“Part of that work means forming relationships with all kinds of people, trying to understand their perspective, and trying to get them to understand mine. Sometimes it’s productive to engage with those we oppose.”
Read his statement in full below:
Wired broke the news Tuesday that hundreds of names involved in Thiel’s ultra-elite group had become public, describing the off-the-record annual conference as one “whose agenda runs from panels on cult-building and sex to prepping for World War III” and features prominent world leaders in tech, media, politics and entertainment as varied as Elon Musk, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Jared Kushner and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan.
The Hollywood Reporter followed that report Wednesday identifying Hollywood figures tied to Dialog; among them were Gordon-Levitt, actor Josh Brolin, Sophia Bush, Scooter Braun, Benj Pasek and others. In a statement to THR, representatives for Brolin said the actor would “like to know what the f–k he got himself into,” while others named in the story did not respond to requests for comment.
