Joseph Gordon-Levitt returns to television in Apple TV+’s Mr. Corman, where he plays a fifth-grade teacher who struggles to find happiness and meaning. In this curated playlist, Gordon-Levitt, who also created the series, explores the music that inspires both himself and his character, Josh Corman. “I was born and raised in LA, and so was Josh,” Gordon-Levitt tells Apple Music about “Breathe Something / Stellar Star” by fellow Angeleno Flying Lotus, one of Gordon-Levitt’s selections. “Los Angeles carries a reputation coloured by Hollywood, but there’s so much more to the sprawling mess of a super-city. This song is on an album called Los Angeles, by an artist from Los Angeles, but it’s not glossy or glamorous. It’s dirty, and it’s layered, and you can bob your head to it, but it’ll surprise you.” Gordon-Levitt also shared a bit of a spoiler, involving The Books’ “Take Time”: “Throughout the show, Josh is making some kind of musical piece, though he hesitates to call it a song. As we were working on the music for the show, The Books were one of the primary references I used to describe how I wanted Josh’s piece to sound. But you don’t get to hear it all finished until the very end of the season.” Check out these tracks and more of Gordon-Levitt’s inspirations, from The Beatles to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, on this exclusive playlist, and don’t miss his Mr. Corman, now available on Apple TV+.