Joseph Gordon-Levitt is crazy about his “Lover.”
The Inception star covered Taylor Swift’s hit song on the Wednesday, June 19, episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in a sweet birthday tribute to his wife, Tasha McCauley.
“Today is actually my wife’s birthday,” Gordon-Levitt, 43, explained, teeing up his acoustic performance. “I’m so sad because she’s not here in New York with me. I’m here working and she’s back home. I feel so terrible. I texted Jimmy and I said, ‘Can I give her a special birthday present on the show?’”
“We’re here to make dreams come true,” host Jimmy Fallon told his guest, handing Gordon-Levitt a guitar from behind his desk.
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Gordon-Levitt introduced his cover: “This is a song by a singer-songwriter she really loves.”
“Babe, you’re the most luminous soul I’ve ever met,” the actor continued, paying tribute to McCauley. “I’m so grateful you were born, and I’m coming home soon. Love you.”
The Looper actor then broke into an acoustic rendition of “Lover,” covering the first verse and chorus while Fallon sang along.
Gordon-Levitt married McCauley in December 2014. The couple welcomed their first child, a son, in August 2015. They welcomed another son in June 2017.
After the birth of his first child, Gordon-Levitt explained why he likes to keep his family out of the public eye.
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“My son, he’s just a baby, you know? So, he hasn’t made the choice to be in the public eye, and that’s a choice that I would like him to be able to make when he’s older, when he can think about these kinds of things and make that decision for himself,” Gordon-Levitt explained during a 2015 interview with Kelly Ripa. “And so, for now, I’m just a protective dad, and I want to protect his privacy.”
During a 2020 appearance on The Tonight Show, the Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F star gushed about life as a dad. “I felt lucky I got to take some time off [from acting]. Now I have two boys and it’s the best,” he said, repeating “It’s the best.”
