Why Joseph Gordon Levitt 'Absolutely' Calls Himself a Feminist

— -- Joseph Gordon-Levitt's parents taught him about the history of feminism at a young age.

Now 33, the actor was shocked to learn that there are people who proudly declare themselves anti-feminist.

"What [feminism] means to me is that you don’t let your gender define who you are -- you can be who you want to be, whether you’re a man, a woman, a boy, a girl, whatever. However you want to define yourself, you can do that and should be able to do that, and no category ever really describes a person because every person is unique," the "Sin City: A Dam to Kill For" actor told the Daily Beast. "So yes, I’d absolutely call myself a feminist."

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Gordon-Levitt added that to him, the idea of equality for women is especially important given the history of "women suffering abuse, injustice and not having the same opportunities as men."

"I think that’s been very detrimental to the human race as a whole," he said. "I’m a believer that if everyone has a fair chance to be what they want to be and do what they want to do, it’s better for everyone. It benefits society as a whole."