Quick! Name a former child TV actor who has turned into a handsome leading man with weird facial hair, a taste for challenging films, and the ambition to direct. Did you guess Ryan Gosling? Shia LaBeouf? Might we also suggest Joseph Gordon-Levitt, whose breakout year continues this fall with Looper and Lincoln? The trio of aforementioned gentlemen have followed a remarkably similar path in carving out a post-embarassing-kids-show career; it’s like they were all handed a suit and the same copy of How to Survive As an Adult Actor upon turning 18. But since that is not actually a real book, Vulture has mapped out the relevant career benchmarks for any aspiring Goslings, LaBeoufs, or JGLs. (Start wooing your co-stars now, and suit up.)
