{"id":23773,"date":"2025-03-19T15:41:25","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T22:41:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?p=23773"},"modified":"2026-02-17T12:45:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T20:45:10","slug":"actor-luka-jones-earned-philosophy-phd-in-2013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/actor-luka-jones-earned-philosophy-phd-in-2013\/","title":{"rendered":"Actor earns philosophy PhD on his way to major movie and television roles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                          \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/03\/jones_luka_profile_top-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/03\/jones_luka_profile_top-1920x1080.jpg 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/03\/jones_luka_profile_top-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/03\/jones_luka_profile_top-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  role=\"none\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  After earning his PhD in philosophy at USC Dornsife, Luka Jones\u2019 went on to a successful acting career. (Photo: Courtesy of Luka Jones.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=alumni\">Alumni<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>Actor earns philosophy PhD on his way to major movie and television roles<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  If not for a last-minute Hollywood break, Luka Jones \u201913 would probably be a philosophy professor.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Darrin S. Joy<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">March 19, 2025<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 2.518315-1.68841575 4.0350275 0 1.5167124.60096154 2.9475732 1.68841575 4.0350274 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xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>Luka Jones runs his hand through a wild mop of hair that perfectly complements his frazzled beard, then pulls his baseball cap back down on his head. In a charmingly boyish voice, the 49-year-old actor, comedian and USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences alumnus starts dropping names \u2014 but they\u2019re not showbiz figures.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJames Higginbotham. I liked him a lot,\u201d Jones says. \u201cThen Scott [Soames] took over. It was such a big deal that USC had hired him from Princeton.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/in-memoriam-james-higginbotham-72\/\">Higginbotham<\/a> directed USC Dornsife\u2019s School of Philosophy from 2000 to 2007 and was succeeded by Distinguished Professor of Philosophy <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/profile\/scott-soames\/\">Soames<\/a>, who led the school for 15 years.<\/p>\n<p>Jones also calls out <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/profile\/janet-levin\/\">Janet Levin<\/a>, now Professor Emerita of Philosophy, and Professor of Philosophy <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/philosopher-james-van-cleve-american-academy-arts-sciences\/\">James Van Cleve<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>All played important roles \u2014 particularly dissertation advisor Van Cleve \u2014 as Jones pursued his PhD in philosophy. \u201cThey cared a lot about teaching, about training grad students,\u201d he recalls. \u201cThey were all wonderful; so supportive.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Aspiring actor leans into philosophy<\/h2>\n<p>Jones was born Luka Yovetich in a Chicago suburb to advertising executive Gene Yovetich and Diana Wallace Yovetich. He and his younger sister, Wallace, grew up there until Jones was about 10, approximately a year before their father\u2019s death in a whitewater rafting accident. (The tragedy inspired the 1994 television movie <em>White Mile<\/em>, starring Alan Alda.)<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23774\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23774\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23774\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/03\/jones_luka_profile_instoryb-1-500x486.jpg\" alt=\"Luka Jones in graduation cap and gown with his arm around his sister\" width=\"300\" height=\"291\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/03\/jones_luka_profile_instoryb-1-500x486.jpg 500w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/03\/jones_luka_profile_instoryb-1-768x746.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/03\/jones_luka_profile_instoryb-1.jpg 980w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23774\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Luka Jones\u2019 sister Wallace attended his commencement ceremony at USC Dornsife in 2013. (Photo: Courtesy of Luka Jones.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In 1997, fresh from earning a degree in communications at the University of Kansas, Jones moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. Like most Hollywood hopefuls, he struggled to break into the industry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was enjoying the few things I did, but it wasn\u2019t moving forward,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s always really hard to bust in and get a good agent or manager and start getting into real jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The slow progress and downtime didn\u2019t sit well with him. \u201cI was just going crazy, and I decided I had to do something with my time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite feeling he \u201cdidn\u2019t have the best relationship with the academic aspect of school,\u201d he enrolled in a philosophy master\u2019s degree program at California State University, Los Angeles \u2014 and loved it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnce I took a class or two, I was like, \u2018Oh yeah, this is for me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After completing his master\u2019s degree, Jones was accepted by several philosophy PhD programs and chose USC Dornsife\u2019s School of Philosophy, where he enrolled in 2005. His dissertation focused on \u201cMerely Verbal Disputes in Philosophy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He calls the experience one of the best of his life. \u201cYou get to pick a subject and really bore into it. There are all these smart people you can bounce stuff off of, and they\u2019re more than happy to tear it apart \u2014 which is what you want \u2014 until they can\u2019t tear it apart anymore. It\u2019s fun!\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Bud_X9BBkvE?si=vrP4kVSZAYwSQdZC\" title=\"Alumnus and Actor Luka Jones on Hollywood, Philosophy\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h2>To pursue philosophy or act, that is the question<\/h2>\n<p>As his studies advanced and his acting didn\u2019t, Jones began to consider a career in academia. \u201cThe lifestyle of a philosophy professor, the teaching and research, seemed\u00a0 like something I\u2019d be happy with,\u201d he says, while acknowledging that \u201cgetting a philosophy job at a university can be just as hard as getting an acting job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Still, he felt confident knowing USC Dornsife\u2019s School of Philosophy is among <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/dornsife-philosophy-ranks-number-1\/\">the most successful<\/a> at placing PhDs in academia.<\/p>\n<p>As fortune would have it, though, Jones\u2019 acting career began to heat up as he neared his degree completion. He had been performing some stand-up and improv comedy at Los Angeles\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ucbcomedy.com\/\">Upright Citizen\u2019s Brigade<\/a> and other venues in between studies. Someone noticed, and he landed a role on NBC\u2019s <em>Best Friends Forever<\/em>. Though the show only aired a handful of episodes, Jones\u2019 acting career was suddenly on firmer ground.<\/p>\n<p>Soon after, he joined the cast of <em>Up All Night<\/em> with Christina Applegate, Maya Rudolph and Will Arnett, then landed a big-screen role in Spike Jonze\u2019s sci-fi romantic dramedy <em>Her<\/em>. Most of his performance in the movie ended up on the cutting-room floor \u2014 an outcome that might call for a <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/stoicism-philosophy-for-modern-times\/\">stoic<\/a> outlook \u2014 but he counts the experience as one of his favorites. \u201cI learned early to keep my expectations in check,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, he\u2019s had guest spots in several TV shows as well as major roles in TBS\u2019 <em>People of Earth<\/em> and Hulu\u2019s <em>Shrill<\/em> with Aidy Bryant of <em>Saturday Night Live<\/em> fame.<\/p>\n<h2>Philosophy and acting \u2014 different and the same<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23775\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23775\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23775\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/03\/jones_luka_profile_instoryc-1-440x550.jpg\" alt=\"Promotional photo for Up All Night shows Will Arnett, Christina Applegate, Luka Jones, Maya Rudolph and a child actor\" width=\"300\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/03\/jones_luka_profile_instoryc-1-440x550.jpg 440w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/03\/jones_luka_profile_instoryc-1-820x1024.jpg 820w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/03\/jones_luka_profile_instoryc-1-768x959.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/03\/jones_luka_profile_instoryc-1.jpg 980w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23775\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Luka Jones with his cast mates from <em>Up All Night<\/em>: Will Arnett, Christina Applegate and Maya Rudolf. (Image: Courtesy of NBC Universal.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Jones doesn\u2019t claim his philosophy training directly guides his performances, but he notes commonalities between the two. Take the subject of his dissertation, for example: so-called \u201cmerely verbal disputes,\u201d arguments that arise purely from differences in word meaning. At USC Dornsife, Jones explored whether certain classic philosophical disagreements are substantive or just semantic. On stage and screen, these sorts of misunderstandings can be highly entertaining. Think of Lou Costello\u2019s hilarious consternation as Bud Abbott declares, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/sYOUFGfK4bU?si=QiNmB5v5D5zWhXEx&amp;t=64\">Who\u2019s on first<\/a>\u201d in the duo\u2019s classic comedy routine \u2014 all stemming from a simple difference in word usage.<\/p>\n<p>Jones also draws a tongue-in-cheek comparison between philosophers and a certain cinematic superhero. \u201cSome of them are unbelievably smart,\u201d he says. \u201cThey can hold ideas in their minds, kind of like a hologram, and turn them around to see connections between different parts\u201d\u2014 similar to how the comic book hero Tony Stark uses technology to analyze a problem. \u201cYeah, if you do philosophy, you become like Iron Man,\u201d Jones quips.<\/p>\n<h2>Advice for aspiring philosophers<\/h2>\n<p>Looking back on his time at USC Dornsife, Jones has nothing but good things to say. His fondness for the program, his former classmates and the faculty is clear. \u201cThere are really, really good people at USC.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While he doesn\u2019t necessarily recommend philosophy as a path to acting, he has simple advice for any student considering the subject: \u201cIf you want to study philosophy, you should really love it. And you should pursue it at the highest level you can.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A sage approach to any pursuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Related Articles\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/today.usc.edu\/mark-and-mary-stevens-give-200-million-to-power-ai-research-across-usc\/\" \n         target=\"_blank\"                 class=\"\" \n      >Mark and Mary Stevens give $200 million to power AI research across USC<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div 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