Screen Rant has an amazing interview with Joel.

When J.J. Abrams set out to find the young adult leads of Super 8, his homage to the beloved Amblin films of the early 1980s (such as E.T. and The Goonies) he wanted to find (according to the film’s press release) “fresh faces that the audience could have fun discovering.” He couldn’t have found a fresher face than that of his star Joel Courtney.

Joel, an Idaho native, was visiting his brother Caleb in Los Angeles for his summer vacation and taking auditions with this hopes of booking (maybe) one commercial and making a hundred dollars. “That was my goal,” the young star told us in our interview at the Los Angeles press event for Super 8.

Courtney far exceed his relatively modest goal when his acting coach suggested he go in and see her protege Jason James, who was conducting a nation wide search for the kids of Super 8. “Apparently I did really well,” the young actor reflected, “because they had me come back like eleven times. And then I kept getting acting coaches to help me through.”

Courtney’s innate charm and refreshingly artless manner won Abrams and producer Steven Spielberg over and landed him the staring role in one of this summers biggest and most highly-anticipated films. As early reviews have indicated, this newcomer’s performance is a stand-out as one of the most compelling aspects of the film. As we mentioned in our Super 8 early reviews and impressions piece, his is a bit of genuine casting magic.

Casting a first-time actor as the lead in his film is in line with J.J. Abrams’ (career consistent) desire to surprise audiences and create a sense of mystery. We have no preconceived notions about Joel Courtney before we meet him as his character Joe Lamb. Abrams is a self-proclaimed believer in the idea of “the mystery box,” the notion that audiences, “are most compelled by an unseen mystery, and that a movie should have all the potent unpredictability of an unopened box, out of which absolutely anything could emerge.”

Joel was ranked #17 among the "30 Hottest New Hollywood Actors" by Total Film: 

17. Joel Courtney

The Actor: The fun-sized lead of J.J. Abrams’ Super 8, who alongside Elle Fanning, managed to keep the (admittedly spectacular) special effects grounded by creating a thoroughly human drama. Bravo!

Why So Hot? Next up comes domestic weepie The Healer, before work begins on family epic Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Courtney will be taking the lead as Sawyer, a role that should mark him out as more than just the latest child-star prodigy.

The following if from Film.com -- it's about the Joel Courtney vignette on the Super 8 Blu-Ray: 

Meet Joel Courtney (1080p, 14:35)

A profile of Joel Courtney and his life before and during the shoot. This featurette is framed around a long interview with Courtney about his journey, from auditioning to getting the role, to his on set experience, to how he suspects he will feel when they wrap. We also follow a typical day for Courtney, as he shows off his trailer, gets into makeup, goes to the on-set classroom, makes a visit to craft services (and teaches us how to make the perfect hot chocolate) and more.

The Search for New Faces (1080p, 17:46)

A look at the six leads of Super 8, from the audition process to wrap, featuring audition tapes of and interviews with the collection of young actors, thoughts from the casting directors and footage of the kids engaged in behind the scenes antics, Abrams directing them, and best of all, the final day of shooting where an emotional Elle Fanning says goodbye and thanks to the crew for all their hard work. Watching the actors hug Abrams, knowing their journey together had come to an end, actually brought tears to my eyes. Favorite moments include learning that Abrams called each kid personally to offer them the part, a funny on set moment where lead Joel Courtney doesn’t know how to use a rotary phone and Abrams teaches him, and when the cast reminisces about Riley Griffith’s contagious laugh. Since the kids are easily the best part of the movie, this featurette is my favorite, no question.

From Family Video: 

J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg are two of the best-known filmmakers in Hollywood, so when they teamed up for the science fiction movie "Super 8," it's no surprise that the result was something special. The exciting new release DVD hits shelves November 22.

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"Super 8" received comparisons to some of the best science fiction movies of all-time including the 1982 classic "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

From Blu-Ray.com:

Super 8, in a way, has a feeling of Abrams' own "Lost" in how the story is slow to reveal and in how its characters, themes, and situations take different shapes and meanings as the story unfolds. But it's probably more like a modern Stand By Me than it is anything else. Ultimately, Super 8 is a film of childhood discovery, a story of togetherness and an unbreakable bond formed in a time of great adventure that's made by and seen through, mostly, a child's perspective. Certainly the film strays from Rob Reiner's coming-of-age masterpiece with its Sci-Fi/Monster movie twist, but at its core Super 8 is a similar movie about the bonds of friendship and, more importantly and as explored through the wonderfully conceived connection between characters Joe and Alice, a story of discovery not necessarily of the external kind, but of the far more rewarding inward variety, of a connection made, a friendship formed, an unspoken love created through the prism of great tragedy. It's so simple but at the same time so brilliantly assembled. Super 8 never relinquishes its spell over its audience no matter where it goes, for it always comes back to that one simple truism that speaks on basic values that hold true no matter the circumstances, no matter the time or place, no matter how fantastic something may be. The characters are superbly realized, and the level of acting and palpable chemistry are nearly second-to-none for a movie built around child actors.