Joseph Gordon-Levitt says he put all fears aside to take on the role of Philippe Petit, the famous French high-wire artist who had a dream to walk between New York City’s Twin Towers in 1974.
The actor, 34, opens up to ET Canada about his starring role in “The Walk”;, revealing, “I think we’re all afraid of heights to some degree. It’s just in our biology.”;
Based on the true story, Gordon-Levitt tells us how he learned to walk to the walk from the man himself, Petit.
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“I learned on a wire that was a couple feet off the ground and it was Philippe himself who taught me,”; he says about working with the man he portrays in the film. “When we were shooting we did it on a higher wire, certainly not nearly as high as 1,300-feet in the air like Philippe was, but still high enough where I couldn’t step off if I lost my balance.”;
Gordon-Levitt tells us by the end of the shoot, he didn’t feel any fear anymore – but his dad sure did while watching the film.
“My father is terrified of heights,”; he grins. “I brought my parents to see it with me and my dad was just yelping with fear and adrenaline. It’s fun to see your dad that way.”;
A new dad himself, Gordon-Levitt and his wife, Tasha McCauley had a baby boy in August and the actor says he’s balancing fatherhood “pretty well.”;
His balancing act in “The Walk”; is pretty spectacular too – and so are some of the sights. In the movie, the World Trade Center, of course, figures prominently and Gordon-Levitt admits it is bittersweet to see the towers onscreen.
“I was here in New York on 9/11. I remember it well,”; he reflects. “I think with any tragic loss it’s also important to remember the good things, you know, those beautiful positive memories that you have and that’s what this movie does. It celebrates a beautiful story.”;
You can catch”;The Walk”; in theatres September 30 and in IMAX 3D on October 9.
~ By Kim Gonsalves
