For "The Walk" director Robert Zemeckis, there is but one actor fit to play the legendary French acrobat Philippe Petit, and he is none other than "Snowden" and "500 Days of Summer" star Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
When asked by Cinema Blend if he ever considered other actors to portray the role should Levitt turn it down, Zemeckis gave a frank answer: "No - Joe being a Francophile and speaking perfect French, I consider him like a French actor. He fit the bill, and he had all that going for him, but he's also a magnificent actor and has a real, deep appreciation for the circus arts and for performance art. And, you know, he fit the bill for me perfectly."
Zemeckis cannot help but sing high praises for Levitt's acting chops, and he appreciates the way the actor perfects every single detail to deliver a compelling performance.
"When you get an actor of Joe's caliber. That becomes the mission for him, and I'm sort of there guiding everything for him. Joe said at the very get go, 'I want my accent both when I'm speaking English and French to be perfect Parisian,' and he said, "I've got to make that perfect." And he just went and studied and of course he had the great benefit of being able to study the real Philippe," he shared.
What Zemeckis appreciated about Levitt's portrayal is that he didn't copy Philippe Petit by the book. Instead, the actor managed to infuse a little bit of himself into the character.
"And he obviously didn't mimic the real Philippe. He took the essence of Philippe and made it into his own Philippe as all good actors always do," Zemeckis said.
The director, who has handled films such as "Back To The Future," "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "Forrest Gump," "Contact," and "Flight" was really excited to depict the tight rope sequence in the film. He even made use of the distant sound of sirens as well as the whirling wind and cloud visuals in order to deliver a sense of panic and peril, which would have audiences at the edge of their seats as if they're walking the tightrope themselves.
Petit made history when he travelled to New York and walked on a tight rope between the Twin Towers on August 6, 1974. He did it not just once, but eight times, and he balanced himself for a total of 45 minutes.
"The Walk" will be shown on IMAX theaters on October 9, 2015.
