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The Walk

FILM · 2015 · USA

The Walk

16 archived facts 3 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026

  • The Walk — production image

16 Interesting Facts About The Walk

Interesting Facts (14)

  1. #001

    Philippe Petit personally taught Joseph Gordon-Levitt to walk on a wire. When the training began, Petit predicted that Gordon-Levitt would need no more than eight days of training to walk the wire on his own, and he was proved right.

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  2. #002

    According to at least one commentator's claim, the realism of the climax during the New York City premiere caused some viewers to experience dizziness. Director Robert Zemeckis responded that he did not believe the report, but that "(the aim) was to evoke a feeling of dizziness. We really worked hard to put the audience up on those towers and wires."

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  3. #003

    While studying at Columbia University from 2000 to 2004, Joseph Gordon-Levitt studied French poetry and became a passionate Francophile. He already spoke French before he began working on this film.

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  4. #004

    Although it is not shown in the film, Philippe and Annie broke up shortly after their famous walk. This is indicated when Annie Allix leaves: Philippe Petit tells her he will see her again soon, and she responds by bidding him farewell, sadly. While some accounts say this was because Philippe's new celebrity status led him to sleep with other "groupies," both Annie and Philippe have said they separated by mutual agreement, because Annie wanted to return to France and Philippe wanted to stay in New York. Both have remained dear friends ever since.

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  5. #005

    IMAX VR offers a virtual reality experience for this film in which the guest walks a tightrope between the Twin Towers.

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  6. #006

    In the film, Petit ends his wire walk because the rigging of the wire begins to come loose. In reality, Petit ended the walk because it started to rain, which would have made the wires dangerously slippery.

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  7. #007

    Tom Hanks voices the roof security guard who is called down for pizza. Hanks had previously appeared in two Robert Zemeckis films, Forrest Gump (1994) and Cast Away (2000).

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  8. #008

    The film came very close to becoming Netflix's first original feature film, but when IMAX offered to distribute it on its premium screens, the position went to Beasts of No Nation (2015).

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  9. #009

    Petit also walked a tightrope between the pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

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  10. #010

    Philippe steps out onto the wire after an hour and thirty minutes.

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  11. #011

    This is the second time Joseph Gordon-Levitt had to wear blue contact lenses in a film. The first was in Looper (2012), where he played a younger version of Bruce Willis's character in a shared role.

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  12. #012

    This was the first film to use the 2015 TriStar Pictures logo.

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  13. #013

    Although Philippe Petit was 25 years old during the wire walk between the Twin Towers, Joseph Gordon-Levitt was 33 when filming began, nearly ten years older.

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  14. #014

    Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ben Schwartz were both born in 1981, seven months apart. Gordon-Levitt was born on February 17, and Schwartz on September 15.

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Characters & Cast (1)

  1. #015

    Joseph Gordon-Levitt had to wear blue contact lenses for the role of Philippe Petit.

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Easter Eggs & References (1)

  1. #016

    The names of six people from the NYPD given to the police officers on the roof — Genco, Tessio, Hagan, Sollozzo, Cicci and Clemenza — are a direct reference to The Godfather (1972).

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Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • IMDb IMDb title page (trivia)

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