On Saturday night, the New York Film Festival kicked off at Lincoln Center with the worldwide premiere of “The Walk,” the real-life tale of Philippe Petit’s 1974 attempt to walk across a tightrope between the Twin Towers, from director Robert Zemeckis.
The film’s cast, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Charlotte Le Bon, Clément Sibony and César Domboy — along with Petit himself — took to the red carpet outside Alice Tully Hall before heading in for the 3-D screening.
“Oh you know I think everyone is scared of heights instinctively,” said Gordon-Levitt, who plays the title role of Petit and who learned how to walk a high-wire from the man himself. “I’m no worse than your average person, but when you get up that high, your body tells you, ‘You shouldn’t be up here, it’s dangerous.’”
Related Articles
“Actually last night I had a nightmare with heights,” Sibony admitted. “Strange, huh? First time. I’m not afraid of heights except last night — maybe I’m a bit nervous.”
You May Also Like
Domboy, meanwhile, raved about the chance to work with the famed Zemeckis. When offered the role, he said, “You’re not allowed to say anything else but yes. You jump on the street and you cry.”
“The Towers themselves are characters in the film, as they have become in our lives — as New Yorkers, as Americans,” the chairman of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, Ann Tenenbaum, told the audience when introducing the film. It was a sentiment shared by many throughout the night; actress Kate Mulgrew described the narrative as “an ode to New York,” when asked why she was looking forward to seeing the film.
After back-to-back screenings, the crowd crossed Central Park West for a party at Tavern on the Green. Between bites of burrata salad and flank steak, guests milled about the restaurant, while the brave lingered beneath string lights outside on what was the first truly chilly evening in New York.