Joseph Gordon-Levitt thinks acting is similar to wire-walking.

The 34-year-old actor stars as Philippe Petit in 'The Walk' - which is about the Frenchman's jaw-dropping effort to cross between New York's twin towers in 1974 - and Joseph believes there are some strong parallels between the two disciplines.

Joseph - who learnt how to wire-walk for his latest on-screen role - said: ''There are some similarities between wire-walking and acting.

''It's all a mental game. When you're acting, there's this chaos going on around you and you have to compartmentalise and not think about it. It's the same on the wire.

''If you start thinking, 'Ooh, I'm so high up,' or 'I could lose my balance,' then you're done for. You can learn the physical. Staying focused - that's the trick.''

Joseph also claimed Philippe's daring stunt also took on a symbolic meaning.

He told the Guardian newspaper: ''It's beautiful and physically daring but there's a metaphor, too.

''It takes courage to do anything. It's so easy and cowardly to say 'I don't care' or 'I can't be the person I want to be.'''