'The Walk' Star Joseph Gordon-Levitt Says He's a 'Protective Dad' To Newborn Son

Fatherhood instincts come naturally for Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The actor and his wife, Tasha McCauley, welcomed the arrival of their newborn son just last August, but his drive to protect his child from the public is already kicking in.

"My son, he's just a baby, you know? He hasn't made the choice to be in the public eye, and that's a choice that I would like him to be able to make when he's older, when he can think about these kinds of things and make that decision for himself," the actor told "Live with Kelly and Michael" when he graced their show this week. "And so, for now, I'm just a protective dad, and I want to protect his privacy," Levitt added.

He also said that it's great to be in the public eye and that he understands the nature of his job, but there are "upsides and honestly, some downsides." True to form, when it comes to privacy, Levitt and his wife haven't even told the world the name of their son, according to People Magazine.  

With show business becoming part of his childhood, Levitt said he's grateful to have a mother supporting him, and he's taking points from that should his son decides to follow his footsteps.

"Throughout working as a kid, I always just really loved doing it," he said in the interview. "But of course there are days when you don't feel like doing it. And any time I would be like, 'Ahh, I don't want to go on this audition today,' [my mom] would always say, 'You don't have to. You can stop this any time you want to.'"

The actor is currently making the press rounds to promote his latest movie, "The Walk," a drama that centers on the life of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit and his unforgettable tightrope walk on the Twin Towers in 1974.

According to GQ, viewers who have already watched the premiere have experienced nausea. The tightrope scene spanned 20 minutes and it was shot at 1,362 feet above the ground using a 3D camera.

"[The goal] was to evoke the feeling of vertigo. We worked really hard to put those audience up on those towers and on the wire," said director Robert Zimeckis, according to The Hollywood Reporter (THR).

The movie will open in theaters on Sept. 30 for a limited run, but it will be expanded in other areas by Oct. 9, according to THR.