Joseph Gordon-Levitt admits that he humiliated himself several times while filming Premium Rush.

The actor stars opposite Dania Ramirez in director David Koepp's action thriller. Premium Rush is about a bike messenger who picks up an envelope. Whatever is inside the package piques the interest of a crooked cop who pursues Joseph's character Wilee throughout New York City.

Throughout the shoot, Joseph was riding a bike.

The hazards of being on two wheels were made clear more than once.

"One embarrassing time, I was supposed to answer the phone," he told MTV News.

"I look at it with one hand, and I kind of have bad balance. I hadn't noticed that a cab had stopped in front of me. I ran into the cab, and I fell down and scraped myself."

Joseph got battered on set, even crashing through a car window during one take.

"Thirty-one stitches," he recalled. "Yeah, it happens. You gotta bleed for the art."

Premium Rush will be released in theatres this weekend.