Actor. Filmmaker. Activist.
Considered to be one of the best actors of his generation, Edward Norton has been a complicated figure in Hollywood, both praised for his enormous talent but also criticized for being difficult. Regardless of his reputation, Norton has an impressive body of work, earning Oscar nominations for “Primal Fear,” “American History X,” and “Birdman”. In addition to his work in film, he is also an environmental and social activist, raising money for a variety of important causes.
Here are a few things you might now have known about Ed Norton.
Edward Norton Facts
28. Coin Flip
Norton’s babysitter, Betsy True, who performed as Cossette in the Broadway version of “Les Miserables” was the one who first piqued Norton’s interest in acting after taking him to see his first play, “If I Were a Princess.” Given his reputation for being difficult, maybe this actually piqued his interest in being a princess.
27. Wouldn’t That Make Him Junior Junior?
Norton’s father, Edward Norton Jr., served in Vietnam, was an environmental lawyer, and was a federal prosecutor for President Jimmy Carter.
26. Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Norton attended Yale University where he was a competitive rower. According to those who worked with him, he was a the coxswain.
25. Domo Arigato
After graduating college, Norton worked in Osaka, Japan where he learned how to speak Japanese and also ended up appearing in an ESL textbook used by a Japanese learning school called Nova.
24. Big Splash
“Primal Fear” was Edward Norton’s film debut, and for his role as an altar boy accused of murdering a priest, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.
23. Quite the Character
When auditioning for “Primal Fear,” he went in character, meeting the casting director Deborah Aquila as the stuttering Aaron before suddenly turning into the ruthless Roy.
22. Making it Rain
Norton auditioned for the role of Rudy Baylor in the 1997 film “The Rainmaker.” He lost the part to Matt Damon who he later co-starred with in “Rounders.”
21. He Read the Warning Labels
The part of Worm in “Rounders” was originally written as a heavy smoker. But because Norton is an adamant non-smoker, the part was rewritten. Cheating at cards okay. Smoking bad. Gotcha.
20. Sent to the Rail
He and his “Rounders” co-star Matt Damon competed in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas with Miramax paying the $10,000 entry fee. Neither of them made it past day one.
19. If You Can’t Fight ‘em, Join ‘em
Norton turned down the role of Private Ryan in “Saving Private Ryan” that eventually went to Damon, opting instead to work on “American History X.” Because why fight Nazis when you can be one?
18. Muscle Up
To prepare for his role in “American History X,” Norton gained thirty pounds of muscle in three months which he did by lifting weights and drinking a lot of milkshakes and something he termed “meat smoothies,” which were blended roast beef and was probably as disgusting as it sounds.
17. Thanks, but No Thanks
Norton also turned down the lead role in “American Psycho,” a film about a banker who hides the fact that he kills people for no reason. Christian Bale ended up taking the role because it “spoke to him.”
16. Will the Real Edward Norton Please Stand Up
Norton often plays characters with multiple personalities, appearing in “Primal Fear,” “Fight Club,” “The Hulk,” and “The Score.” It has been noted that in each of those films, at least one of those characters was angry and violent.
15. A Priest Walks into a Bar
Norton directed the film “Keeping the Faith,” the story of three childhood friends who reconnect as adults. Oh, also one of them is a rabbi, one of them is a priest, and they both love Jenna Elfman. Y’know, standard reunion story.
14. Axe to Grind
In 1998, he played guitar with Courtney Love’s band Hole for two of their LA gigs. Love referred to him as “Eduardo” on stage and told the audience she picked him up on Hollywood Boulevard.
13. You Lye!
To add authenticity to their roles in “Fight Club,” Norton and Brad Pitt both learned how to make soap from a woman known as “Auntie Grandmother.” Good to know that if the whole acting thing doesn’t work out, both these guys have a fallback career.
12. Young Buck
Norton had two Oscar nominations before he turned thirty.
11. American History Why?!
Unhappy with director Tony Kaye’s cut on “American History X”, Norton recut the film himself despite Kaye’s objections. Norton's cut made it to film festivals and theatres which triggered Kaye to demand his name be removed from the credits and replaced with “Humpty Dumpty.” Kaye and Norton have not worked together since. The numerous scathing ads Kaye took out in trade papers gutting Norton, and the time he told a reporter that Norton was “a narcissistic dilettante who raped the film” might have been a contributing factor.
10. Hannibal Lecter Would Have Been Less Difficult
During filming on “Red Dragon,” Norton reportedly showed up on set with brand new (and totally unsolicited) script pages that he had taken it upon himself to write and then demanded they be filmed. This, understandably, caused quite a bit of friction with director Brett Ratner and his producers.
9. Credit Where Credit is Due
Norton was asked by Salma Hayek to help with the script for “Frida” and he did just that. However, he was denied credit for the Writers Guild and, while doing interviews for “Red Dragon,” told a reporter that he “got shafted by the Writers Guild at the last minute, but I wrote the draft that got made.”
8. Smoking Jacket
On 2002’s “Death to Smoochy,” the film’s costume designer, Jane Ruhm, gave Norton a wide variety of clothes for his character who was described in the script as a hippie. Without Ruhm’s, or anyone else’s, knowledge, Norton commissioned Armani to make him a suit out of hemp and then forced Ruhm to deal with the paperwork and negotiations associated with getting such a suit made.
7. Hulk Rewrite!
Norton signed on to“The Incredible Hulk” but insisted that any changes he made to the script be incorporated. He handed in his own rewrite of the film a few weeks before shooting, too late to make any significant structural changes. Although the director tried to film as much of it as possible, many considered this to be the worst of the Hulk movies. This made Marvel angry. You won't like them when they are angry.
6. Hulk Fired!
Although it is unconfirmed as to the exact reasons why, Marvel did not ask Norton to reprise his role as the Hulk for “The Avengers,” opting to hire Mark Ruffalo instead. A statement by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announcing their decision implied he didn't think Norton would enjoy working “as part of an ensemble.” Ouch.
5. One Last Job
In the wake of his successful debut in “Primal Fear,” Norton signed a three-picture deal with Paramount. He and the studio argued for eight years over what film Norton could do to fulfill his contractual obligation until the studio pointed a multi-million lawsuit at his head and forced Norton, and his chocolate milk moustache, to act in “The Italian Job.”
4. Greener than the Hulk
A staunch environmentalist, Norton is the president of the American branch of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust and, in 2010, Norton was designated as the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
3. Run Norton, Run!
To raise money for the Maasai Wilderness Conversation Trust, Norton assembled a team of thirty runners to participate in the New York City Marathon. The team included Alanis Morissette and David Blaine, who presumably levitated his way to the finish line where he was already waiting for himself.
2. Art Imitates Life
In 2015, he played Mike Shiner in “Birdman,” who was a difficult actor and seen by many to be a version of the real Edward Norton. For this performance, he earned his first Oscar nod since the 90s.
1. Save the Cat
He has a tabby cat named Maggie, named after the character from “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” And yes, the fact that he owns a cat does excuse all of his poor behavior.