Read update
- Edward Norton Might Not Be Beloved In Hollywood, But He's Still Working
American actor and filmmaker Edward Norton has received multiple awards and nominations over the course of his career. He earned his third Oscar for his performance in the 2015 film Birdman. Suffice to say, he is an incredibly talented actor. Despite his talent and fame, Norton seemed to have limited appearances in movies in recent years.
Norton seemed to have built quite a reputation in Hollywood for being a pretentious actor who is selfish and difficult to work with. That may have been among the reasons why he hasn’t starred much in recent films, but there is more to it. Take a look at why Edward Norton has not starred in more films in recent years, despite his fame.
UPDATE: 2023/07/12 15:30 EST BY LANE VASQUEZ
Edward Norton Might Not Be Beloved In Hollywood, But He's Still Working
Edward Norton has gotten himself fired from films, badmouthed others, and seems to think highly of his script-writing skills. But to date, he doesn't seem to have lost too much work and is still getting cast in movies—just not as frequently as he used to.
10 Edward Norton Was Fired From Marvel
Before Mark Ruffalo even took over the role of Bruce Banner/the Hulk in 2012, Edward Norton played the character in 2008. When Marvel Studios reacquired the rights for the franchise of Incredible Hulk from Universal, they hired Edward Norton to play the lead role.
Marvel opted for a reboot following a poorly made version of the franchise and hired Zak Penn to write the screenplay. At the time, Edward Norton agreed to take on the role provided that any suggestions he made would be incorporated into the film.
However, Norton did a substantial rewrite of the script weeks before the filming began and director Louis Leterrier incorporated as much of the script Norton had written along with the script Penn wrote.
The film resulted in a messy and convoluted cut, which the Marvel executives reportedly hated. They eventually ordered a new one to add more action and less dialogue and character development.
Marvel eventually replaced Norton with Mark Ruffalo in the MCU.
9 The Actor Is Not A Fan Of Sequels
Looking through Edward Norton’s filmography, one can see that he does not do sequels. When asked about his removal from the Marvel project, Norton commented initially that he did not really enjoy working in the film and hoped that the new film would turn out well.
However, about four years later, he changed his tune and admitted that he did enjoy doing the film.
He added that the balance of time that people spend on making sequels and putting them out can be done once but if one needs to do it numerous times, it may be a suit that will be hard to take off since the actor has to play the same character for a number of times.
8 Edward Norton Seems Particular About His Acting
When the filming of Silence of the Lambs prequel Red Dragon started in 2002, Edward Norton showed up on set to film the scenes of his FBI profiler Will Graham's character. However, upon his arrival, he was rumored to have come a little too prepared, as he came with his own (seemingly unsolicited) script pages that he wrote.
Norton reportedly demanded that the director shoot the script he had written, which didn't impress the folks behind the scenes. However, Norton's team maintained that the director had specifically asked Edward to do a rewrite.
7 He Doesn't Fully Commit To Projects
Paramount Pictures had Edward Norton play the diabolical genius Aaron Stampler in Primal Fear in 1995. The contract came with a three-picture contract, which means that Norton was obligated to do two more films for Paramount.
However, after two years, reports suggest that Norton wanted to haggle his agreement with the production outfit to just one additional film instead of two.
He also added that they have to find a fitting film for him in 18 months, a project they both liked. If they could not come out with an agreement, the company had about 24 months to assign a film to him. Paramount eventually made him do the film The Italian Job in 2002, though Norton was apparently not pleased.
To date, a sequel to The Italian Job hasn't been released.
6 Edward Norton Doesn't Always Act
Rather than playing a role onscreen, Edward Norton loves working behind the scenes. Aside from being an actor, he is known to be a producer and director, which may be the reason why he is not often seen in films. One of the actors who worked with him, actor and comedian Seth Rogen, commented that Norton is a genius behind the camera.
The two worked on the film Sausage Party together, and Rogen told Deadline that he was thrilled to get Norton into the cast and that hiring the actor also helped them nab Salma Hayek.
Edward was reportedly the "biggest cheerleader" of the movie.
5 The Actor's Recent Project Was A Flop
Edward Norton’s filmography is all about creativity and innovation. Unfortunately, sometimes this means less-than-thrilling box office results.
One of his films, Collateral Beauty, was released in 2016 and flopped at the box office even though the film is a star-studded one with Helen Mirren, Will Smith, and Keira Knightley in the cast. The film only grossed $31 million in the U.S.
4 Edward Norton Can’t Help Himself From Wanting To Call The Shots
Over the last two decades, Norton has starred in various films and is among the most talented actors in Hollywood. However, his talent comes with great responsibility, as he feels like he needs to give input on his character to make his role better.
Norton may believe that the scripts of the films he’s in can be modified with his artistic work. In some cases, that's true; multiple producers and directors have praised his writing ability. It's just that it may not be the perfect fit for every film.
3 He Wanted To Focus On His Family
Norton personally took it upon himself to slow down in Hollywood to make time for his family. He made a conscious decision to take a step back from the industry and prioritize what is more important to him.
After his long-forgotten relationship with Courtney Love, Edward married Shauna Robertson, and the couple shares two children.
2 Did Hollywood Stop Hiring Edward Norton?
It could be that Hollywood stopped hiring Edward Norton, especially given his reputation with Marvel. Yet the actor is hardly out of work; he's appeared in at least one project per year in recent years, though that doesn't match his prior track record.
And despite Edward's penchant for rewriting scripts, he only has writing credit on a single project to date (Motherless Brooklyn in 2019).
1 The Actor Might Be Picky About His Projects
Whether he's getting roles sent to him or not, Edward might simply be picky about what he takes on.
Edward Norton was one of the major celebrities that was cast for the 2022 Knives Out Mystery film, Glass Onion. He was a primary cast member alongside a long list of celebrities who made cameos.
Norton's plate was fuller in 2023, with multiple projects set to release. Only time will tell whether Edward Norton is finally building back his reputation in Hollywood, and landing gigs that suit him.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGifnqqVqHq4tNhmnJ2vkaexbrrOq6uopl2ZtqV5zairZpmgpbKivoyipWaln6eybrLIpaSsZZmjerOxwp6lrWWpmq6zv44%3D