By David Raether
Dear Edward Norton,
I know you’re doing what you want in your life, and that’s cool, but would you please consider making more movies?
I’m not talking about voicing an animated film or being an executive producer. I’m talking about being a central actor in a movie again.
In 2019, you wrote, directed, produced, and starred in Motherless Brooklyn. I watched it the other night and it really struck me how much I missed seeing you in movies.
You don’t owe us anything. I just think you’re an outstanding actor who always brings an interesting and compelling performance to any role. And I enjoy that.
Anyway, give it some thought.
Kind regards,
David Raether
*It was announced on May 2021 that Edward Norton is joining the cast of Knives Out 2!
Edward Norton comes from what used to be known as “a good family.” You know, those stalwart types who had a certain clout in our country because of their long heritage, their Episcopalianism, their education, and their proper way of doing things. He was born in Boston to a father who had served a tour of duty as a Marine in Vietnam and later went on to be an environmental lawyer, conservationist, and eventually a federal prosecutor during the Jimmy Carter Presidency. Norton’s mother was an English teacher whose father was James Rouse, one of the most innovative and successful real estate developers in the country.
Norton graduated from Yale College with a BA in history. During those years, he became fluent in Japanese, rowed for the Yale crew, and acted in campus theater productions. Following college, he moved to Tokyo and worked for his grandfather’s company. Norton later returned to New York, where he studied acting and worked in theater, eventually drawing the attention of playwright Edward Albee and a casting agent. He was cast in his first feature, Primal Fear (1996), opposite Richard Gere. It was a startling debut for Norton. He more than held his own against a well-established superstar in Gere. He also rewrote several of his scenes, a habit that would not endear him to co-stars, directors, or studios in the future. He won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
What followed was a sequence of brilliant performances in films such as Everyone Says I Love You (1996), The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), American History X (1998), Rounders (1998), and Fight Club (1999). It is one of Hollywood’s most remarkable strings of performances by an actor in such a short period.
Norton’s pace of film appearances dropped off in the years that followed, but the controversy about his presence increased. He was frequently unhappy with his scripts and would often rewrite them while the film was in production. This was particularly true of The Incredible Hulk (2008), in which he rewrote almost the entire movie while it was in production. Needless to say, while he may have improved the script, this didn’t endear him to the screenwriter, Zak Penn.
After The Incredible Hulk, his movie appearances really slowed down further. In 2012, he appeared as a leading character in two excellent movies: Moonrise Kingdom (2012) and The Bourne Legacy (2012). Two years later, he appeared in two more outstanding titles—The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) and Birdman (2014). Norton then took a five-year hiatus from live-action films and didn’t appear again until 2019’s brilliant Motherless Brooklyn.
Norton is always, always a compelling screen presence. And I certainly can’t complain about his off-screen activities: He’s a passionate environmentalist and advocates for solar energy. Norton even partnered with BP (British Petroleum) to provide solar panels on residential rooftops in Los Angeles. He’s also campaigned against wildlife poaching in Africa.
So, my complaint that he hasn’t been in more movies lately seems quite petty. But I’m a pretty petty person, I’ll admit. I guess we’ll simply have to wait. In the meantime, here are my five favorite Edward Norton performances.
Norton’s first feature film, this was a powerhouse performance. This is one of those classic 1990s thrillers. Richard Gere stars as a prominent Chicago defense attorney who takes on the case of an altar boy (Norton) who’s accused of murdering a popular Archbishop. Norton made a few changes to his character from the script, all for the better. He portrays him as a stuttering, scared kid from Kentucky—two major elements not found in the original script.
If you’ve seen this movie at some point and wonder if it’s worth watching again, the answer is an emphatic yes. And if you still haven’t, well, what are you waiting for?
This is one of the best movies about poker and gambling ever made. Matt Damon and Norton co-star as young men addicted to playing poker—particularly of the high stakes variety. Norton plays the less successful of the two players, a man who is content with his skills and achievements but wary of taking things further. Sure, he’ll join a game where he knows he’s the best player, but he’s also a cynic. It’s a performance that balances perfectly with Damon’s superheated intensity.
There’s a great cast around Norton and Damon here: John Malkovich, John Turturro, Famke Janssen, Gretchen Mol, and Martin Landau. Looking for your next Friday night movie? This is the one.
One of the great cult movies of all time. Norton co-stars (and serves as the unreliable narrator) with Brad Pitt in this dazzling film about a dark subculture of men fighting each other. This movie was a sensation when first released and remains a compelling and disturbing portrait of male violence. Norton plays a meek and nebbishy office worker who starts a “fight club” with a soap salesman, played by Pitt—who is magnificent in the film. Norton’s sly performance more than holds its own against Pitt, and Helena Bonham Carter puts in a fascinating performance as a troubled drug abuser.
The film was directed by David Fincher, who also directed such disparate films as Panic Room (2002), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), The Social Network (2010), and the English language version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011).
This film’s surprising relevance more than 20 years after its initial release is startling… and rather depressing. In fact, it may be even more pertinent today than it was when it first came out. This movie is the story of two brothers. Norton plays the elder brother, Derek, who is being released from prison after serving time for murdering an African-American gang member. Derek was a full-on white supremacist at the time of his sentencing and joined the Neo-Nazi Aryan Brotherhood in prison. The younger brother (Edward Furlong) idolizes Derek and seems to be going down the same path.
Violent and deeply tragic, this is a powerful and important film that needs to be seen. It casts an unsparing light on the toll racism takes on the lives and psyches of white supremacists. Norton delivers one of the most impassioned performances by any American actor in the 21st century. Highly recommended.
You’re probably wondering why there’s such a huge gap between this movie and the last one I mentioned. Did Edward Norton not make any good pictures in those 21 years? Of course he did—this time period included titles such as Red Dragon (2002), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), and Birdman (2014), all of which are worthy of your viewing. But I’d like to highlight this film, based on Jonathan Lethem’s 1999 novel of the same name.
Set in New York City in 1957, Norton stars as Lionel Esrog, an assistant to a private detective (Bruce Willis). Lionel suffers from Tourette’s Syndrome and takes on the investigation of his boss’s apparent murder, leading him down some dark and unsettling paths that uncover immense corruption. There is a sort of Chinatown (1974) feel to this movie. For those of you familiar with Robert Caro’s 1974 biography of Robert Moses, The Power Broker, this film will have an added edge. Moses was in charge of public works for New York and completely remade it, often in ruinous ways. Alec Baldwin plays the Robert Moses-type character, Moses Randolph.
In Citizen Kane (1941), Welles famously wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the film—Norton does the same here. This is one of the best thrillers I’ve seen in the past several years. I sincerely hope it augers more work from Norton; he’s an important figure in American film.
David Raether is a veteran TV writer and essayist. He worked for 12 years as a television sitcom writer/producer, including a 111-episode run on the ground-breaking ABC comedy “Roseanne.” His essays have been published by Salon.com, The Times of London, and Longforms.org, and have been lauded by The Atlantic Magazine and the BBC World Service. His memoir, Homeless: A Picaresque Memoir from Our Times, is awaiting publication.