Often regarded as one of the best actors in Hollywood, Edward Norton has reached fame through his utmost dedication towards his stagecraft. Known for his role as MCU’s Hulk, the actor has also appeared in several other out-of-the-box roles. However, unlike many of his colleagues, Norton revealed he never implemented method acting in his career.
Known for his control freak nature, which often leads him to have disagreements on set, Edward Norton discussed why he never sees himself as a method actor. Explaining how he performs his roles, the actor explained his way of portraying characters.
Edward Norton Doesn’t Consider Himself a Method Actor
The entertainment industry is filled with actors who are known for their method acting skills. Going to extreme lengths for their roles, a few actors like Daniel Day-Lewis are often known for maintaining character even after the director yells “cut”. Further, there’s Christian Bale who is not only known for his method acting but also for his terrific body transformation for his projects.
While Hollywood is filled with such phenomenal actors, Edward Norton claims, he isn’t a part of that group. Refraining from implementing method acting in his stagecraft, Norton mentioned that he wouldn’t go that far for any particular role. During his 2010 interview with Vulture, the actor stated,
“I’ve never called myself a method actor. I never got much out of that whole line of thought, personally”.
Speaking discreetly about his hate for method acting, Edward Norton claimed how he finds the process quite confusing. He mentioned he’d rather commit himself to the role while filming a scene than be that particular character throughout filming. Previously, he also discussed how acting is a privilege for him and would thus never take the help of method acting.
Edward Norton Explained His Way Of Playing a Character
During his discussion with The Guardian in 2007, Edward Norton was asked how he plays a character that his conscience knows is wrong, if he doesn’t implement method acting. That’s when Norton replied that he finds acting out versatile characters as his privilege and often performs them without damaging his psychological health.
“I do think it’s a privilege…In some ways, it’s a free pass to exorcise all kinds of emotional stuff without the consequences. And that is kind of a privilege. I also am not one of those people who subscribe to the idea that acting should put you in the nuthouse – I think it’s very possible to do all that and retain psychological health.”
Slyly criticizing the process of method acting, Edward Norton mentioned how a sense of safety while performing helps him calm down and act out the role with ease. Norton finds, working with experienced crew and great collaborators helps him bring out the best.
“What makes the process that you’re getting at possible is an environment of safety. It has a lot to do with your collaborators, a shared collective intention and understanding of what you’re doing.”
Since he didn’t believe in method acting, Edward Norton discussed the importance of the project collaborators in creating a safe space for actors to perform violent, intimate, or vulnerable scenes. Stating how important it is for actors to feel safe while performing, Norton thus shared his way of acting out difficult roles and scenes.
Source: Vulture, The Guardian
