Edward Norton is quite vocal about his admiration for veteran filmmaker Spike Lee. The actor could not understand why a lot of people sleep on his talent, but the Red Dragon star would not let unfair criticism taint the director’s reputation.
They worked together on the 2002 drama film 25th Hour, but even before that, he was already following the works of Lee.
Edward Norton Defends Spike Lee As A Filmmaker
During his interview via Gainsville Sun, actor Edward Norton confessed he’s a die-hard Spike Lee fan. He also thinks the filmmaker’s projects are underappreciated.
I wrote him a letter after He Got Game. I really loved that movie, and I thought people missed it. It had a lot of texture and layers. There is a lot of room for the actor and the audience in Spike Lee movies.
He insisted on having a role in one of Lee’s movies. He later on appeared in 25th Hour alongside Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rosario Dawson, and Brian Cox, to name a few. Working with Lee made Norton realize how incredible he is as a creative.
The whole thing that’s happening to Spike is B.S. I didn’t want to say this in front of him, but he’s suffering from the Woody Allen syndrome. People say, ‘Oh, it’s just another Spike Lee movie.’
This meant people paid very little attention to his works, and he was also labeled as a one-note filmmaker. Norton thinks otherwise, and he wants people to look at the quality of his movie rather than box office receipts.
In an interview with People, Norton remarked how efficient and strategic Lee was as a director. He claimed, “Spike is one of the most rigorous, prepared artists I’ve ever worked with.” His organization saves his productions from spending more money and wasting time. “As a result, his production moves like freight trains,” he added.
Spike Lee’s Movie Changed Edward Norton’s Career Aspirations
Apart from the quality of Spike Lee’s films, Norton is also in awe of the director’s innate passion for moviemaking. His works have certainly contributed to the Hollywood industry. The Glass Onion star revealed via Yahoo Entertainment:
He was, like, a couple of years out of film school, and he writes and produces and directs and stars in this movie about his neighborhood, and it’s one of the greatest American films of the last fifty years.
Norton could not help but exclaim, “Holy crap, what a swing. What an amazing, audacious, original thing,” when talking about Lee’s 1989 comedy film Do The Right Thing. He said that the movie changed his goals for the kind of work he wanted to make.
Lee’s filmography usually examines racism and colorism, especially in the Black community, as well as urban crime and the role of media in contemporary life. Some of his best works include Malcolm X (1992), Get on the Bus (1996), and BlacKkKlansman (2018).
25th Hour is available to stream via Amazon Prime.
