Edward Norton spent his time honing his craft and performing in off-Broadway productions until he was discovered in 1995. It was then he was cast for the film “Primal Fear,” based on the novel of the same name. His performance as an altar boy accused of murdering a Catholic archbishop received critical acclaim and set him on a rocket ship to stardom. He would go on to star in such films as “Fight Club,” “American History X,” and “The Incredible Hulk” (which he actually wrote the screenplay for), all before finally linking up with Wes Anderson for “Moonrise Kingdom.”
Since he began working with Anderson, Norton has appeared in every one of the director’s films, in small parts and large. Norton said in his NPR interview that it’s the movies’ combination of humor and emotion that always get him. “This sort of whimsy and the incredible humor and everything, but there’s always these moments of, like, pathos that come in and sideswipe you,” said Norton. “And every time I watch the ‘Royal Tenenbaums’ I’m laughing and laughing, and then for whatever reason, as soon as there’s that scene where he releases the falcon or the hawk over the city and they play that Velvet Underground song, I tear up every single time I watch the movie at that point.”
