Ed Norton: Mr. Pain in the Ass.

By George 'El Guapo' Roush on April 17, 2008

EW.com has an interesting 3 page article on Ed Norton and the whole fight between him and Marvel about the runtime, pacing and direction the new Hulk film should take:

According to Leterrier, he and his star hit it off beautifully, and there were no issues with Marvel while the movie was being shot. During post-production, though, the relationship with Marvel hit a snag. The company wanted to release the most commercial film possible: lots of action and a running time under two hours. Norton and Leterrier, however, lobbied for a more meditative cut of the film that ran about two hours and 15 minutes. Tempers flared between Norton and Marvel. ''Everyone was exhausted; it was like a little burst,'' Leterrier says. '''I'm angry with you!' 'No, I'm angry with you!' And me in the center saying 'Boys, calm down.' It didn't come to blows. It was just a remark here and there.'' And it would have ended there. But, Leterrier says, ''then it became public.''

On March 11, Nikki Finke's industry blog, Deadline Hollywood Daily, broke news of the scuffle between Marvel and Norton, declaring it a ''feud.'' And suddenly it was. Communication between Norton and Marvel seems to have stopped. ''The press is what kept Edward and Marvel from talking to each other,'' Leterrier says. ''[The argument] was nothing, but then it became something big.'' Norton is honest and forthright, say those who've worked with him, so why hasn't he defused the situation by speaking up? Sources say the actor is worried about being unfairly branded ''a pain in the ass'' by the press. They say he wants The Incredible Hulk to be a hit — and concedes that Marvel's cut, though not what he wanted, is more commercial than his. ''He's very Zen about it,'' says a source.

I know everyone in Hollywood has an ego. Not a lot of people like to be told what to do and how to do it, especially if it's coming from an actor. But you know what? If Ed Norton actually IS a pain in the ass, who cares? He's passionate about his work which is a great thing to be a pain about than just some dude who shows up and whispers his lines (bonus points if you guess who I'm talking about). I like Ed Norton. I like his films. I even saw him in Hawaii during the Sarah Marshall junket. I wanted to tell him what a big fan I was but he seemed unapproachable. Maybe I got the wrong vibe. Maybe he's a great guy, I'll never know.  But I'm betting his version of the Hulk will be better than the popcorn fest Marvel wants to spoon feed us.

And disagreements happen. I do believe one thing in this article, that the press blew this shit way out of proportion. BUT, I have heard from insiders that every rumor you've read about Norton being a pain is true. Why is he a pain, because he disagrees with you? Please. WHO CARES. Let the man work. You hired him for a reason, didn't you?

Click HERE to read the entire article including Norton's release to the press.

Ed Norton fans can e-mail: george@latinoreview.com

Source:Entertainment Weekly

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