A biography for Edward Nortonhasn’t been written yet.
“I've always thought of acting as more of an exercise in empathy, which is not to be confused with sympathy. You're trying to get inside a certain emotional reality or motivational reality and try to figure out what that's about so you can represent it.”
“My generation is having its midlife crisis in its 20s.”
“I like things that aren't superficially one thing or another.”
“I think a lot of people relate to some of my characters' inner struggles.”
“I'm not particularly precious about the theatrical experience any more.”
“I get heartbroken flying into L.A. It's just this feeling of unspecific loss. Can you imagine what the San Fernando Valley was when it was all wheat fields? Can you imagine what John Steinbeck saw?”
“Identical twins are endemically alike in many ways.”
“Basically, I think 21st century conservation is moving toward preserving ecosystems by dealing with the needs of people.”
“I like making movies for myself and my friends and people with my sensibility.”
“Anybody who is running a marathon or doing a walkathon, doing a fundraiser for their school, their company, by far it's guaranteed the easiest and most fun way to quickly set up a fundraising campaign and send it around to your friends and family.”
“I don't flatter myself - I'm not a scientist, I'm not a conservation expert.”
“I always felt that acting was an escape, like having the secret key to every door and permission to go into any realm and soak it up. I enjoy that free pass.”
“I do find myself drawn more to pieces that I feel are wrestling with the way that we're living now, what we're all going through.”
“There's a lot of romanticisation of the intuitive actor and method acting and all kinds of notions about getting inside a character and coming out from there.”
“People are worried about the degree to which corporate interest is starting to threaten human interest.”
“If you've got a piece and you can feel the person who's going to direct it is really made for it, if it's really special for them, then it's going to be a better-than-usual experience.”
“I just like working with smart people.”
“I don't smoke and I don't want to smoke. I am not a fan of gratuitous smoking in films.”
“Every little thing that people know about you as a person impedes your ability to achieve that kind of terrific suspension of disbelief that happens when an audience goes with an actor and character he's playing.”
“It's better for people to miss you than to have seen too much of you.”