Edward Norton Has Regrets About ‘Kingdom of Heaven,’ a Flop That Turned Into a Cult Classic

Edward Norton has never followed the easy path in Hollywood. He is one of the most respected actors of his generation, but he has also spent long stretches choosing projects carefully, and some of his biggest-budget gigs haven’t aged the way he might have hoped. This year, however, he reminded audiences exactly why he has the reputation he does.

The reason is ‘The Invite,’ Olivia Wilde’s dramedy, which premiered at Sundance in January and reached theaters on June 26. Norton stars alongside Seth Rogen, Wilde and Penélope Cruz as part of a couple who join a married pair for a dinner party that spirals. He has said the project rejuvenated his passion for acting, and critics have noted that he expertly blurs the line between charm and smarm.

Success has also brought a fresh look at his past. Far Out Magazine revisited the actor’s early-2000s choices this week, focusing on a film Norton has said he wishes he had handled differently: Ridley Scott’s 2005 epic ‘Kingdom of Heaven.’ It’s a project that flopped with critics on release and later became a cult classic.

Norton’s part in the film was unusual. He played King Baldwin IV, the leper king of Jerusalem, hiding his face behind a silver mask for the entire film, and he stayed uncredited in trailers and posters. His scenes took about 2 weeks to shoot, which is why he felt able to take the job.

He has explained that he was drawn in by curiosity about how Scott worked on such a large scale. Looking back, he acknowledged he could have simply visited the set instead. He also said staying uncredited was intended to avoid spoiling the character.

Norton’s frustration wasn’t aimed at the filmmakers. In a 2007 conversation with The Guardian, he praised the screenplay as wonderful and said the film should have been 3 hours long. He blamed studio decision-making, arguing that another long film’s poor performance led executives to cut the runtime.

The film came after a period in which Norton was taking on bigger studio projects. He appeared in the 2003 remake of ‘The Italian Job,’ which was widely reported to be a contractual obligation with Paramount, and later played Bruce Banner in ‘The Incredible Hulk’ in 2008. Those choices sit in contrast to his more selective recent work.

The theatrical cut of ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ ran 2 hours and 24 minutes after 20th Century Fox ordered about 45 minutes of cuts. It earned a 39% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $218 million worldwide against a $130 million budget. At the time, it was viewed as an underwhelming follow-up to ‘Gladiator.’

Scott then assembled a director’s cut that runs 3 hours and 10 minutes and restores lost subplots. That version has earned a reputation as one of Scott’s best films, and audience scores are much higher, with Collider noting a 72% audience rating. The re-release also brought fresh attention to Norton’s uncredited performance, which some writers now rank among his best.

Norton has a similar story with ‘Fight Club.’ Speaking on the ‘Fly on the Wall’ podcast this year, he recalled that the film was booed at its Venice premiere and flopped at the US box office with $37 million domestically. It has since become one of the most celebrated cult films of its era.

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