Stuntman From THE INCREDIBLE HULK Says Edward Norton Was "Not Very Present Through the Whole Thing"

Edward Norton is a great actor, but there have been reports over the years that he’s not easy to work with. Well, when it comes to his time working on the 2008 Marvel movie The Incredible Hulk, the actor was reportedly difficult to work with, especially with the VFX team.

The Incredible Hulk stuntman Terry Notary talked about his time making the movie in Joanna Robinson’s book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios. Notary spent time working on the production as a motion capture specialist and choreographer for the Hulk and Abomination, and he explained that there was a lack of effort from Norton while doing the mo-cap work as the Hulk. Because of this, the VFX team was forced to recreate all of the actor’s movements and facial expressions manually. He said:

“[Norton] wasn’t really engaged, as far as the Hulk stuff goes, unless he was transforming from himself into the Hulk. He was not very present through the whole thing.”

This claim was backed by animation director Keith Roberts, who confirmed, “Hulk doesn’t have Edward Norton’s expressions, but the two are eerily similar in facial timing.”

Notary also talked about working with co-star Tim Roth, who played Emil Blonsky/Abomination in the movie, and he had a great experience working with him! He praised Roth’s commitment to the character:

“[Roth is] one of those quintessential actors that likes to be involved, wants to make sure that he’s going to look good and his character’s going to look good.”

Norton was eventually replaced by Mark Ruffalo to play Bruce Banner/the Hulk in the MCU, beginning with the movie The Avengers. When it was announced that Norton would not be coming back to the role, Kevin Feige said in a statement:

“We have made the decision to not bring Ed Norton back to portray the title role of Bruce Banner in the Avengers. Our decision is definitely not one based on monetary factors, but instead rooted in the need for an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members. The Avengers demands players who thrive working as part of an ensemble, as evidenced by Robert, Chris H, Chris E, Sam, Scarlett, and all of our talented casts. We are looking to announce a name actor who fulfills these requirements, and is passionate about the iconic role in the coming weeks.”

After that was released, it caused a big uproar and some drama as Norton’s agent called the comments offensive and responded to it by saying:

“This offensive statement from Kevin Feige at Marvel is a purposefully misleading, inappropriate attempt to paint our client in a negative light. Here are the facts: two months ago, Kevin called me and said he wanted Edward to reprise the role of Bruce Banner in The Avengers. He told me it would be his fantasy to bring Edward on stage with the rest of the cast at Comic-Con and make it the event of the convention. When I said that Edward was definitely open to this idea, Kevin was very excited and we agreed that Edward should meet with Joss Whedon to discuss the project.

“Edward and Joss had a very good meeting (confirmed by Feige to me) at which Edward said he was enthusiastic at the prospect of being a part of the ensemble cast. Marvel subsequently made him a financial offer to be in the film and both sides started negotiating in good faith.

“This past Wednesday, after several weeks of civil, uncontentious discussions, but before we had come to terms on a deal, a representative from Marvel called to say they had decided to go in another direction with the part. This seemed to us to be a financial decision but, whatever the case, it is completely their prerogative, and we accepted their decision with no hard feelings.

“We know a lot of fans have voiced their public disappointment with this result, but this is no excuse for Feige’s mean spirited, accusatory comments. Counter to what Kevin implies here, Edward was looking forward to the opportunity to work with Joss and the other actors in the Avengers cast, many of whom are personal friends of his. Feige’s statement is unprofessional, disingenuous and clearly defamatory. Mr. Norton talent, tireless work ethic and professional integrity deserve more respect, and so do Marvel’s fans.”

So, there’s a little part of Marvel history that you may have forgotten. I really did like Norton in the role of Hulk, and it would’ve been interesting to see him continue playing the role.