Edward Norton On How Close He Came To Starring In 'The Thin Red Line'

Have you noticed that we never obsessive over casting decisions for bad movies? We don’t spend a lot of time going back and looking at, say, Colin Trevorrow‘s “The Book of Henry” and discussing the actors who auditioned for various roles. Revisiting casting decisions is only fun when the movies themselves stand up on their own, and their choices did not damage the actors’ careers. And since both the actor and the director are beloved by all, we can learn more about Edward Norton‘s decision to pass on Terrence Malick‘s “The Thin Red Line” without tarnishing either person’s legacy.

Recently, Norton guested on an episode of The Moment with Brian Koppelman, where he opened up about the experience of losing his mother near the beginning of his career. Initially, Norton tried to use work as an escape, taking roles in films like Woody Allen‘s “Everyone Says I Love You” – at his mother’s behest, mind you – while she was suffering through the effects of a brain tumor. After she passed, Norton tried to keep going, but soon realized that he needed a break. Here’s how he explains his Malick decision at the 15-minute mark:

What was wild was, I was gonna play the lead part in Terry Malick’s ‘The Thin Red Line.’ The Jim Cavaziel part. Which I’ve laughed about with Adrian because I knew that Sean’s part and the part Jim Cavaziel played were the really great parts. I had spent a year – a lot of that year, I had also been going to Austin, Texas, to walk along the river with Terry and talk about that. He was one of my idols, and I was very passionate about doing that with him. I was so excited about working with Terry Malick on his first film in forever. I had just worked with Milos Foreman, and it was like, oh my God, Milos Foreman and Terry Malick? This is the dream, you know? But when my mother passed away, it was a month before I was supposed to go. ‘The Thin Red Line’ was going to be six or seven months in Australia, and I just felt – my dad, and my family, I was was like, I cannot leave! I can’t go away right now for that long. It’s too selfish, and I don’t have it. I’m not in a good place.

Malick was, of course, very understanding of Norton’s decision, and eventually, Norton was able to process his grief and continue the upward trajectory of his career. It’s hard to complain about the final result – we named “The Thin Red Line” the best war movie of all-time back in 2017 – but it’ll always be a fun what-if to think of the performance a dedicated Norton might’ve given.