INTERVIEWS

Toronto Interview: Tim Blake Nelson and Edward Norton

by Alex Billington
September 22, 2009

The last interview I did up in Toronto was with two of my own favorite actors - Tim Blake Nelson and Edward Norton. By now you've probably heard about their new film Leaves of Grass (read my review), that Nelson directed and Norton stars in as two brothers, one a stoner the other a professor. I caught up with the two of them the morning after the premiere of their film, so both were in high spirits. We talked about developing the story in Leaves of Grass, figuring out the distinctions between the two brothers, shooting Norton twice in scenes, balancing the humor and action, and maybe even a little about the Hulk.

This interview was so long that it was split into two parts. There is an equal amount of discussion in each video, so I suggest watching both, or at least start with the first one and then see if you want to continue.

Watch my interview with director Tim Blake Nelson and actor Edward Norton - Part 1:

Watch my interview with director Tim Blake Nelson and actor Edward Norton - Part 2:

This interview was shot using my Flip Mino camera, so apologies for the rough audio. Other interviews I did up in Toronto include Steven Soderbergh and Jennifer's Body director Karyn Kusama with Jason Reitman.

It was a true delight to talk with Tim and Edward - thank you to Cynthia for arranging this. I interviewed Norton last year about Pride and Glory, but it was much more exciting to talk to him about Leaves of Grass this time, especially because he plays two different brothers in dual roles, making it tricky at times to shoot. As you can tell, co-interviews (with two people) always turn out much better, as I mentioned when I ran the Kusama/Reitman interview. Hearing both Nelson and Norton talk about improv together, especially in that second video, was just great to listen to. Leaves of Grass is still looking for a US distributor, so stay tuned!

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Related categories: Interviews, Toronto Film Fest 09