Actors Who Regret Their 2000s Movie Roles

Early in his career, Edward Norton had a run of critically acclaimed favorites including «Primal Fear,» «American History X,» and «Fight Club.» The next phase of Norton’s filmography wasn’t quite as successful, with a few poorly received efforts like «Keeping the Faith» and «Death to Smoochy.» There’s only one role from this period that Norton outright regrets, however — the part of King Baldwin in Ridley Scott’s ill-fated 2004 epic «Kingdom of Heaven.»

In a 2007 interview with The Guardian, Norton looked back at the film after the release of the director’s cut, which restored some 45 minutes worth of action. «It was a really wonderful script, and it should have been a three-hour film. It was one of those classic Hollywood dynamics … It was all the worst kind of corporate decision-making.» He admits though that he wasn’t really all that interested in the film itself, but rather in being part of a massive production by one of Hollywood’s most respected directors. 

«I just wanted to see someone make a movie on that scale,» Norton admitted. But while he did get the learning experience, he looked back with a bit of disgust at the whole affair, reflecting, «I suppose I could have just gone and visited.» Saving him from worse embarrassment, thankfully, is the fact that his role went uncredited in the film and he wasn’t a part of the movie’s promotion, so some audiences may forget that he was even involved in it.