Edward Norton Impersonates Marlon Brando & Robert DeNiro | Letterman

our first guest is an Academy Award nominated  actor who stars in a new film that's called   the score it opens on Friday please say  hello to the very talented Edward Norton   I've watched it for years and now I'm actually  sitting well glad to have you here how's your   summer going it's going great what kind of  stuff do you do are you not working now you   got some time I have been working really hard  and just just finished so um I've I've been in   New York about 10 years so uh where are you  from originally I'm from Baltimore Baltimore   there's someone else one that's  typical you know one person class   it's a small City that's right they start and  then they think oh geez maybe I'll get caught and uh I you know I've I've been um I've actually  been apartment hunting because I've lived here 10   years I've been saving up my money working hard  that's all New York City is about looking for   another for an apartment so um it's it's  been interesting because I've been going   around and there's been a um there's been sort  of a rumor that I've I've caught a whiff of that   somebody named Rudy has been seeing some of the  apartments are in front of are you kidding about   this no I'm serious and I you know of course I  postulate that it's his honor and except that   it brought up a couple thoughts one being why  is a guy who's you know working in Hollywood   and a public servant who's claiming he has  six thousand dollars in the bank looking at   the same places aha so I'm uh that made me  wonder so my my theory was uh my theory was   that he's he's showing him to the girlfriend  yeah but then he's gonna back he's going to   show a few downtown Lofts and then say you know  they're doing great things over in Jersey City and we're gonna Annex it anyway go over there yeah  it's all gentrified it's very nice no but it's   um I've been out of New York too long so it's  been have you found a place you're going to be   able to move in soon I'm I'm having to mortgage  um the life of my entire family to even consider   it but but um when you come here uh you have fun  it's I mean it's a great if you're coming in for   like three days New York is is heaven you know if  you've got to live here it's hell but three days   you can have a lot of fun do you get to have any  fun oh yeah you know I mean I've lived here a long   time I really love it but um but I I got back  you know I got theater tickets and what are you   gonna go see well I saw the producers oh sure  but well that's a that's a tough ticket that's   a tough ticket for any I'm sure everybody knows  but I but I think my ringer was that I directed   um a movie that Dan Bancroft was in and Anne  Bancroft is married to Mel Brooks well there   you go so there you go so yeah so but then I  got this story from Anne that you know Mel's   like not not just dulling him out like  she she actually told me that someone   came up to him on the street and said  you know like Mr Brooks you know I've   got to get a ticket my my husband's got a  week to live and he said not good enough wow not good enough   so I but I managed to get them I managed to get  some tickets and um I was with a bunch of friends   you know they were really impressed we went to  Chinatown for some dim sum and like Veteran New   Yorkers you know we knew we couldn't catch a cab  we'd get jammed up in traffic so we went over we   jumped on the red line we went up to Times Square  we got there perfect time we walked out it was   beautiful night we're going to the theater we're  going to the producers you know we're excited   they're just bringing our step we get toward the  theater there's a mob of people hoping for a death   or a cancellation and and uh and we're going  we've got tickets you know we've got tickets   to The Producers we're gonna see Nathan Lane and  Matthew Broderick and the producers and there's   people with Hats there's such a crowd they've  got control crowd control people with hats and   there's a woman going you know if you are hoping  for a cancellation Wade over here with the other   diluted people if you are if you are waiting  to pick up a ticket wait over here if you have   tickets over here once again Nathan Lane is sick  and will not be performing no oh my God my one of   my friends literally looked like he'd been shot  through the through the stomach he looked up wow we decided to go anyway wow so we went and it was like you know our  Garfunkel subbing in for example honestly   that's not the same that race is a great question  because you got to have understudies you know and   and the poor guy who I mean that's a talk about  a thankless uh uh Anonymous position to be in   whatever we actually it wasn't our Garfunkel I  was kidding but which would that would I would   really oh yeah no no you'd have something there  you'd have had something my friend he's brilliant   but but he's not so how was the guy there was a  guy his name was Brad Oscar and we saw him at a   restaurant later and he could not have been better  he was he told us he had three rehearsals none   with Matthew Broderick none with the orchestra  and he was flawless flawless and it was and the   audience was going crazy for him so that's one  of those specials now have you had a chance to   go back to see it with the intended cast I have  not yet so um you know oh that's an ugly story   yeah oh my God it was I mean you know you know  you you're there you hope you're impressing your   friends everything's going your way Suddenly  It's Regis Philbin yeah wow that's sad   have you seen it yeah you haven't seen it you know  I I Mel came to the set of Keeping the Faith when   we were shooting in the synagogue one time and  he told me that that's what he was working on   and thank God I said to him you're going to make  amend you know like because he he and so now he   he credits me with foresight but but um it is  actually everything it's cracked up to be the   hype is is is totally earned now when we come back  here I want to talk a little bit about uh your uh   uh film experience how you got into film it was  kind of an odd audition wasn't it was it was am   I right about this it was a nationwide Talent  hunt or some kind of a deal yeah I never I can   never remember what stories have gotten made of  it oh good so some of them are true some of them   are not some of them are not true we'll make up  another one while we do this okay okay you're   gonna think of a good story we'll be backwards  is this the complete list of your film work Primal Fear 1996 Oscar nomination that was your  first film experience that was my first film well   that's pretty good you get the nominated for  an Academy Award in your first try out that's   amazing now is that was that the talent hunt  uh film yeah yeah it was it was not as it was   an extraordinary circumstance but I I'd been  I'd been doing theater in New York for a lot   of years I mean I'd been here a long time and uh  there was a casting director who had seen me in   the theater here a lot so it wasn't completely  out of the blue but they were seeing a lot a lot   of people because they wanted someone unknown  all right so it was it was um it was very very   fortunate everyone says I love you uh the people  versus Larry Flynn rounders American History X   uh another Academy Award nomination right there  Fight Club and uh Keeping the Faith wow man sure and Woody Allen you worked with  Woody Allen I worked with Woody   this is a lifelong ambition whatever people  come on who have worked with Woody Allen   we always have the question what what was  that like you know I found him to be um uh no he you know what I heard he was in a really  good mood on our movie people told me that and he   um I found all the the rumors about him not  talking and everything to be to be uh I think   a self I think people don't go up to him and  so people don't talk to him so I just figured   I'm just going to talk to this guy and I I  love talking to him he was he was we talked   about sports and movies and you know what I got  along with him absolutely great I I loved him   what we've heard about him when we talked when we  say we I mean me and a couple of folks watching   but is that as a director he is in enigmatic he  doesn't give you much direction did you find that   to be true and if so is it good either either  he really liked me and so he gave me a lot of   direction or he really thought I was really bad  and so he gave me a lot of Direction I do recall   um Drew Barrymore and I played fiance's in that  movie I don't know maybe she's told the story   too but the uh one of the first Big scenes we  had was a scene you know classic Woody Allen   shot of us walking up Central Park East and  you know along Fifth Avenue in the trees and   everything and and and one one long continuous  talking Woody Allen New York Street walk shot so   um Drew and I you know we we really worked on  it and and got it pretty down and the first   take we we went all the way through it she  cried like right where she was supposed to   cry stepped off I turned and sang because  it was a musical which is a little odd but   um and we looked at each other Drew looks at  me like hey that wasn't so bad you know not   too shabby and um and he comes over and he goes  you know okay kids you know because you know   who went he said uh he was well you know the thing  is we we had a little traffic noise on that but it   doesn't matter because in every other way that  was a total disaster oh my goodness so it's like   welcome to work with Woody and then how many how  many takes did you have to uh pursue we got it we   got it in about it was a traffic issue but we we  got it in about 10 probably uh speaking of uh well   that you know that's not bad not bad uh speaking  of uh interesting uh cast and uh circumstances in   which to work on a film uh Robert De Niro yes uh  Marlon Brando uh in this current film yeah well I   mean you know the guy if someone calls you and  says we're getting these guys together to do a   dramatic reading of the phone book would you show  up you want to you want to be there for that yeah   I think we could take that one summer in the  park did they do that in the park I think Paul   you pick your family yeah yeah but um did you get  along with dinero had you known him from before I   had I had met Marlon uh a couple maybe a year or  two ago he saw a American History X and some other   films and he really liked them so I I met him and  um and knew him to be a very funny very nice guy   and so that was comfortable with that but um Bob  I had not met and was you know I had a little more   trepidation I I would think of of all actors a an  actor might work with for the first time in a film   those two perhaps could be the most intimidating  whether in fact they are or not well there's a   load stars that any any young actor is going to  set their sights by and and either of them it   would be thrilling together it was um it put me in  minds of like you remember the old George goebels   Line about the world being a tuxedo and you're a  pair of brown shoes I felt there was times I I was   fighting fighting feeling like that so but but  but they're both um they're both uh all that   they're cracked up to be and and Incredibly  terrific in different ways was Marlon weird   on this film or was it because you know there's  the the story that he was uh Dressed funny he had   odd makeup on and no Marlon had an idea about the  character that he wanted to run with you know he   I I recall him saying at some point you know  I was thinking of wearing a moo moo you know   and we're like Marlon it's a heist picture  you're amazing you are rich little my friend no I've been a I was around these guys a long time  but Marlon Marlin Marlin's just funny he's just a   funny funny guy you know he has he has these great  phrases like he I remember Frank Oz came in and   you know Frank was terrific he let us improvise  but one time he came and gave Marlin a note real   fast and Molly went Hey listen bub you know you  got to give me a little room to swing a cat here   you know I was like I leaned over to him I said  what the hell does that mean you know and he and   he had he had some scene where he had to say to  he had to say to Bob you know well you know what   would you say to four million dollars and and um  and and take after take he kept saying you know   for a million Tomatoes four four four four million  clams four million apples and finally someone said   Marley can you just save four million dollars  you know get off the food kick you know it's like   but uh but it was great it was really great  and and De Niro De Niro is a whole Bob is   Bob is like one you know I mean he's a real he's  truly a genius working and he's everything he's   cracked up to me but he's um but he's also like  he's got his own he's got bugs in here tonight we got a guy supposed to come but he didn't  because of the holidays uh and and was was Marlon   not speaking uh to the director that got a little  that got a little grilled cheese sandwiches yeah   I don't know why that can't be a bowl of Doritos no no that got that got a little um that got a  little overblown did they not get along or was   it just silly oh no it was it was it was silliness  um and and all all for the good of the film in the   end and everybody had a we had a great time  I mean the the first time the first time that   I sat that we sat down to do an act a scene  with all three of us I kind of let myself have   a little moment you know I was pretty much we'd  been hanging out and it was relaxed but I sat down   and we were going to shoot this scene in a jazz  club and um you know Marlin's sitting there and   Bob's sitting there and I'm sitting on a little  couch and I'm thinking well you know this is   why I did it right here there's one on the left  and one on the right and and so you know let's   let's mix it up let's let's do it and uh swing  some cats yeah let's swing let's swing a cat   so is that so um so they roll you know they  roll and there's kind of a hush around the   set because it was our first time all three of  us and this is you know what they're going to be   selling so uh the we start and Marlon has this  bottle of um of Aqua mineral you know I could   think and you know he's sort of talking about  uh bugs actually is another thing and he's and   he's talking to Bob and he starts pouring and he  misses his glass completely and he and he starts   pouring the water all down his front which  I realize he's not perceiving so so I turn   I turn in the take to you know look at Bob to  see if he's picking up on this and Bob's going and they call they call cut someone's met  sees the stains but yeah they they call   cut and Bob kind of Bob kind of goes and he  looks he looks over at me and he goes he goes   was I sleeping and I said I said dinero  and I said yeah I said yeah he goes   he goes how's your meeting hey nice job  have a great summer Edward Norton ladies

Channel: Letterman

Views: 5,168,190

Keywords: letterman, david letterman, dave letterman, interview, letterman interview, letterman official, letterman late show, letterman late night, late night, stupid pet tricks, stupid human tricks, top ten, late show, top ten list

Id: oWwOJP3uGOw

Length: 14min 58sec (898 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 09 2023