The Tim Ferriss Show

#393: Edward Norton — On Creative Process, Creative Struggle, and Motherless Brooklyn

Oct 31, 2019

Edward Norton, a celebrated actor known for his Academy Award-nominated performances, shares insights about his creative journey. He dives into the challenges of adapting his latest film, *Motherless Brooklyn*, from book to screen. Norton discusses the balance between staying true to source material and making it resonate with modern audiences. He reflects on the importance of mentorship, perseverance in filmmaking, and how sound design plays a crucial role in storytelling. Ultimately, he emphasizes the power of community and collaboration in fostering creativity.

02:03:08

Episode guests

Edward Norton

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

The Impact of Diverse and Transparent Storytelling

01:43

I was completely entranced by it

01:18

The Process of Creating a Literary Mash-Up: From Research to Completion

01:34

The Culture of Competitiveness in Creative Work

01:13

Intro

4min

Convenience Foods and Creative Journeys

5min

From Page to Screen: The Journey of 'Motherless Brooklyn'

24min

Adapting Literature: The Creative Journey

10min

Navigating the Creative Journey

30min

Navigating the Filmmaking Journey

13min

The Power of Sound in Cinema

6min

The Art of Storytelling in Film

23min

The Power of Community in Creative Endeavors

2min

10.

Quick and Nutritious Solutions for Busy Lifestyles

5min

“It's nice to be reminded that it's been hard for other people when they were getting things done that you admired, because it maybe gives you that extra little bit of determination or patience to persevere a little more." — Edward Norton

Edward Norton (@EdwardNorton) is one of the most celebrated actors of his generation. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards for his performances and has starred in, produced, written, or directed more than 30 films. His most recent film, Motherless Brooklyn, which he wrote, directed, produced, and stars in, will be released on November 1st.

People mostly know Edward for his acting, but he has a substantial parallel career as an entrepreneur, investor, and activist in both technology and environmental sustainability ventures.

In 2010 Norton co-founded and was chairman of CrowdRise, a charitable crowdfunding platform which raised more than $500M for U.S. nonprofit organizations before being acquired by GoFundMe, the largest social fundraising platform in the world, which Norton now serves on the board of. He also co-founded EDO, which applies advanced data science and machine learning to the analysis of audience engagement signals for the media and advertising industries. EDO's data and software are used by every major film studio in their media rotation planning, and virtually every major television network now includes EDO data alongside Nielsen data within their pricing metrics.

He is the founding board president of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, an award-winning Kenyan conservation and community development organization, and in 2010 he was appointed the first United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity.

Edward seems to do it all. In this wide-ranging conversation, we go deep into his creative process and creative struggles, both inside and outside of film.

If you'd like more Edward after this episode, you can listen to my 2016 interview with him at tim.blog/edward. And take my word for it and go see Motherless Brooklyn in theaters. It's absolutely outstanding.

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Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.