10 Actors Bullied Into Roles They Never Wanted

6. Edward Norton - The Italian Job

Edward Norton is known for two things - a) being picky about which roles he ultimately accepts and b) being a pain in the arse to work with. Still, we mostly have to come down on his side here, even if his pickiness is apparently what caused him to wind up cast as the forgettable, moustachioed villain in the dull remake of the crime caper classic The Italian Job.

Norton had signed a three-picture deal with Paramount, but it seems that he spent too long rejecting projects after the enormous success of Primal Fear (for which he garnered his first Oscar nomination), as he wound up having to star in something he was ardently against appearing in.

The contract won out, and Norton was railroaded by executives and lawyers no doubt into briefly embarrassing himself as the dull, unenthusiastic bad guy in a dull, unenthusiastic film. Norton didn't even bother to promote the flick but still made it clear to just about anyone prepared to listen that he was cast in it against his will.