10 Actors Who Didn't Want To Be Credited For Movie Roles

Edward Norton has enjoyed a full and varied career; he worked as a waiter in a New York (along with every other actor in the city), played guitar in Hole alongside Courtney Love (twice) before becoming a well respected and versatile actor, known for playing complex, intelligent men in films like Fight Club and American History X.

Ridley Scott already had already enjoyed considerable success as director from the mid 1970s onwards and managed the seemingly impossible feat of returning sweeping historical epic films back to popular cinema with Gladiator in 2000. With the considerable box office haul of that film, Dreamworks Pictures were clearly keen for another race on the chariots, and Scott was hired for the enormous medieval action flick that would become Kingdom of Heaven.

Set at the time of the 12th century Crusades, KOH sees Balian di Ibelin (Orlando Bloom) confronting legendary Muslim commander Saladin. Norton played King Baldwin IV, a monarch ravaged by leprosy and whose face is permanently covered by an eerie, ornate silver mask.

In keeping with the character, Norton decided to remain uncredited for the role. In an interview with Empire (via Contact Music) he stated "I didn't want to be billed because Orlando Bloom's character keeps hearing about him. There's this anticipation, this big mystery about him. It's the whole point. And it was a free trip to Morocco!"

It was a committed decision from Norton, and perhaps more Baldwins should consider wearing masks in the future...