Actors on steroids (III)

(Left, Edward Norton in Primal Fear, 1995; above right, in American History X, in 1996)

While I was on the subject of great actors earlier I forgot about Ed Norton, who is definitely one such. He got an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his very first movie role, in Primal Fear, in 1995. A year later, he got a nomination for his starring role in American History X.

It used to be that actors accomplished physical transformations via rubber bodysuits, costume, carriage, and so on. The transformation above was brought about by more than just hairstyle, facial expression, tattoos, and a few push-ups. There seems to have been something much more organic at work.

(And yes, this is jealousy talking. After a lifetime spent at the gym, I have not come close to what Norton appears to have accomplished in one year in the picture on the right; I still resemble the "before" picture at left.)

This is a short three part series, by the way, which you'll read in the reverse order that it was written. There are many more actors who have taken steroids than those mentioned here, but these are three of the more obvious cases. (I won't dwell on actors who have admitted steroid use, like Stallone or Schwarzenegger; it is more fun to out those who have never confessed.)