To play the role of ret. Col. Ric Byer, the ruthless head of NRAG—the organization in the new behind the secret program of agents that began with Treadstone, evolved into Blackbriar, and now operates Outcome, among several others—the filmmakers of ‘The Bourne Legacy’ cast Oscar nominee Edward Norton. When Outcome is in danger of being exposed to public scrutiny, Byer cuts his losses by deciding to shut it down and move on.

Executive producer Jennifer Fox explains how the Byer character illustrates Gilroy’s nuanced approach to characterization: “Tony explores how individuals within organizations give themselves license to behave in unscrupulous ways: Tilda Swinton in ‘Michael Clayton’, both Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti in ‘Duplicity’, and now Edward Norton and his team in ‘Legacy’. They’re powerful antagonists because they hold their conviction and rationale about the greater good they believe to be serving. The familiar movie trope of the individual against the machine is made much more complicated, messy and real because he dramatizes the reality behind individual motivations.”

Tony Gilroy expands upon why the selection of this antagonist was so important: “We were casting the mastermind of the entire franchise. We knew we’d be saying to the audience that this is the guy that’s been sitting beside you in the theater for the last 12 years watching the CIA screw everything up for him. We needed a world-class actor; we needed weight. We needed someone with the kind of intelligence that’s in the room before the scene starts, and above all I needed an actor I could collaborate with to make sure that Ric Byer’s worldview wasn’t painted entirely black. He believes he’s one of the very few people who can bear the moral weight of the darkness necessary to keep his country safe.”

Norton describes his interest in joining a film with a story rooted inside the chambers of government-funded intelligence: “I see a theme running through all of Tony’s films that I think is timely and smart. He’s been digging into the way that corporations have permeated our culture and threaten to compromise us from different angles. I liked that in this film he was exploring the way that power is exercised in the nexus between corporations and government…questioning who’s working for who.”

The performer appreciated that Gilroy colored his characters in moral gradations. Though Byer is hell-bent on erasing Outcome, his motives (in his mind) are sound ones. Shares Norton: “All of the characters in this film are painted in shades of gray. Tony hasn’t woven a web of heroes and villains. Everybody’s made certain compromises and certain rationalizations in and around what they do…my character certainly, but Rachel’s too and even Jeremy’s. He’s digging into how people have their best ideals and impulses co-opted by a system in many different ways. I like that kind of complexity.”

Producer Frank Marshall was impressed by Norton’s ability to straddle the line between a man of his country and a cold-blooded executioner who sees the emergence of Bourne as an infection that must be contained. The producer commends: “Edward kills it. He’s just a spectacular actor and is terrific at playing the ‘villain’ in the piece. But Byer is not simply a villain. He’s just the guy who’s after Aaron Cross. Though we’ve had several of these types along the way, Edward is a particularly tough one.”

To cast the roles of Byer’s staff—the scientists, intelligence and surveillance experts who hunt down Aaron and Marta from their hub in Washington, D.C.—Gilroy delved into the world of New York theater. “Tony’s a New York guy,” shares producer Patrick Crowley. “He knows both theater and New York film very well. It’s exciting to draw from that pool of people.”

Tony Award winner Donna Murphy (of Broadway’s Passion and The King and I), was cast as Byer’s dedicated second-in-command, Dita, the “nun” to Byer’s “priest.”

“She’s his wingman, or wingwoman,” Murphy explains. “She’s got a background with the CIA; she’s an extremely good scientist. The biggest part of her job is to be so tuned in on Byer that when he needs something, she’s three steps ahead.”

Image Courtesy of  cinemafestival / Shutterstock.com

Share This

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

About the author

Claudia Sondergaard
Specialised in American foreign policy media discourse, I have a real passion for media and writing and feel comfortable in subjects such as human rights, politics, environment, social issues, movies, TV and books. Reporting from Denmark. Follow me @swirlgirlversus

Related Posts

‘The Bourne Legacy’: Planning Stunts in the City of San Andres

Filming ‘The Bourne Legacy’ in Manila began in the San Andres neighborhood, its ramshackle houses and dark alleyways typical of the city’s lower- and middle-class areas. The San Andres neighborhood has grown organically...

Hold Tight: ‘Bourne Legacy’ Stunt Team to Dazzle Moviegoers

No ‘Bourne’ film would be complete without its fair share of action and still rings true even for the new installment ‘The Bourne Legacy’. Still, emphasizes producer Frank Marshall: “Our rules that we have been...

Aaron Cross in New ‘Bourne’ Explores Modern Day Manila

In ‘The Bourne Legacy’s opening sequence, Aaron Cross is dressed like a speed climber, posing as one of the few brave souls who might be found alone in the Alaskan wilderness. “He’s in a brilliant red-orange jacket...

1 Comment for Edward Norton: Unscrupulous Character in ‘The Bourne Legacy’

Zack Mandell

Great article! I can’t wait to see how Norton’s interpretation of Byer plays out on the screen. If we have learned anything from Norton’s previous acting stunts its sure to be great

Reply