The iconic 2005 video game character based on Edward Norton: “It took a long time to figure out”
Few actors have amassed as impressive an array of characters as Edward Norton.
Through just his work with Wes Anderson, he’s played an uptight scout leader, a fastidious police officer, and a talking dog, and then there’s the entire rest of his career, which has spawned more iconic films than I could possibly relay here.
Considering his longevity, accomplishments, and respected stature in Hollywood, it should come as no surprise that Norton serves as an inspiration to many, including Mark Wahlberg, while Robert De Niro found him mesmerising to work with on the movie Stone.
However, his impact reaches far beyond the world of movies, for which you can just ask the acclaimed video game designer David Jaffe, who, in conversation with My DVD Insider, spoke about the process behind creating one of his most iconic characters, Kratos from the God of War series. As well as taking inspiration from the Greek myths that would serve as the backdrop to the original games, Jaffe also borrowed from one of his favourite Norton performances.
“It took a long time to figure out what Kratos would look like,” he explained, “Ultimately, we took inspiration from Edward Norton in American History X, when he played a Nazi. There’s this scene in which the cops arrest him, and you just see how buffed and built he’s gotten. I showed that to the artist, and I said, ‘OK, that sense of power and aggression that you just see in his face, can we somehow take that, the essence of what he’s exuding, and somehow turn that into a character that fits into this Greek mythology world?’”
Debuting in 2005, the God of War franchise tells the story of Kratos, a demigod who is tricked into murdering his family by the Greek god Ares. Over the years, the series has tackled a number of cultures and ancient civilisations, and in 2018, the series was rebooted with a Norse setting. The series has sold an esteemed 66million games in its time, with many instalments winning various publications’ ‘Game of the Year’ awards.
The similarities between Kratos and Derek Vinyard (Norton’s character in American History X) go much deeper than just their muscular physiques. Derek and his brother Danny (Edward Furlong) are both neo-Nazis in 1990s America, and like Kratos, the eldest brother is driven by anger and has a penchant for violence (see the infamous curb stomp scene for further proof).
However, both men go through a period of repentance, where Kratos learns the error of his ways through his various quests, while Derek is rehabilitated through three years in jail.
Director Tony Kaye might not have liked it, but Noton’s performance in American History X is one of the finest examples of character development in ’90s cinema. A striking combination of physical presence, mental anguish, and a desire to break a vicious cycle, it’s not hard to see the impact Derek Vinyard has had on one of gaming’s most iconic figures.
