Who's the better actor between Edward Norton and Kevin Spacey?

Norton's notable roles:

Aaron Stampler in Primal Fear
Derek Vinyard in American History X
Narrator/Lead in Fight Club

Spacey's notable roles:

John Doe in Se7en
Roger "Verbal" Kint in The Usual Suspects
Lester Burnham in American Beauty

Spacey has won two Academy awards I believe for American Beauty and Usual Suspects...Norton has been nominated twice...

Spacey started his career far before Norton...both of these guys can ****in act, so lets hear it...who's better?

that's a tough call...

OG, great signature! Sean Penn is one of my favorite actors and Sweet 'n' Lowdown was a terrific movie with an outstanding Jazz soundtrack.

I pick Edward Norton because he is also one of my favorites and just because American History X is one of the most intense and interesting movies that I have ever seen. He also did a great job in Red Dragon.

... and "The Score"

I think they are both great. Norton seems to be the more versitile. Spacey has had some great parts, but he seems to play the same guy every movie.

Swimming with Sharks is a classic part by Spacey

I'd say Kevin Spacey myself though both are Grade A actors.

Spacey is a character actor, like some of the greats, whose style was cookie-cuttered for American Beauty.

Norton is the deeper actor, with skills Spacey might have shown during his great stage carreer, but this is film baby and Ed wins hands down for acting outside a single extended character.

By the way. Sean Penn is right there with these two guys. The poster who mentioned Sweet and Lowdown has got my vote. This is Woody Allen's best effort in a decade, partly because of casting Penn as the main character. In parts, I thought he was acually playing that guitar.

Penn is better than Norton or Spacey. I give the nod to Norton over Spacey.

Norton's already better. He even made Death to Smoochy interesting for awhile...

Both are great actors but Norton is better. Penn is way overated IMO.

By the way. Sean Penn is right there with these two guys. The poster who mentioned Sweet and Lowdown has got my vote. This is Woody Allen's best effort in a decade, partly because of casting Penn as the main character. In parts, I thought he was acually playing that guitar.
I love Sean Penn...thought his role in "Carlito's Way" was one of the most amazing jobs of disapearing inside a character I've ever seen. That being said, I have to voice my serious disapointment with the way he approached the part in "Sweet and Lowdown". He obviously made NO effort to study any guitarists.
If you thought he was "actually playing that guitar" you obviously are easily fooled. I'm not saying he should have learned to play like Wes Montgomery but he didn't make ANY effort to learn about hand placement. DeNiro learned some saxaphone for a role, Richard Gere learned some trumpet for "The Cotton Club". Penn's lack of interest and commitment pissed me off.

I have to voice my serious disapointment with the way he approached the part in "Sweet and Lowdown". He obviously made NO effort to study any guitarists.
Seems the people who nominated both Penn and Samantha for Oscars didn't have that same problem. In reality Penn probably emmersed himself in studying Emmett Ray, who was, as you know, a notable guitarist. In preparing for his role as Ray, I'm sure made some effort to study.

If you thought he was "actually playing that guitar" you obviously are easily fooled .... he didn't make ANY effort to learn about hand placement. Penn's lack of interest and commitment pissed me off.
Obviously you are a guitar player, like myself. So, we're both not easily fooled. I stand by what I said, especially when you cosider what "guitar" playing normally looks like when an actor is handed the instrument for the first time.

Penn's body movement when "playing" guitar looked very much like a guitarist. He was obviously coached and was a good student, like he is with all his roles. Take a look again at Penn's entire body next time, not just his fingers. He LOOKS like a guitar player, that's why he pulls it off so well.

About the fingers, which you seem to have locked-onto, he did a hell of job, for a guy who doesn't play any instrument and has no musical training. There's times when he's a bit flat fingered, but that's about all. Other than that, he's doing finger rolls, minor seventh chords, double pump strumming, and the occasional nervous tuning. That looks good to me.

BOXERDOG .... dissing Sean Penn, while at the same time giving props to Richard Gere, looks a bit suspicious.

Way too tough to call for me. I like them both. Slight edge goes to Spacey IMO.

Oldman mops the floor with them both. Watch Romeo is Bleeding. That movie is ****ing pimp as ****ing ****. Better director as well (not that the two in discussion are directors). Just view "Nil By Mouth", one of the most underrated independant films I have ever seen. You can not get any more pimp, than what he portrayed in his small role in "True Romance" either.

He was a white guy, playing a black pimp. That is ****ing ruthless.

Spacey. Although both are good actors, I find he's more flexible in terms of roles than Norton

Way too tough to call for me. I like them both. Slight edge goes to Spacey IMO.

Oldman mops the floor with them both. Watch Romeo is Bleeding. That movie is ****ing pimp as ****ing ****. Better director as well (not that the two in discussion are directors). Just view "Nil By Mouth", one of the most underrated independant films I have ever seen. You can not get any more pimp, than what he portrayed in his small role in "True Romance" either.

He was a white guy, playing a black pimp. That is ****ing ruthless.


Norton and Spacey are both better than Oldman IMO. Gary plays a very good bad-guy though...he's very sinister looking.

Seems the people who nominated both Penn and Samantha for Oscars didn't have that same problem. In reality Penn probably emmersed himself in studying Emmett Ray, who was, as you know, a notable guitarist. In preparing for his role as Ray, I'm sure made some effort to study.


Obviously you are a guitar player, like myself. So, we're both not easily fooled. I stand by what I said, especially when you cosider what "guitar" playing normally looks like when an actor is handed the instrument for the first time.

Penn's body movement when "playing" guitar looked very much like a guitarist. He was obviously coached and was a good student, like he is with all his roles. Take a look again at Penn's entire body next time, not just his fingers. He LOOKS like a guitar player, that's why he pulls it off so well.

About the fingers, which you seem to have locked-onto, he did a hell of job, for a guy who doesn't play any instrument and has no musical training. There's times when he's a bit flat fingered, but that's about all. Other than that, he's doing finger rolls, minor seventh chords, double pump strumming, and the occasional nervous tuning. That looks good to me.

We obviously saw two different films. In the print that I watched, Penn was sliding up and down the neck like he was jerking off the damned thing! As I said, I think he is a fine actor but he could have "faked" the playing better. (Finger rolls, double pump strumming??? What the hell are you talking about?? Maybe you have played longer than my 40 years! I hope to get into the "fancy sh*t" soon!)
And I hope to hell you are not one of those dweebs who dismiss an actor's talents simply because he could nail their girlfriend.
Gere is perhaps a "pretty boy" but he is still an accomplished actor.

Im going to have to go with Spacey on this one because i think hes a great actor but I like the movies Norton is in more.

Penn was sliding up and down the neck like he was jerking off the damned thing .... Finger rolls, double pump strumming??? What the hell are you talking about?? Maybe you have played longer than my 40 years! I hope to get into the "fancy sh*t" soon!
And I hope to hell you are not one of those dweebs who dismiss an actor's talents simply because he could nail their girlfriend.
Gere is perhaps a "pretty boy" but he is still an accomplished actor.
Not sorry we disagree, but sorry you have to get into the "dweeb" stuff. I saw Penn doing one hell of a good impersonation of Emmett Ray the guitarist, not just Emmett Ray the guy.

As far as jerking off the guitar, take another look for this ....

Finger Roll - Not fancy at all, simply roll your fingers along one string, starting with your index finger and ending with your pinky, to get four notes with one string pluck.

Double Pump - Partly strum some of the higher strings and then stall, then finish on the rest of the strings. Very common in jazz, folk, rock you name it.

Penn, like always, nails these two basic things that are not intuitive. He must have got a good music coach, who kept him from looking like the "jerk off" you describe.

Not sorry we disagree, but sorry you have to get into the "dweeb" stuff.

Back it up a little, youngblood.
I said that I "hoped" you were not a dweeb and this only after you tried to cast some sort of doubt on my masculinity with your reference to me "dissing Penn" while giving props to Richard Gere.
You, of course, have no way of knowing that I am a father of eight. Certainly no way to know that in my years on the road, I probably nailed more women than you will ever shake hands with. :D
It's all good though....watch the flik again and see if you don't agree that there are scenes where Sean looks more like a guy with a spastic colon than like a guitarist.

BOXER .... next time I'll be sure to put one of those cute, er I mean "masculine", smiley faces at the end of my text, so you'll know that I was just kiddin'.

As a Father-of-eight, there must be a boy or two in there? Are you gonna' teach them to "nail babes" and then keep boasting about it 10 or 15 years after the fact? And now your much older and are picking "forum" fights with guys less than half your age. What does that tell YOU?

If you think there's something worth chasing, including your past exploits, then keep this thread going, but I'm outa' here .........

Tough one, Norton just gets it for me, American History X was awsome.

Most would probably say Spacey. I don't know. Probably right now it is easier to lean toward Spacey. He's good in pretty much everything he does. When he's a bad guy I f'n hate him, when he's a good guy I generally like him. Usually I like bad guys and don't care too much for the good guys, so he's got some serious talent.

He does a great job in The Ref, though people don't mention that film too much.

Ed Norton is good at playing ****ed up. He's played the whole retard thing in both Primal Fear and The Score, both of which I liked.

My biggest problem with American History X is that it still seems to stay racist toward the end. I don't buy that Norton's character has this dramatic change so quickly, not the way it is presented. Cause I mean this guy was the ****ing Hitler of the group he had. It'd take more to change him I think. Norton is definitely convincing, maybe a little too convincing, as an extremist/racist.

I'm probably one of the few people who didn't care all that much for Fight Club. I liked it the first time I saw it OKAY, but then every other time, err...it isn't terrible but I don't think it is that great.

25th Hour was decent, but overbuit for me too.

I havent seen Spacey have to stretch much on a role yet. Norton has more so. Penn while his political views are classic retardation, he is an amazing actor.

My biggest problem with American History X is that it still seems to stay racist toward the end. I don't buy that Norton's character has this dramatic change so quickly, not the way it is presented. Cause I mean this guy was the ****ing Hitler of the group he had. It'd take more to change him I think. Norton is definitely convincing, maybe a little too convincing, as an extremist/racist.
Exactly. You gotta' wonder why the director seemed to suddenly seemed to go on vacation, I mean when Norton's character is truly "suddenly" a different guy. Why? Because he cried a couple tears? That seems to be the only event that separates the Nazi Norton from the Good Guy Norton. That whole movie fell apart right there.

He does a great job in The Ref, though people don't mention that film too much.


I think you and I are the only ones who saw or liked The Ref. I laughed my ass off.

I give the slight nod to Spacey. Norton rocks too. Another funny ass comedy with a great actor, Tim Robbins, that not too many people have seen is Nothing to Lose. None of my friends agree that it was good though.

By the way Kevin Spacey is playing Lex Luthor in the next Superman movie.

The top three in my opinion are
Tom Hanks
Sean Penn
Tim Robbins

Honarary mention to Anthony Hopkins, Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt. I know I am forgetting people... (gets the music over his voice and they dim the lights around the podium)

I like them both but I sincerely think Edward Norton is a better actor.

i pick edward norton for his role in primal fear.

kevin spacey for his role in American Beauty.

I like Gary Cole a lot. There's a lot of unmined potential there. He was one of the best villains ever on the short lived American Gothic, which I'm fairly obsessed with as of late.

Nothing To Lose was a decent movie. Tim Robbins is good. Oddly enough, I didn't care much for Jacob's Ladder. Thought Nothing To Lose was just as good, maybe better.

Who the **** cares? ****. I mean ****. I mean I watch there movies and ****ing ****, but what the ****? I ****in beat both there asses and ****, then I'd ask them to say I didn't kick their ass. Whoever was more believable would be the better actor and ****. **** it.

Two things, and I'm off. Sean Penn sucks. Spacey is my preferred actor, though both are very talented. I'd say Spacey is the better actor, though.

Sean Penn does not suck. He's ****ing brilliant. Some of his earlier ****, okay, I could see, but like since at least 93 or so he's been pretty damn good. Carlito's Way, I Am Sam, Mystic River, come on, those movies worked largely because of Penn.

Kevin Spacy,

American Beauty
Usual Suspects
K-pax

I really enjoyed American History X though.

norton is probably my favorite actor anyway, i think he's pretty talented to go from "american history x" to "death to smoochy"-smoochy was pretty funny i thought. fight club is my fav

for spacey, i think its k-pax, and american beauty was very good