Edward Norton Discusses 'The Score'

July 17 -- The way Edward Norton figures it, how can you turn down a chance to work with Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando?

The 31-year-old star joins two of his acting heroes in The Score to make a trio of international jewel thieves. Norton might be the junior member, but his character might have been the hardest to play, and the most integral to the film's success.

And that didn't scare him.

"I've been a New York acting rat for the last 10 years, and there's no way you can say Marlon Brando and [Robert] De Niro are going to be in a film [without me accepting,]" said Norton. "You just have to tell me where to show up."

De Niro plays a safe cracker who owns a jazz club and has one eye on retirement. Brando's character is a fence who is sinking further into debt. Norton, a scrappy young thief, provides the inside information to help them rob a jewel encrusted scepter from the Montreal customs house. For months, he's been posing as a developmentally disabled janitor in the building.

"The first time we were actually all three together I definitely had to take a little breath and shake it off," said Norton. "But I think in that take Marlon poured water down his front and Bob flubbed his lines so it was good. It humanizes them pretty quickly. "

On the Job Training From De Niro

You'd imagine there'd be a lot of ego on the set. But Norton says he has great respect for his co-stars. "Bob … is just great, he's one of those people who lives up to the hype in the best way. He's serious and meticulous and he's maintained just an incredibly impressive level of discipline about his approach to the work after so many years of doing it."

Like De Niro and Brando, Norton has had his share of controversial roles. He defended a porn publisher as a lawyer in The People Vs. Larry Flint and traded punches with Brad Pitt in Fight Club.

De Niro's ability to push himself to new levels inspired Norton, who admits he was intimidated by his Score character. "That's the kind of nervy thing that's challenging," said Norton. "That's the most fun is if there's something about it where you go, you read it and … it almost makes you a little bit nervous, like your initial reflex is 'I don't know if I want to do that,' actually I usually try to push myself toward it." "