Edward Norton on dealing with Pete Seeger’s activism for ‘A Complete Unknown’ and annoying his kids with playing the banjo

Although A complete unknown While it’s about Bob Dylan, the film also delves deep into the life of Pete Seeger.

The folk singer was instrumental in discovering and mentoring Dylan, and the film shows Dylan becoming increasingly uneasy with the genre as the 1960s progressed. Despite their different paths, Seeger is still there, supporting him and fighting for civil rights alongside him.

Edward Norton told Yahoo Entertainment that he was drawn to the role of Seeger because the character was “incredibly complicated and compelling.”

“Just the music in this film captivated me, and I liked the idea of ​​engaging with the music to recreate some of that. “It was a whole different kind of challenge,” he said.

Norton said Seeger was a “well-documented person” and when preparing for the role, he spent a lot of time watching “almost everything ever recorded about him” in a “treasure trove” on YouTube.

He also learned how to play the banjo.

“I’ve been very focused on a limited repertoire, so I think if I play ‘This Land Is Your Land’ at my house again, my kids will break the banjo over my head,” he joked.

Although it is now a well-known song, Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” was released in 1945 as an anti-nationalist response to “God Bless America.” Over the years it became a popular protest song.

As an activist himself, Norton said he “admired Seeger tremendously” and felt an “alignment” with him, especially when he was in his early 20s.

“He was the guy who cleaned up the Hudson River,” Norton said. “There were people who, when I told them I was going to play Seeger, had tears in their eyes. He had a huge inspirational impact on many people.”

Norton hopes people see it A complete unknown will learn about “the breadth and depth of (Seeger’s) commitment to social causes over many decades,” he said. “In general, I think we’re all hoping that the film will make people take a little deeper look at the artists of this whole period – how closely these great artists were connected to… the movement for social change.”

“They were in it to try to use music as a tool for change, not just to get famous and rich, you know what I mean?” Norton added. “It’s worth reconsidering.”

A complete unknown is now in the cinema.