Norton the incredible sulk

Edward Norton trails an increasing history of 'creative differences' with film-makers behind him. Photo / Supplied by Paramount

In the past week, the makers of the new The Incredible Hulk film - the story of an ordinary man with a destructive alter ego - are experiencing an unfortunate case of life imitating art.

The opening two days of a major movie are traditionally the time when actors are in publicity mode, doing the rounds of television talk shows.

So one would have expected Edward Norton, the star of The Incredible Hulk to have a busy diary. But instead, Norton has embarked on a month-long holiday to Africa.

The news could not come at a worse time. The movie is competing with a bevy of Hollywood rivals, including another recent comic adaptation, Iron Man. Combine the negative headlines of Norton's departure with the slightly sceptical early reports about the film and what you have on your hands is an oversized green turkey in tight, ripped shorts.

Nick James, editor of the film magazine Sight & Sound, said: "It's certainly surprising. It's usually written into stars' contracts that they're supposed to do a certain amount of publicity, especially for such a big-budget blockbuster. Edward Norton has been in a wide variety of films, so interviews would provide good human interest angles for the press. His absence will affect the publicity."

While the Los Angeles Times reports that Norton has likely sealed his image as "a prickly perfectionist", others have not been so kind, labelling him not so much the Incredible Hulk as the Incredible Sulk.

This is not the first time Norton has provoked controversy. The press surrounding his curriculum vitae paints a portrait of an ambitious 38-year-old control freak aiming to punch above his weight. The actor shot to mainstream recognition after 1998's American History X. While the actor won plaudits for his portrayal of a white supremacist, reports emerged of a slough of arguments between the star and the film's director, Tony Kaye.

Norton was granted final cut of the film after producers exercised their contractual power to take it away from Kaye. In response, Kaye said Norton had replaced him to put himself in more scenes, slamming the actor in trade-paper advertisements that derided him as "narcissistic".

Fast forward to 2002 and Death to Smoochy, about a children's show host targeted for assassination. Here, he showed he could over-obsess about image. Despite portraying what the costume designer Jane Ruhm described as a hippie, Norton commissioned a suit made of hemp from Armani. "I could have made Edward a great suit without having to go through millions of phone calls and negotiations," Ruhm told the film magazine Premiere. "In the end, I didn't want him to wear those clothes but ... he did."

The negative reports continued with Red Dragon, released in the same year. The film's director Brett Ratner told The Times in 2003: "Edward's instinct is going to be, 'I have to take over this film'. That's a blessing and a curse."