MANILA, Philippines – The lead cast of Hollywood action thriller Bourne Legacy was completed Sunday night with the secret arrival of American actor, screenwriter, film director and producer Edward Norton. Known for his intelligence and passion for various social causes, Norton will play villain in the fourth installment of the Bourne series now filming some of its action sequences in Manila.
Norton flew in at 7:30 pm at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminal 1 on Thai Airways flight TG 693 from Bangkok. He was missed by his fans when he entered the immigration arrival area.
Earlier, lead stars Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz planed in at the NAIA secretly for the filming of the movie.
Weisz’s husband, James Bond star Daniel Craig, also flew in undetected Friday night to visit his wife, and was “extracted” from the airport by the award-winning actress as she waited in a Toyota Camry at the airport curbside.
Norton on Sunday night was also obviously trying to stay incognito. Wearing a long-sleeved, white cotton shirt and backpack with matching tropical hat, nobody recognized Norton, except for one fan who saw him leaving the customs area. He declined to have a “photo op” for obvious reasons, as people began to mill around. He dashed off to a waiting limo car enroute to a Makati hotel where he is billeted.
He was accompanied on the trip by a female companion when they left the airport terminal.
Known for being an environmental and social activist, he is a member of the board of trustees of Enterprise Community Partners, a non-profit organization for developing affordable housing, founded by his grandfather, James Rouse.
In July 2010, Norton was designated as the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
In May 2010, Norton launched a website called Crowdrise, which uses a social networking platform to help raise funds for charity.
Well-heeled and highly-educated, he came from a conservative family. His father was a Federal prosecutor and his mother a teacher. His parents later got involved with The Enterprise Foundation, an affordable housing financier founded by Norton’s grandfather, real estate developer James Rouse.
