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When director David Fincher's new movie, Zodiac, hits theaters nationwide March 2, One Tree Hill fans will notice a familiar face portraying a very different role. Lee Norris, who plays Marvin "Mouth" McFadden on The CW teen drama, has a small part at the beginning of the film as a teenage victim of The Zodiac Killer.
The Zodiac Killer was the name given to a serial murderer who terrorized San Francisco in the 1960s and 1970s with cryptic messages and letters taunting his pursuers.
Zodiac, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr., is based on that true story, and focuses on detectives and newspaper journalists who became obsessed with finding the person behind the seemingly random killings. The Zodiac Killer was never caught.

Norris's scene is a short but pivotal one.
"The movie opens with me and Ciara Hughes. We're sort of this 'lovers' lane' couple," Norris said. "My character sort of had a huge crush on her and she, I guess, kind of strung him along a little bit."

The scene is set on July 4, 1969 when Mike (Norris), a teenager, is still trying to woo Darlene (Hughes), an older, married woman. Their rendezvous is cut short by a surprise appearance of the Zodiac Killer.

Hughes' character ends up dying, but Norris' character manages to get away. Another actor portrays Mike several years later as he tries to identify the killer.
"I was bummed because I didn't get to work with Gyllenhaal and everyone,"

Norris said, but he did attend a read-through of the script with all the actors present and, after his part, he was able to just sit back and watch their styles unfold.
"It was amazing to me to see Robert Downey Jr. just read this script," he said. "I think, if anything, it just taught me, even the best of actors, you have to be prepared from day one."

Norris said that, in part because of Fincher's directing style, the film had challenges different from those television actors endure.
"I was only in the first five minutes and it still took two weeks," Norris said. "He's (Fincher) very meticulous … I mean, it was not uncommon to do 50, 60 takes."

Because the film was shot digitally, Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club) and the producers did not have to worry about the expense of film. They didn't even use the traditional words all film actors have become attuned to.
"He would say, 'delete," Norris said. "He didn't call 'rolling,' he didn't say 'cut,' because it was all in digital."

Now that a Fincher movie is under Norris' belt, he says he's ready for what the next opportunity will bring.
"I'm auditioning for stuff for the summer … One Tree Hill, I think, wraps in April," Norris said. "I haven't come across anything yet, but I'm hopeful."