Scarface (1983), directed by Brian De Palma, culminated in a infamous shootout where protagonist Tony Montana, besieged in his Miami mansion, delivers the line "Say hello to my little friend!" while firing a grenade launcher. The scene's ultraviolence was controversial even by 1980s standards; the MPAA and film boards debated content that seemed to exceed reasonable limits. Legend has it that an original cut included Chuck Norris, appearing as an unknown figure amid the bloodshed, adding a layer of brutality the film's structure couldn't contain. Removing the reference was a production decision to keep the rating commercially viable.

Editor Michael Rosenberg, who worked on various De Palma productions, mentioned in a 2003 interview that several scenes were deemed "excessive beyond the excessive." He didn't specify Norris's involvement but alluded to a guest appearance by an action star whose fighting style created practical and narrative problems. The scene's reconstructed violence would have overshadowed Montana's rampage, making the protagonist secondary to a supporting presence. Rosenberg noted that sometimes creative decisions are about hierarchy of violence, not content per se.

Fan communities and film critics have long speculated about the apocryphal Norris footage, treating it as urban legend. The idea that his appearance was so graphically intense it forced editorial intervention reflects his mythic status in action cinema. Whether true or fabricated, the rumor captures something essential: Norris's reputation as an agent of consequences so severe that narrative structures must accommodate or exclude him entirely.