Bryan Cranston’s ‘Breaking Bad’ Transformation Became So Disturbing For His One Co-star, She Felt “alone and scared and angry” in Reality
- Bryan Cranston's Walter White remains one of the most popular characters on-screen.
- Anna Gunn got scared and lonely with Cranston's transformation as Walter White in the later seasons.
- Bryan Cranston took inspiration from his father to play Walter White on the show.
Actor Bryan Cranston is popularly known for his portrayal of Walter White in the AMC crime drama series Breaking Bad from 2008 to 2013. His character portrayal made a significant impact on the audience, and he is still remembered as one of the best characters written for a television show. Over the years, the show has developed a cult following. It also became one of the most-watched cable shows by the time the series finale premiered.
The audience, as well as the critics, recognized Cranston’s work as Walter White. He earned four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. After the actor served not only as the star but also as a producer of the show, he earned the award for Outstanding Drama Series twice. Walter White remains one of the most significant characters played by the actor. But his co-star was scared by his portrayal.
Bryan Cranston’s co-star felt ‘alone and scared’ with his portrayal of Walter White
Actor Bryan Cranston is famous for playing an underpaid, dispirited high school chemistry teacher, Walter White. To secure the finances for the family, White teams up with a former student played by Aaron Paul to produce and distribute methamphetamine while navigating the dangers of the criminal world.
Before Cranston became Walter White, he played the role of Hal in Malcolm in the Middle from 2000 to 2006, for which he was highly appreciated. In his interview with The Independent, he describes the character as ‘it was seven years of glory’. After the success of Malcolm in the Middle, Cranston was cast in a role that changed his life.
The actor for five years poured himself into the role of Walter White, and his transformation was jarring in the later seasons for his co-star Anna Gunn, who played Skyler White on the show. The actress shared with The New Yorker:
It was like something came over the sun, and something would drop in my stomach, and I’d feel so alone, and scared, and angry. I don’t know where he goes, and I don’t want to know.
To the actress’ surprise, despite Walter White having the traits of a villainous character, it was her character that received the most hate from the fans. She decided to write an op-ed in 2013 explaining why she found some of the views about her character very concerning. She wrote that she has finally realized that the hate towards her character has very little to do with her and a lot to do with the fans’ perception of women and wives.
The creator of the show, Vince Gilligan, also expressed that Gunn’s Skyler did nothing to receive the hate she got from the fans. He added that it was weird, and he still thinks about that. In his interview with The Guardian, the actor defended his character’s violent streak by stating that the reason why the character resonated with everyone is because everyone has that little bit of Walter White in them.
Bryan Cranston talks about taking inspiration for Walter White from his late father
Actor Bryan Cranston, in his interview with The Guardian, opened up about how he took his late father, Joseph Cranston, an actor and former amateur boxer, as inspiration for playing Walter White. He noted that White’s parental absence, sky-high ego, and a sense of entitlement mirrored his father, whom he describes as having decided to leave his family to seek more opportunities. Cranston shared,
My dad wanted to become a star. Which to me is the equivalent of saying that you just want to be rich without having an idea or a plan of how to acquire wealth. How futile is that? It’s a sign of immaturity, which I would tell him directly if he were still alive.
Cranston mentioned his father worked hard till the end of the time and, at times, also tried to take advantage of his position. He added that his father was sincerely happy for him and had a great work ethic, like he was always writing and always working to get more opportunities. The actor recalled that his late father would hit up his agency to read his scripts.
The two of them reunited only after a decade of his father walking out, and Cranston describes that it was never a father-son relationship one would hope for. In his interview for GQ, the actor shared that when he was auditioning for the part, he thought of his father and how he stands, slumping his shoulders.
Breaking Bad remains one of the most beloved shows of all time, with new fans discovering the magic of Bryan Cranston and his on-screen chemistry with co-star Aaron Paul. Critics have lauded it as one of the greatest television series of all time.
Breaking Bad is available to stream on Netflix.
