By Charlie Denison
I didn’t know what all the fuss was about.
I tried to ignore it. But I kept hearing more and more. No one could believe what they’d been seeing.
A high school chemistry teacher who starts making meth? Original, sure, but, did I really want to step into that world? Besides, I had other things going on, was busy living life and having my own wild experiences. I didn’t want to live vicariously through a TV show.
And, honestly, I didn’t want to get addicted. I saw it happen to too many friends with “Lost.”
The more I tried to avoid it, though, the more irresistible it became. Walt and Jesse even showed up in the mail on the cover of Rolling Stone. I couldn’t get away.
So, one night, winding down in my new apartment in my new town, putting my feet up on my new couch, I decided to give it a whirl. Whoa.
When I tuned in to the pilot, I barely recognized Bryan Cranston as Dr. Tim Whatley from Seinfeld. He looked a little familiar, but that went away fast. He was Walter White, an unhappy, unfulfilled 50-year-old man; a poor, sorry soul working overtime at the car wash, unable to get ahead, unable to get the respect he felt his intellect earned him.
His beautiful wife had a baby on the way, but it was more stressful for him than exciting. He couldn’t get excited if he tried. Days started to feel like chores.
Enter the cancer diagnosis.
Every man has a breaking point. Few—if any—take it as far as Walter White.
I was in for the ride immediately, largely thanks to Cranston’s frighteningly believable portrayal of a desperate and dangerous man.
Just how far does he take it? I don’t want to spoil it for those of you who haven’t seen it, but let’s just say creator Vince Gilligan achieved what many thought was impossible by transforming a man from Mr. Chips to Scarface, making him alarmingly relatable along the way.
Breaking Bad is a masterpiece, and Cranston—who worked with Gilligan on the X-Files episode, “Drive”—was just the man to make the ambitious anti-hero a household name.
It goes without saying that the now 66-year-old actor will forever be attached to Mr. White. He understands this, and, as a result, chooses his roles cleverly, taking on some challenging, complicated characters.
Since Breaking Bad’s finale in 2013, he has shown off his range by diving into slapstick, suspense, dark comedy, and dramatic biopics. Here is a list of some Cranston performances that Breaking Bad fans shouldn’t miss out on.
Cold Comes the Night (2013)
Cranston rides Final Season Walter White waves into this underrated thriller that features a magnificent Alice Eve as Chloe, an indestructible single mom. He plays Topo, a nearly blind Russian gangster desperate for work. As Chloe says: “There’s not much demand for a blind guy whose only skill is killing people.” However, Topo proves his worth (and proves he has a conscience).
Directed by Tze Chun (“Children of Invention”), “Cold Comes the Night” keeps the viewer on their toes. It’s hard to know who trust and hard to know who’s gonna get taken out. The tension builds believably, especially in this bone-chilling scene.
It’s a must-see for any “Breaking Bad” fan. Even with an accent, Topo’s Walter White influence is undeniable.
Trumbo (2015)
Director Jay Roach (yes, the man who brought us “Meet the Parents” and “Austin Powers) collaborates with Cranston here to tell the story of Dalton Trumbo and the Hollywood Ten.
Based on the book by Bruce Cook, “Trumbo” romanticizes post-WWII Hollywood and cleverly captures the absurdity of McCarthyism and the Red Scare. It humanizes the unnecessary suffering that many screenwriters and others in the industry went through as a result of fear-mongering—a tactic we sadly see too often today.
Trumbo was a narcissistic, eccentric, masterful screenwriter, and Cranston brings the strange, misunderstood man back to life, transforming in appearance and physicality (especially evident when getting checked in to prison). It’s not just the mustache, either, it’s everything: the way he walks, the way he talks, he completely dials into Dalton. In doing so, he earned a Best Actor Oscar nod.
Those into classic movies will enjoy seeing Hollywood heavyweights from the era being recreated, including John Wayne (David James Elliott) and Kirk Douglas (Dean O’Gorman). You’ll also be blown away by how many timeless classics Trumbo wrote, whether his name was on it or not.
All the Way (2016)
Jay Roach teams up with Cranston again for another transcendent stab at a controversial historical figure. It was a fascinating move to go from Walter White to Lyndon Johnson, but you can see why Cranston went this route, as there are some startling similarities.
For one, both men have an obsession with power. Johnson was a fierce, unapologetic hard-ass, and he knew how to play politics. He mobilized Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which “prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.” But such groundbreaking legislation was an ugly battle, and he would need some Walter White energy to get the job done.
Cranston got a Tony Award in 2014 for playing LBJ in the “All the Way” stage production. This HBO film adaptation is an excellent tribute to the stage show and stands on its own. Cranston deserves most of the credit, of course, but he couldn’t have done it without makeup designer Bill Corso, who really made the star look like the 36th U.S. President.
Why Him? (2016)
Cranston is no stranger to comedy (just check him out here), and director John Hamburg (“I Love You, Man,” “Along Came Polly”) gives him a chance to really go for it here.
You know from the very beginning that Ned Fleming (Cranston) is going to struggle to keep his composure from the very beginning, as soon as he smashes an iPad during his birthday celebration when his daughter Stephanie (Zoey Deutch) has her FaceTime interrupted in the most inappropriate of ways by her boyfriend Laird Mayhew (perhaps my favorite James Franco performance).
It only gets crazier, as Laird makes one of the most bizarre first impressions. A tattoo on his back of the family Christmas card is one thing but his language, as Ned puts it: “…come on!’”
Ned—like Walter White—is a ticking time bomb, but when is he going to explode? And how bad will it be? This movie keeps the insanity coming in fun, playful and often off-the-wall ways. It makes you want to see Cranston do more comedy, and it’s also a reminder of just how much of a physical comedian he is, a skill he demonstrates in sneaky and effective ways in Breaking Bad.
The Infiltrator (2016)
Riding high off the most incredible transformation in the history of television—where he thrived in the illegal drug trade—it’s only right for Cranston to play Robert Mazur, an undercover U.S. Customs official who took down a big Colombian drug operation in the mid-’80s, one tied to Pablo Escobar.
Directed by Brad Furman (“Lincoln Lawyer,” “Runner Runner”), “The Infiltrator” blends captivating character development with edge-of-your-seat action. Cranston is perfect as Mazur. The stakes are as high as they get. Can he stay cool? And, if he’s in a tight spot, how does he improvise? He plays the part with conviction, integrity, and with his trademark unpredictable explosiveness, which really steals the anniversary dinner scene.
John Leguizamo co-stars as Mazur’s unconventional partner, one of his best roles of late.
Wakefield (2017)
This is a strange, refreshingly original dark comedy where Cranston plays an attorney named Howard who is tired of his routine. Like Walter White, it seems he had the Talking Heads’ “Once In a Lifetime” going through his head: “And you may tell yourself, ‘this is not my beautiful house… this is not my beautiful wife.’”
But unlike Walter, Howard does not have a terminal disease. And he doesn’t become a drug kingpin. Instead, following a series of random events, he goes into hiding… someplace where he can see his wife and twin daughters, but they can’t see him. What at first appears liberating evolves into madness. Cranston is masterful and carries the film with sinister charm and delusional grandeur.
Directed by Robin Swicord, “Wakefield” is like a less disturbing “American Beauty” for the coronavirus era, except his isolation is completely voluntary and totally unnecessary.
The Upside (2019)
I wasn’t sure if I was going to add this one to the list or not, but a recent conversation with my parents swayed me to give it a shot.
Yeah, it has some of the familiar buddy movie plot points, but it also brings out the best in both Cranston (quadriplegic billionaire Phillip Lacasse) and Kevin Hart (Dell, a man fresh off parole reluctantly hired to be Phillip’s helper). Directed by Neil Burger (“Limitless,” “The Illusionist”), this remake of the 2011 French film “The Intouchables” takes a remarkably true premise and brings it to New York City.
Cranston mesmerizes through voice and facial expressions alone. It’s a challenging role, and he pulls it off with class, dignity, and an astounding amount of humility. Phillip is humanized, as is Dell, who Hart plays with more compassion and kindness than those familiar with his work may expect. Instead of being high-wired and over-the-top comic here, he’s toned down and tremendously likable. It’s clear from the get-go Cranston and Hart enjoyed working together. Their chemistry appears genuine and is a pleasure to watch.
Nicole Kidman is also spectacular here as Yvonne Pendleton, who handles much of Phillip’s affairs. All the characters grow and change in this feel-good, family-friendly movie about friendship, hope, love, and gratitude.
My parents were right. “The Upside” is a great way to spend an evening.