When it comes to creating unforgettable television characters, Breaking Bad stands out as a true masterpiece. From its complex storytelling to its brilliant character arcs, the series has been hailed as one of the greatest ever to be created. Part of the reason why is Bryan Cranston’s Breaking Bad character, no matter how terrifying Walter White might become, you can’t help but feel sorry for him.
In a feat akin to the psychological trickery of Inception, Cranston pulled a similar stunt for Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, which ultimately led him to bag his most acclaimed role of all time.
How Bryan Cranston Shocked Vince Gilligan with His Inception-esque Feat
Bryan Cranston has starred in several impeccable roles, series, movies, plays, and more, but his most remarkable role remains Breaking Bad’s Walter White. Starring as a struggling high-school chemistry teacher who becomes a drug distributor to help secure his family’s future due to his recent diagnoses of stage-three lung cancer, Cranston was a delight to watch from start to finish.
Despite his radical and diabolical turn to a life of crime, one cannot help but sympathize with him. A stunt that Cranston pulled in one of his earlier roles before Vince Gilligan even created Breaking Bad. While on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast, Gilligan revealed he met the actor for the first met on the sets of The X-Files, where he was a writer.
Just like he did with his Breaking Bad role, making fans hate and love him at the same time, Cranston shocked Gilligan with his role in the sixth season episode Drive.
I had this part written where Agent Mulder had to be stuck in this car with this crazy guy who’s threatening to kill him. And the part was tricky because he needed to be this real scary, badass guy but at the end of the hour, you had to feel sorry for him when he died.
Having auditioned several actors before, Gilligan was left shocked by how effortlessly Cranston ended up capturing the humanity of the sinister role. Eventually, it was his dramatic roles and versatile portrayals that made the Breaking Bad creator cast Cranston as Walter White.
Bryan Cranston’s Versatility Landed Him His Breaking Bad Role
Bryan Cranston was recruited for a single episode of The X-Files, where he ran into Vince Gilligan, who was one of the many writers on the show. Unbeknownst to either of them, their meeting would lead to the creation of one of the finest television series of all time.
Yet, it wasn’t their first meeting that made Gilligan write the show, even though the screenwriter never forgot the brilliance of Cranston in that one episode of The X-Files.
I never forgot him. He was wonderful in this role. And I said even as the shoot was progressing for that episode … and you’ve gotta understand we worked with a lot of great actors on ‘X-Files,’ but I never had that eureka experience of saying, ‘I wanna work with this guy again in the future.’
Revealed Gilligan on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast. It wasn’t until he saw the versatility of Cranston in Malcolm in the Middle, that the screenwriter became interested in him. Even though the folks at AMC weren’t convinced that Emmy-winning actor could play as dramatic a role as Walter White since they all knew him for his antics in Malcolm in the Middle, Gilligan was persistent. That is one of our most favorite characters and TV shows was born.
Breaking Bad is available to be streamed on Netflix.
