Bryan Cranston, the man who survived ‘Breaking Bad’

What can an actor do after being Walter White? The iconic character of ‘Broken badly’ one of those creations larger than life, which, because of its density and scope, is able to push out the career and persistence of the interpreter who gave life to it. The cases are many and well known, because they often end up in the tabloids, arrests and through detoxification clinics. he and now that?the specter of futility after too much success, it is a sadness before which the actors, those sensitive creatures who arise a little in every scene, tend to get dizzy easily.

Bryan Cranston It is an example of the opposite. A year after the end of ‘Breaking Bad,’ he won a Tony for his portrayal of Lyndon B. Johnson in ‘all the way’and he got into the skin of the Dalton Trumbo with a role that earned him an Oscar nomination. Sure of his qualities and talent, he gracefully dodged the devil’s shadow of the white protein. And for this reason, far from being in a problematic relationship with the tortured chemist he is still recognized on the street, he hugs him affectionately and takes him out for walks every chance he gets. Even when he launches a brand of mezcal with his co-star at the time, Aaron Paul, the imagery of the border that the Mexican drink evokes seems to appeal to the viewer’s vivid memory of the pair’s adventures cooking methamphetamine in the desert.

Walter White’s permanent body may have inspired him in 2020 to accept the role of Michael Desiato, the New Orleans judge who corrupted himself to save his son’s life in the Showtime series ‘Your Honour‘, whose second season is available from yesterday, Friday, on Movistar Plus. By producing and selling drugs, White wanted to guarantee the material future of his family when terminal cancer took him away, and for that reason he was drawn into an unexpected spiral of crime and moral degradation. Judge Desiato of ‘Your Honor’ He takes his principles to protect his son, the author of a fatal attack that saved the life of a scion of a well-known mafia clan. And the thing, again, gets out of hand. And the summary remains there because it is worth keeping the secret of the plot for those who have not seen this series in which Cranston is only the leader of an unusual cast. -Michael Stuhlbarg, Hope Davis and the incorporation of Rosie Pérez in this second season- that makes mischief with this story inspired by an original Israeli, ‘kwodo‘, which are already good credentials (remember ‘Homeland’?).

“I accepted this role because it forced me as a parent to ask myself what I would do in his situation. How far would I go to protect my son’s life? And the answer was that he would do anything. Michael Desiato chooses to become a criminal because he believes it will save his son’s life. When that gets out of control and your decision affects innocent people, the drama unfolds,” explains Cranston during a chat with various media via Zoom, before reflecting on his biases when choosing roles can.

“If I look back, I see that maybe there is a pattern, and that’s it The characters that attract me are usually hurt in some way, they are victims of deep pain ». acknowledgment «I usually wonder about a set of characteristics. What is he good at? What is he not so good at? What is your ambition? What is your secret? What are you afraid of? These are elements you won’t find packaged in the script, so you have to use your imagination and instinct to find and connect them. For the actor they are like pegs, hands to hold onto to feel more secure while working.

Cranston is often asked where he has the resources to effectively deal with tragic characters who face one moral dilemma after another and the consequences, almost always unfortunate, of their decisions. “Especially young actors who want to know what’s in my toolbox,” he jokes, before discovering his tricks. «Basically there are four things that an actor must have. The first thing is innate talent, drive and the ability to act. Then an insatiable curiosity: you have to be able to ask yourself questions naturally, to investigate, to go to the library to understand what is happening to your character. The third thing is to have the ability and willingness to open your own feelings and identify them with the feelings of the character, even those that we often cannot externalize. It is very easy to express love and joy, but we must be able to express jealousy, resentment, pain, despair, anger, and be willing to do so. The fourth element is imagination. The conductor is what allows you to connect and complete everything else.”