If there is one character that should go down in history as one of the best of all time, it would have to be Bryan Cranston’s Walter White in Breaking Bad. The complexities existing within this one character can be studied for years, and all are credited to the actor’s performance. His dedication to showcasing the very messed up parts of the once high school teacher turned drug kingpin has helped create one of the best pieces of television in decades.
Considering just how iconic Cranston’s performance was, it is not surprising that he has managed to inspire many to follow similar paths as him. However, many would be surprised to know that Oscar-winner, Nicolas Cage, was heavily inspired by Walter White’s character.
Nicolas Cage Was Deeply Affected By Bryan Cranston
Despite being one of the most respected figures in the film industry, Nicolas Cage has never been a part of a television show. He has explored various genres and tried many kinds of characters. However, episodic formats have been somewhat unfamiliar to him. That was, until he agreed to be a part of a live-action series of his Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse character, Spider-Man Noir.
While the decision, on its own, is very new for the actor, it would seem that he credits one series for pushing him in such a direction. During an interview with The New Yorker, the actor revealed that one show completely changed his thoughts and opinions on television series; Bryan Cranston’s Breaking Bad.
I saw Bryan Cranston in ‘Breaking Bad’ stare at a suitcase for half the episode,
Just him on the floor looking at a suitcase thinking, ‘What’s in it? Do I do this? Don’t I do it?’ I thought, ‘We don’t have time to do that in movies.’
He mentioned that the series, as a whole, became quite an immersive experience for him, as he was able to truly understand how much freedom one gets in episodic mediums. The sheer amount of time that can be spent exploring all angles of one plot device fascinated him deeply.
Breaking Bad Made Nicolas Cage Want to Do a Show
Nicolas Cage continued in the interview that being able to express the layers of emotions felt by a character without rushing or having a multi-part series was something he had not experienced firsthand. Looking at it as a new experience for himself, he decided to try something new.
What interested me was the time I could take expressing something.
Cage revealed that he wanted to explore such themes, so he decided to jump on the opportunity to star in the Spider-Man Noir series. There is not much known about the character within Sony’s Spider-Verse series, and since the series is going to be live-action, it only adds to its appeal.
So that to me seemed like an opportunity to open it up a little. I don’t know if the project that I’m exploring has room for that. I think this is a much more sort of popcorn-entertainment episodic.
While Breaking Bad did end up pushing Cage to try out television shows, he did mention that his series may not allow the same amount of character exploration as Bryan Cranston’s series. Teasing the themes of his series, the actor mentioned that his show would be a lot more entertaining in the literal sense compared to the complex entertainment that Breaking Bad brings.
Breaking Bad is available for streaming on Netflix.
