Bryan Cranston is perhaps one of the most well-recognized actors in Hollywood through his work in Breaking Bad, one of the most iconic, critically acclaimed, and well-written series of current times. His performance in this television series not only leaves the audience wonderstruck, but also showcases his abilities and capabilities as an actor, having starred in many different roles in Saving Private Ryan, Malcolm in the Middle, and The Upside.
The fame that followed Cranston after his work in this crime-drama series is undeniable, so much so that the director of his 2011 movie, Drive, Nicolas Winding Refn, was afraid of approaching the actor due to how famous he was.
Nicolas Winding Refn Feared Approaching Bryan Cranston For His Movie Drive
Bryan Cranston starred alongside Ryan Gosling in his 2011 movie named Drive. The movie received immense critical acclaim and has an excellent score of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. What is quite interesting to know, however, is the fact that Nicolas Winding Refn, the director of the film, actually had a very hard time trying to convince Cranston to join his project, even though he was a massive fan of his work in Breaking Bad.
“I had seen Breaking Bad, and I’m probably the biggest fan of Breaking Bad in the world. [Cranston] was the actor I basically went straight for, and I had to woo him because Bryan has a lot of opportunities. One of the conditions was that everybody had to come to my house to meet me. So when Bryan came, the character was very underdeveloped, and I said to him, ‘Look, we are here to create him. What would you like to do?’ And that led to very good conversations.” He said.
During an interview, the Danish director revealed that he was, perhaps, one of Cranston’s biggest fans. Due to this, Refn immediately tried to convince the actor to be part of his film as he knew that being as famous as he was, the Saving Private Ryan actor would have plenty of working opportunities on amazing projects at any given moment.
Bryan Cranston Was Skeptical Of Joining Ryan Gosling’s Drive
Nicolas Winding Refn mentioned that to get Bryan Cranston on board for Ryan Gosling’s Drive, he started by giving his complete creative control over the character that he was to play, asking him how he saw his character, Sharron. Despite this, Refn did not hear anything from the actor so in a moment of desperation and a nudge from his producer friend Adam Siegel, he called Cranston.
“I didn’t hear anything, and knowing that he was in demand, I called him. Again, it was my good producer friend Adam Siegel who said, ‘Maybe we should just give him a call.’ I called him, and at the moment I called, he was sitting with a blank piece of paper writing pros and cons of doing Drive or not. He said, ‘Well, since you’re calling, there must be meaning, so I’ll do your movie.’” he said.
When this call was placed, coincidentally and oddly, Cranston was making a list of pros and cons about joining the project, trying to figure out whether or not he should take up the role of Sharron. The actor took the call as a sign that he should do the movie and fortunately for him, the movie did exceptionally well, being nominated for an Acadamy Award.
Source: AVClub
