Bryan Cranston is largely known for his role as Walter White in the critically acclaimed series Breaking Bad. The actor did a commendable job in the role and became synonymous with the character over time. Interestingly, the actor’s off-screen persona is nothing like the on-screen attitude of Walter White. According to his co-stars, the actor is the total opposite of Walter White.
When the cast of the series sat with GQ for a conversation, co-stars like Bob Odenkirk and Aaron Paul spoke about the off-screen antics of the series lead. Odenkirk revealed that Bryan Cranston could fully switch personalities between the takes. The Walter White persona wore off as soon as the take was over.
Bryan Cranston and Walter White are two different personalities
Walter White is one of the most iconic characters ever seen on television. The serious and gritty tone makes the character memorable. We witness how he gradually grows merciless with the show and loses all his humanity. The character is one of the main reasons Breaking Bad is so amazingly etched into our minds.
One must presume that Bryan Cranston had fully immersed himself in Walter White’s personality to pull off the role. However, that was not the case as we got to know it was a beautiful blend of ridiculousness and authority instead. In the interview with GQ, Bob Odenkirk opened up about how the 67-year-old is all fan off-screen.
“You definitely feel like this guy’s not gonna be f**king around once they say ‘action’. He will be f**king around as soon as they say ‘cut’.”
It is undoubtedly impressive how the Asteroid City actor could maintain his other side even after pulling off such an intense role. It shows how Bryan Cranston’s brilliance skills can embody any character with ease. Besides the Better Call Saul lead, the Jesse Pinkman actor Aaron Paul also spoke about Cranston’s off-screen shenanigans.
Aaron Paul on Bryan Cranston’s off-screen antics
Along with Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul also presented an impressive and intense role as Jesse Pinkman. He was also surprised to see Cranston’s behavior and spoke about the non-Walter White personality of the Saving Private Ryan actor.
Aaron Paul added to GQ that there was a particular sequence when Cranston’s character needed to present Jesse Pinkman with a gun. Instead, the actor thought of pulling a prank on his co-star. He pulled out a dirty-looking water gun and squirted his co-star with that.
“I don’t know. There are a lot of times where we were rolling and he was kind of f**king [around]. On Breaking Bad, out of nowhere, he was meant to present me with a gun, but then he pulled out a water gun shaped like a pe*is and started squirting me with it.”
The situations make it evident that Bryan Cranston couldn’t leave behind his comedy background and his Malcolm in the Middle personality. It also makes us realize that no matter how gritty and intense the show is, sometimes things can be very different off-screen.
Breaking Bad can be streamed on Netflix.
