Hollywood star Bryan Cranston has worked with various directors in many blockbuster hits, however, working with this one director was extremely difficult for the actor. Legendary director Wes Anderson is well-known for his eccentricity, unique visual and narrative styles, however, his auteur approach baffled Cranston when he worked with the director in 2023’s Asteroid City.
The 2023 movie wasn’t the first time Cranston appeared in a movie made by Anderson as he voiced Chief in 2018’s Isle of Dogs, but the actor had a tough time understanding the script of Asteroid City. The film also featured Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, and Jeffrey Wright.
Bryan Cranston had difficulty working with Wes Anderson
Actor Bryan Cranston, well-known for his work in Breaking Bad, opened up about working in director Wes Anderson‘s 2023 movie Asteroid City. In June 2023, he told Beautiful Ballad,
“What does it [Asteroid City’s script] mean? It’s so specific and so dense with detail that I had to read it a couple times to really get a sense of what we were doing.”
It seems like Bryan Cranston had difficulty understanding Anderson’s signature auteur approach, which can be seen in all of his movies. Cranston had a crucial part as he played the narrator in the film.
Bryan Cranston wrote a letter to Wes Anderson after completing the movie
Cranston was also asked about how he felt when he finished the movie, the actor explained that he wrote a letter to Anderson,
“Well, it’s a nice surprise. I remember writing to Wes [Anderson] a little earlier after we had finished the film, and I said, ‘How are you feeling about it?’ And quite honestly, Wes said, ‘I think it might be a really nice poem. I don’t know about a film just yet.’ Because he was still in the throws of post and editing. He was still trying to figure out where it was going. But, I think it’s the animatic that really allows us to see where it’s going and the types of characters that he is imagining in his head. We can only take a glimpse into the head of Wes Anderson. We can’t live there. That’s his domain. So we can only visit.”
Asteroid City premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 23, 2023. In June 2023, it began a limited theatrical release in the United States, expanding to a wide release a week later. On a budget of $25 million, the film grossed roughly $53 million at the global box office, receiving positive reviews from viewers around the world.
