Bryan Cranston is undoubtedly recognized by many as the actor who starred as Walter White in Breaking Bad. The franchise shaped and propelled his career, and from 2008 until 2013, he played the same role alongside Aaron Paul’s Jesse Pinkman.
All of his efforts paid off after winning the Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series category at the Emmy Awards in 2014. It was a bittersweet moment, indeed, as the Breaking Bad show has finally wrapped up and his win was the sweet little bow that completed the present.
Bryan Cranston On His Emmy Win For Breaking Bad Series
While accepting his award at the 2014 Emmy Awards via YouTube, actor Bryan Cranston jokingly began his speech with, “Even I thought about voting for Matthew [McConaughey].” The latter was a fellow nominee who starred in True Detective. The Breaking Bad star continued:
I don’t know why I have been blessed with an abundance of good fortune in my life. I did happen to stumble upon finding a passion that created a seed and bloomed into something so wonderful for me. I love to act and it is a passion of mine, and I will do it until my last breath.
He dedicated the award to “all the ‘Sneaky Petes’ of the world” who Cranston believed are people like him “who thought that maybe settling for mediocrity was a good idea because it was safe.” He told everyone to take a chance and take a risk because it is worth it in the end.
Cranston also made a tribute to Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan for “making it possible for me to have this role of a lifetime,” as well as his on-screen ride-or-die partner, Aaron Paul, whom he called a “dear friend.”
Apart from Cranston and Matthew McConaughey, the other nominees for the category were Jeff Daniels, Jon Hamm, Woody Harrelson, and Kevin Spacey – the stack of actors that made fans think the 2014 Emmys was “probably the best year of nominees for that category.”
Bryan Cranston’s Secret To Playing Walter White
Speaking with The Daily Beast, Cranston discussed how he managed to get comfortable with his character in Breaking Bad through the years. He says he was able to just turn on the switch whenever he plays Walter White.
Playing the role for five years has created an automatic bodily response for Cranston where “turning on a switch is too mechanical.” He could easily step in and out of the character. “But when it’s time, oh yeah. I put this on and put these glasses on and pretty soon I’m in Walt’s head,” he remarked.
It is an incredible work for an actor to switch between himself and his character. Many performers have struggled with shaking off heavy roles from their system, but Cranston has found a way to stay sane and grounded. There’s no doubt he truly deserves that Emmy win.
Breaking Bad is available to watch on Netflix.
