RandyW Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Emmy-winner Bryan Cranston on portraying terminal cancer and why his character embraces the situation posted by halboedeker on Jan 10, 2009 8:53:38 AM Discuss This: Comments (0) | TrackBack (0) | Linking Blogs | Add to del.icio.us | Digg it LOS ANGELES -- Bryan Cranston won an Emmy for his staggering performance as a terminal cancer patient in AMC's "Breaking Bad." How does he play the illness of Walt White so vividly? Cranston went from 186 pounds to 170 in the first season. He didn't do research, but he drew on what he had seen when he accompanied his sister-in-law to chemotherapy and radiation treatments for breast cancer. "I noticed in a lot of the patients there was a lot of self-reflection," Cranston told me. "There was a lot of anger. There was a lot of resentment. So you run a gamut of emotions and not always in a sequence you think you would. So that's what is great about the show is that often his condition will surface in an emotion that seems inappropriate at the time, but actually, given the set of circumstances, you can understand and accept." Cranston sees irony in how his character has dealt with the diagnosis of terminal lung cancer. "I don't think necessarily that he would turn it all in if he had an opportunity to," Cranston said. "He was a walking zombie before, a very depressed man for 25 years -- emotionless, invisible. And all of a sudden, this blew the cap of emotions off, and there really is no going back emotionally. There's no going back physically, what he's done. He can't go back to teaching. His life has changed forever. So he's actually at times, embracing that, which I find fascinating." "Breaking Bad" starts it second season March 8 on AMC. Even though there was some negativity in the way this potrayed cancer Patients and financial situations it was kinda good seeing that someone Being a network was delving into Chaemo and Lung Cancer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyW Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 Only 2 week sleft til we find out what happened to the MAd Man who took up an illegal lifestyle to pay for his chemo!!! Cause the Insurance wouldnt!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnmynatt Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Randy, Please let me know when this comes on. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyW Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 AMC in 2 weeks at 10 PM !!!! March 6th???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyW Posted March 5, 2009 Author Share Posted March 5, 2009 From bad to worse for TV's "Breaking Bad" dad Tue Mar 3, 2009 3:21pm GMT Email | Print | Share | Single Page [-] Text [+] By Jill Serjeant LOS ANGELES, March 3 (Reuters Life!) - How rough can life get for Walt White, a quiet chemistry teacher with a pregnant wife and a handicapped son, who becomes a crystal meth dealer after discovering he is dying of lung cancer? Much, much worse when "Breaking Bad" begins its second season on U.S. cable channel AMC on Sunday. But actor Bryan Cranston, who won an Emmy last year for playing Walt, says the extreme -- and often darkly hilarious -- plot has plenty of relevance to viewers. "I think the story is very relatable in this economic climate where people find themselves without health insurance, without a job and wondering what they are going to do and how they are going to provide for their family," Cranston said. The title comes from a southern U.S. saying "to break bad," which is used to describe people who have strayed from a straight and narrow path. The second season sees Walt becoming ever more immersed in the ruthless drugs underworld he has entered in a bid to secure the financial future of his family after his death. Cranston, 52, shaved his head and dropped 16 pounds in weight last year after his character started chemotherapy for inoperable lung cancer. But the actor, best-known previously for playing the very different dad, Hal, in the TV comedy "Malcolm in the Middle", said he is not shedding more weight. Continued... "I didn't want to go any further because it is a very physically demanding show, and emotionally draining, and I needed to stay strong," he said. Walt White's decision to use his chemistry skills to cook up and sell crystal methamphetamine -- one of the most highly addictive drugs -- has stirred controversy. "I don't expect audiences to condone Walt's actions, just to accept why he is doing it. Men are wired to try to protect their family. It wasn't hard for me to say, 'If I was given a year and a half to live, what would I do?' "The fact that it is crystal meth is just coincidental. If Walt were a mathematician, he would be counting cards in Las Vegas. If he were an art historian, he would be forging paintings or doing something else that allowed him to make this kind of money in a year before he dies," Cranston said. "Breaking Bad" attracted about 1.4 million viewers per episode last year on AMC -- also the home of Emmy-winning advertising drama "Mad Men -- and has been sold to 10 nations overseas, including Australia, Israel and South Africa. The two series reflect the strides made by smaller U.S. cable channels to establish themselves as a home for often edgy drama in a field previously dominated by HBO with shows like "sex and the City" and "The Sopranos". Cranston was looking for a change of direction when the dysfunctional family comedy "Malcolm in the Middle" ended its run in 2006 after almost seven years. "In this show, I am a good guy who does bad things. My job is to bring out Walt's humanity and hopefully the audience will embrace the man for who he is," said Cranston, who also directs the "Breaking Bad" season opener. View article on single page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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