Bryan Cranston opens up about his remarkable acting career

Bryan Cranston is an actor who has had a distinguished career. He has played many great roles, but he will never be forgotten for his role of Walter White in the television series Breaking Bad. 

In his memoir,  A Life in Parts, he recounts how his determination to succeed as an actor and willingness to work hard, resulted in a career that he has enjoyed immensely. He provides a wonderful picture of how his life experiences resulted in his personal and professional growth.

Bryan opens his autobiography by recalling a disturbing scene from Breaking Bad, where he is present when Jesse’s girlfriend dies. He could have intervened and saved her life but chose not to. 

While the scene was being shot, Bryan envisaged his own daughter lying there, dying. He revealed that he did not plan the scene that way, it was just what happened in the moment. By the time the director called ‘cut’, Bryan was sobbing out loud. Bryan nominates this as the most emotionally draining scene he has ever performed, and it was certainly a scene that provoked emotional responses from the audience.

As a young man, Bryan did a road trip around America with his brother. Both had motorbikes, but not much money. He and his brother were both at turning points in their life, trying to decide on future careers. 

Bryan felt drawn to acting but had also prepared to enter the police force. He had suffered the instability of his father chasing after a career as an actor to the detriment of all else and did not want to make the same mistake. The pull of acting was strong, and after delaying the decision as long as possible, he determined to pursue an acting career and hopefully become the best actor he could be.

One of Bryan’s tales is about how he planned to propose to his girlfriend. Because the thought of proposing was so emotionally charged for him, he was concerned about how to get the question out without breaking down during the process. He decided to take her to a cabin in the mountains and propose while they were taking a bubble bath together; both facing in the same direction so that he did not have to make eye contact and risk turning into a blubbering mess. 

He slipped the engagement ring on his little toe so it would be handy for the big moment. After half an hour of talking about his feelings for her, he managed to get the question out and she accepted. He describes it as a glorious moment.

Bryan spent seven years playing Hal in the television comedy Malcolm in the Middle. When he was called in for the screen test, the part had not been fleshed out. This gave Bryan a lot of discretion in how to play the role, and he absolutely loved working on the show. He got to do so many fun things and developed a symbiotic relationship with the writers, who would ask him first if he was willing to be in the situations that they wanted to write for him. 

He developed close relationships with the other cast members and shared significant growing up years with the kids on the show. The last show has Malcolm leaving home to go to college, and Bryan relates that there was not a dry eye in the room when they finished taping that scene.

Bryan writes with honesty, revealing far more of himself than you would expect from someone living in the spotlight of fame. I loved this book, and it’s been very popular with others who have seen me reading it and begged for a turn when I was finished. Even if you don’t know who Bryan Cranston the actor is; you can still discover Bryan Cranston the person. It’s worth the journey.

A Life in Parts by Bryan Cranston (published by Hachette Australia) is available now from Dymocks. Click here to learn more.