Thursday 26 July 2012

Bryan Cranston Is Basically The Best Actor Ever

I was going to write a review of You've Got Mail and post it today, but then it got ridiculously hot and I got slightly delirious and could barely remember my own name, let alone the whole plot of a movie, so you get this instead. It's going to be great though, so just shhhh and listen.

SO, last night I watched Malcolm in the Middle for the first time post-Breaking Bad (and for the first time as a sort-of grown up, so hello focusing on the parents!) and it totally freaked me out. Like, unbelievably so. Cause, like, the dad who can't make decisions and is basically a crazy person only not in a psychopath way? He manufactures meth! And makes lots of decisions that are life threatening and scary and he's a pretty bad person, but he takes care of 4 boy children? RUN AWAY FROM HIM NOW!

Only, the thing is, the characters are so incredibly different that this was barely something that crossed my mind (other than, because I watched Malcolm in the Middle specifically because I couldn't remember Cranston in it at all, and because I wanted to compare his performance to that of Breaking Bad). And I realise that all I'm saying here is basically 'actors play different roles! The world is round! The sky is blue!' and so on, but seriously? SUCH a different role. Only it isn't, because a key factor to both characters identities is being fathers, but apart from that? It's literally like a different man plays each of them. Literally like that. Not just 'oh, he does this so well, it's so different to when he was in X' but actually like 'this isn't even the same person, and it's literally impossible that it could be'. But it is!

Hence, Bryan Cranston is the greatest actor ever. To be able to do two such incredibly different roles, and do them both so well, is something that I think he should be constantly praised and revered and all that kind of stuff for (to be fair, he has been nominated for an Emmy 7 times for both Malcolm in the Middle and Breaking Bad, so it's not like he's exactly unappreciated) because his range is ridiculous. To be able to embrace the sitcom madness and over-the-topness of Hal, as well as to literally become Walter White is a pretty impressive feat, and one that I feel like not all that many actors could accomplish. Because they're not fucking awesome.
This really was an 'actors play different people sometimes!' post, huh? I don't care- just watch Breaking Bad AND Malcolm in the Middle and you tell me you're not impressed. Next time: I can't believe Johnny Depp is both Edward Scissorhands and Captain Jack Sparrow! (I actually really can't. But you don't need to hear about that...)

10 comments:

  1. Have you seen the Seinfeld episodes where Cranston plays a dentist who converts to Judaism for the jokes? Well, he does more than just that cos he's in a few episodes, but you should see that too cos more Cranston being awesome and different than MitM and (I assume) BB.

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    1. I have never seen Seinfeld at all, which is probably something I should sort out, but meh. BUT Cranston being amazing in something else is something I'm always willing to see! He's fab!

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    2. I've...you've...never...what?...how?

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    3. I know right! I think Seinfeld is this totally totally American thing. I'm not even sure it's on any English channels, and I definitely get it confused with Everybody Loves Raymond (which looks really annoying)

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    4. Everybody Loves Raymond = mostly boring, sappy, typical sitcom (I've only seen it a few times)
      Seinfeld = hilarious and it prob is one of the best sitcoms

      and also I've been watching a lot of Curb Your Enthusiasm lately, which has lead to extra Seinfeld. It helps (or hurts if I'm trying to be productive or something) that we have LOTS of Seinfeld and Curb on DVD, plus Seinfeld is pretty much always playing on some channel.

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    5. Good to know! (I think I've only seen bits of Raymond, and maybe never Seinfeld... Hmm...) I just think the British public embraced Friends and like Frasier and that's it! Or maybe that's just in my house...

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  2. I keep hearing how awesome Breaking Bad is but have yet to watch it. I loved Cranston in Malcom in the Middle and I have a hard time imagining him as a cold-blooded meth dealer! He was hilarious in Macolm. It is a revelation when you see the range that actors have. It must mess with their heads, huh?

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    1. WATCH BREAKING BAD!!!!

      Ahem. The thing with me is, I watched Malcolm in the Middle when it first came out, and at the time I was a kid and so I identified with the kids and more or less ignored the parents (or at least Hal, cause Lois is kind of difficult to ignore...) so when I watched Breaking Bad I was like 'oh, this is fiiiine.' And, since Cranston is SO AMAZING I think you'd be ok just because... I still can't identify them as the same person! And so they're not!

      Seriously, Breaking Bad. Look into it :)

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  3. Cranston is amazing in Breaking Bad. He was recently in Drive, where he played a pretty different character. I forgot I was looking at Walter White pretty quickly.

    BUT

    When he hosted Saturday Night Live it just didn't work for me. I'm not sure what it was, but it weirdly made me not like him for a while.

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  4. You should watch 'Drive' and the one 'X-Files' episode feat. Bryan Cranston.

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