Bryan Cranston has experienced his fair share of both comedy and drama in his personal life.
The drama came during his first marriage, which sadly didn't last very long.
But the comedy came later after he met his current wife, Robin Dearden, to whom he's
been married for more than thirty years.
Sit tight, Juicers, because, in this video, we're going to tell you everything we know
about Bryan and Robin's very unique and thrilling love story and how they've beaten all the
odds against them.
Bryan Cranston married his first wife, writer Mickey Middleton, in 1977.
While not much is known about her or their marriage, we do know that they divorced after
five years together.
The actor explained that both he and Mickey realized that they wanted different things
in life, and they simply weren't in love with each other anymore.
So, they decided to very amicably part ways.
When Bryan first met Robin Dearden in 1986, it was far from the typical 'love at first
sight story.
In fact, he technically held her hostage during their first encounter.
The pair worked together on the set of the CBS series Airwolf.
Cranston was guest-starring on the show as a jilted lover who hijacks a sorority reunion
cruise, and Dearden played one of the trapped sorority sisters.
"He actually had a gun to my head," Dearden shared of their first meeting.
Bryan also shared, "It was 30 years ago that we met on that terrible TV show.
It changed both of our lives."
Despite the unusual hostage situation, they were immediately attracted to each other.
However, both Bryan and Robin were dating other people when they met.
Dearden explained, "He had a girlfriend, and I had a boyfriend at the time.
But I thought that he was the funniest man that I had ever met.
I said, 'He's kind of cute, he's got a gun … '"
But Cranston says it's the fact that they were both unavailable at the time of their
meeting that helped their relationship last in the long run.
Robin thought that if they had both been single and started dating each other right away,
their relationship wouldn't have lasted.
Bryan added, "But because she had a boyfriend and I had a girlfriend, we were able to flirt
without the heavy sexual tension, but there was sexual tension, let me tell you!."
It was only a year later that they bumped into each other, and that's when sparks really
started to fly.
Cranston explained that "as actors do," when they saw each other, they greeted one another
with a kiss.
But while most kisses between friends are quick and friendly, Cranston and Dearden's
kiss lingered a bit.
The actor shared, "We were both like, 'Wait, that was too long, wasn't it?!'
And that is really what happened."
The couple soon started dating, and very quickly, they realized that what they had was the real
deal.
Bryan and Robin had been dating for around two and a half years when he finally decided
to take things to the next level.
He knew he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life, so he started to plan the proposal.
He was so in love with her that he was worried that he would burst into tears if he had to
propose to her face.
The actor confessed, "I had to figure out a way where she was not looking at me when
I was asking her to marry me."
So, he decided that he was going to pop the question to Robin while they were in the bath
together.
Bryan explained, "My problem was, I didn't know where to put the ring."
In the end, there was only one place he could hide the ring, on his baby toe.
He set up romantic candles and music and had her sitting with her back to him while he
washed her hair.
After he asked her to marry him, he pulled his foot out of the water to reveal the sparkly
diamond ring on his toe.
The actor shared, "She had to take it off my foot."
Robin was so surprised by the way he proposed that she laughed and said, "What the hell
is this?"
Which, of course, was then followed by a big "YES!"
The couple got married in 1989.
Naturally, Bryan maintained his element of surprise with a little prank when it was time
for him to share his vows.
Cranston said, "When it was my turn, I took out a single piece of paper — which unfurled
three feet to the ground.
I'd planned the gag to keep things from getting too serious and to help everyone relax."
The newlywed couple chose to go on a five-week tour of Europe for their honeymoon.
They visited some incredible countries on their trip, but the language barrier led to
one slightly embarrassing moment for the newlyweds.
The couple booked a rail journey from Switzerland to Italy on the advice of a travel agent,
who told them that the train passed through three pitch-black tunnels.
Bryan explained, "The travel agent said, 'By the way, the third tunnel is 50 minutes long.
It's tradition for honeymooners to take advantage of that time.'"
Not wanting to miss out, Cranston and Dearden decided to take part in the naughty tradition.
The trouble was, they only had fifteen minutes, not 50.
While the couple was in a very … intimate situation, Bryan realized that the pitch-black
tunnel was coming to an end quicker than they had expected.
"Within seconds, wham, we're out in broad daylight."
The shocked and naked couple were in plain view of their fellow passengers, and while
the men nearby seemed to get a real kick out of it, one older woman who was sitting with
her horrified grandchildren was clearly not very amused.
In 1993, the couple was overjoyed to welcome a baby girl into their lives that they named
Taylor.
She's gone on to follow in her parents' footsteps and also become an actress.
In fact, both Taylor and Robin were featured in an episode of Breaking Bad along with Bryan.
As Bryan's career took off with the success of Breaking Bad and other of his famous roles,
his wife realized that he sometimes pushes himself a little too hard when he takes on
darker characters.
Robin shared, "It takes him longer to shut that off than it does to get out of character
— it usurps his energy, overwhelms him."
She added that sometimes when he comes home after doing a particularly emotional or draining
scene at work, he's not in the mood to connect and spend time with her.
She confessed that it's actually been the source of a few arguments behind closed doors.
However, she explained that he does her best not to take these things too personally anymore.
Robin understands that the reason Bryan pushes himself so hard is that it took quite a long
time for his career to take off, and he doesn't ever want to let down anyone he's working
with.
Bryan also admitted that one of the toughest parts of becoming so famous is the fact that
he's lost his anonymity.
Before he became a recognizable star, Cranston used to regularly sit in coffee shops so that
he could watch people to stay for a role.
He used to enjoy people-watching, whether it was at a doctor's office, an airport, or
just sitting on a park bench.
Now he can't go anywhere without being spotted by fans.
"When the observer becomes the observed, you can't observe anymore."
Nowadays, he has to keep a safe distance when he observes strangers, something he and his
wife do "all the time."
Cranston is just as observant when it comes to his wife.
It's the small things that keep him smitten with her, like the way she "still gets giddy
when she sees a firefly," he shared.
In order to help him find balance in his life, Bryan has been seeing a therapist regularly
since he was in his 30s.
He admitted that while he was growing up, people who used to go for therapy were seen
as "crazy," and it prevented them from getting the help they needed because of how the world
perceived them.
But he wasn't going to let that stigma stop him from seeing a therapist help him with
whatever he was going through.
The actor also shared that the couple's therapy has also done wonders for his marriage to
Robin.
He explained, "It really helped us.
I look at it as a tune-up.
If your car starts running rough, are you going to open the hood and fix it?"
According to Cranston, relationship problems can end up "festering like a sore" when left
untreated, which is why he and Dearden have a strict policy when it comes to their joint
sessions.
"If either of us feels like going, the other can't object.
I suggested this system to her before we were even married, and it's worked for us over
the years."
One thing that you will find interesting is that Bryan doesn't believe in soul mates.
Interesting right?
While their love story isn't one of those swooning love-at-first-sight kinds of romances,
it's pretty clear that they are meant to be together.
"I don't believe there's just one person for you.
And quite frankly, love among adults is conditional.
'We're in love right now.
Oops, you killed someone?
Ok, wait a minute, that's kind of a problem for me.'"
He's aware that anything could happen down the line, but when he pictures his future,
he doesn't see anyone but Robin Dearden in it.
But Cranston revealed that he's still completely in awe of his wife.
"I've been very fortunate.
I married a woman who is a better person than I am.
It's not difficult for me to look at her with admiration and love and say, 'Boy, I got lucky.'"
While his career is still booming, the one thing Bryan is looking forward to is the rest
of his life with his wife and their daughter, Taylor.
"I want to continue to take in experiences, and that includes seeing my daughter grow
up, maybe have the luxury of being a grandfather, to grow old with my wife and see how that
changes us."
We can't help but admire what an amazing family man Byran is and how he's prioritized his
marriage and being a father throughout his fame.
It's clear both he and Robin have a very special relationship and care deeply for one another.
It's stories like this that reignite our belief in finding true love and happiness in life.