>>> FOR FIVE SEASONS, BRYAN
CRANSTON PLAYED WALTER WHITE ON
THE SERIES "BREAKING BAD"
REGARDED AS ONE OF THE BEST
SHOWS IN THE HISTORY OF
TELEVISION.
CRANSTON'S PERFORMANCE AS THE
HIGH SCHOOL CHEMISTRY TEACHER
TURNED METH DEALER EARNED HIM
FOUR EMMYS FOR OUTSTANDING LEAD
ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES.
SINCE "BREAKING BAD" ENDED IN
2013, CRANSTON WON TONY AWARDS
AND RECEIVED AN OSCAR
NOMINATION.
NOW, HE FINDS HIMSELF AGAIN
PLAYING THE PART OF A MAN
COMPROMISED IN THE NEW SERIES
"YOUR HONOR" AS A NEW ORLEANS
JUDGE TURNING TO THE DARK SIDE
TO SAVE HIS SON'S LIFE.
BRIAN AND I GOT TOGETHER OVER
ZOOM THE OTHER DAY FOR A VIRTUAL
SUNDAY SIT-DOWN.
>> DON'T TELL ANYONE.
NOT EVER.
I CAN KEEP YOU SAFE IF NO ONE
EVER HEARS ABOUT IT.
>> BRYAN CRANSTON IS BREAKING
BAD ALL OVER AGAIN.
>> HELP ME, PLEASE.
>> I GOT YOU, BUDDY.
>> WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THIS THAT
MADE YOU SAY, YES, I'M GOING TO
TAKE A YEAR OF MY LIFE AND
COMMIT IT THIS TO?
>> I GUESS I'M ATTRACTED TO
CHARACTERS THAT ARE DAMAGED
SOMEWHAT.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS.
>> YOU THINK SO?
>> BUT WHO ARE ALSO SIGH
SIMULTANEOUSLY TRYING TO DO THE
RIGHT THING WITHIN THE REALM OF
DOING THE WRONG THING.
>> WHILE FILMING WAS UNDERWAY,
CRANSTON AND HIS WIFE TESTED
POSITIVE FOR COVID-19.
>> WE HAD ABOUT THREE DAYS OF
BODY ACHES.
I HAD A HALF OF DAY OF A FEVER
OF 99.
THEN THAT WENT AWAY.
THE LASTING AFFECT THAT BOTH OF
US HAD IS THE LOSS OF TASTE AND
SMELL.
IT'S WEIRD, BECAUSE IT'S ABOUT
75% COME BACK.
>> I'M GLAD YOU ARE FEELING
BETTER.
YOU AND YOUR BODY TOM HANKS
TALKED EACH OTHER THROUGH IT A
LITTLE BIT.
YOU WERE SOME OF THE EARLIEST,
MOST PUBLIC PEOPLE TO HAVE IT.
WHAT DID HE TELL ABOUT YOU IT
IN.
>> WE WERE TALKING TO TOM AND
RITA.
THEY HAD IT JUST ABOUT THE SAME
TIME.
AFTER A WHILE, HE SAID HE IS
DONATING HIS PLASMA AT UCLA
MEDICAL CENTER.
I CALLED AND STARTED DONATING
PLASMA AS WELL.
HERE I AM AT UCLA DONATION
CENTER.
HOW IS YOUR AIM?
>> ALL RIGHT, I GUESS.
>> AFTER A WHILE, THE STRENGTH
OF YOUR ANTIBODIES IN THE PLASMA
WEAKENS.
NOT THAT IT'S A COMPETITION OR
ANYTHING, BUT I SAID, YOU KNOW,
HOW MANY TIMES WAS TOM ABLE TO
DONATE PLASMA?
THEY SAID, HE CAME IN A COUPLE
TIMES.
ONLY TWO?
I DID FOUR.
IT'S NOT A COMPETITION.
>> CRANSTON AND THOSE POWERFUL
ANTIBODIES MAY HAVE RECOVERED
QUICKLY.
BUT IT WOULD BE SEVEN MONTHS
BEFORE PRODUCTION ON "YOUR
HONOR" COULD RESUME, WITH STRICT
PROTOCOLS.
>> WE WORE SHIELDS THAT CLIPPED
AROUND YOUR NECK THAT GO UP.
WILLIE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU
NOTICE, BUT I'M IN MY 60s NOW.
I KNOW I DON'T LOOK IT.
I HAVE BEEN TO MY FAIR SHARE OF
ROCK CONCERTS IN MY TIME.
I AM POSITIVE THAT I HAVE LOST
SOME HEARING.
NOW EVERYBODY WEARING SHIELDS OR
MASKS, I'M CONSTANTLY SAYING,
I'M SORRY, I DON'T KNOW --
[ MUMBLING ]
OH, MY GOD.
>> I LOOK AT THE WAY YOUR
PROJECTS ROLL OUT, DO YOU LOOK
AT I'M GOING TO GO TO BROADWAY,
I'M GOING TO DO A MOVIE, I'M
GOING TO WRITE A MEMOIR, IT'S
TIME FOR A SERIES.
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR PARTICULAR
THINGS AT PARTICULAR TIMES?
>> WHEN "BREAKING BAD" FINISHED
AFTER SIX YEARS, VERY PROUD OF
THE SHOW, BUT I NEEDED TO MOVE
AWAY FROM THAT CHARACTER.
I JUST IMPOSED A THREE-YEAR
MORATORIUM ON DOING TELEVISION.
I DID THEATER.
I DID A COUPLE FILMS.
IT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME IF IT'S
FOR THE FAMILY, IF IT'S FOR
ADULTS ONLY, TELEVISION, IT'S
ALL ABOUT THE STORYTELLING.
>> YOU MENTIONED "BREAKING BAD."
ARE YOU SURPRISED THE WAY IT
PERSISTS AS THIS CULTURAL FORCE?
>> I THINK THE STORY WAS
SOMETHING THAT CAUGHT PEOPLE BY
SURPRISE.
>> THIS IS ART.
>> IT'S BASIC CHEMISTRY.
>> IT GOT UNDER THEIR SKIN.
THEY RELATED TO A MAN WHO IS
STRUGGLING.
THEY SYMPATHIZED WITH HIM
BECAUSE HE WAS A GOOD GUY AND
JUST KIND OF GOT BEATEN DOWN BY
THE SYSTEM.
IT CHANGED MY CAREER.
I OWE EVERYTHING TO THAT
EXPERIENCE.
OBVIOUSLY, IT WILL BE THE FIRST
LINE OF MY OBITUARY.
WHEN YOU DO LIFE IS WELL LIVED,
YOU WILL SAY, KNOWN FOR --
>> YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHO I AM.
>> LAST YEAR, CRANSTON AND HIS
"BREAKING BAD" CO-STAR TEAMED UP
IN REAL LIFE TO PRODUCE A
SLIGHTLY MORE TAME CONCOCTION.
>> MOST PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE IT,
BUT TEQUILA IS MESCAL BUT MESCAL
IS NOT TEQUILA.
>> WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?
>> THREE YEARS AFTER "BREAKING
BAD" WE WERE IN A SUSHI
RESTAURANT IN NEW YORK CITY.
WE WERE LAMENTING ABOUT THE FACT
THAT WE DON'T GET A CHANCE TO
SEE EACH OTHER THAT MUCH
ANYMORE.
AARON SAID, WHAT ABOUT THE
MESCAL BUSINESS?
ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THAT?
WE SOON LEARNED, WE DIDN'T KNOW
THAT MUCH.
>> ANOTHER UNEXPECTED TURN IN A
CAREER AND A LIFE CRANSTON NEVER
TAKES FOR GRANTED.
I KNOW YOU ARE A GUY WHO HAS
GRATITUDE.
MAYBE BECAUSE OF WHERE YOU CAME
FROM.
YOU SAY, I CAN'T BELIEVE WHERE I
ENDED UP.
>> MY FAMILY SPLIT UP WHEN I WAS
11 YEARS OLD.
OUR HOUSE GOT FORECLOSED ON.
WE WERE KICKED OUT.
YOU ARE AWARE OF WHAT YOU THINK
LIFE IS LIKE AND THEN ALL OF A
SUDDEN, THE RUG IS PULLED OUT
FROM UNDER YOU.
FORTUNATELY, I WAS NEVER AFRAID
OF HARD WORK.
JUST WORK.
THAT'S MY MOTTO.
THAT'S WHAT I TRY TO TELL YOUNG
ACTORS.
I CAN ALWAYS TELL THE ONES WHO
ARE REALLY ASKING A QUESTION
BECAUSE THEY HAVE A BURNING
DESIRE TO PERFORM OR IF THEY ARE
THINKING OF THE EXTERIOR OF IT.
ANY OF THE KIDS WHO ASK, WHAT
KIND OF CAR DO YOU DRIVE OR
WHERE DO YOU LIVE, WHO HAVE YOU
DATED, I CAN SAVE YOU A LOT OF
TIME.
YOU SHOULDN'T BE AN ACTOR.
YOU ARE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING
THAT IS OUTSIDE OF THE WORK.
CONVERSELY, THE ONES WHO GO, I
NEED TO PERFORM, I JUST -- THEN
YOU NEED TO TRY.
THE ONLY FAILURE IS IF YOU DON'T
MAKE THE ATTEMPT.
YOU'VE GOT TO TRY.
>> WISE WORDS FROM ONE OF THE
ALL-TIME GREAT GUYS.
"YOUR HONOR" AIRS SUNDAY NIGHTS
ON SHOWTIME AT 10:00 P.M.
EASTERN AND PACIFIC.
IT IS VERY GOOD.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE SUNDAY SIT-DOWN
PODCAST TO HEAR THE FULL
INTERVIEW WITH BRYAN CRANSTON.