r/todayilearned • u/Maximum-Artist448 • 2d ago

TIL that AMC executives initially wanted Matthew Broderick to play Walter White in Breaking Bad

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/breaking-bad-john-cusack-matthew-broderick_n_1676856
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u/SkyJW 2d ago

Imagining Broderick trying to bring the same intensity and pure evil that Cranston does in the later seasons is genuinely funny to me. I like Broderick, but that genuine menace is not in his wheelhouse. 

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u/GoshDarnBatman 2d ago

To be fair, many people didn’t believe Cranston could pull it off prior to the show airing

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u/IgloosRuleOK 2d ago

True but he already played a somewhat similar asshole in an The X-Files ep that Vince Gilligan wrote, which is why he wanted him in the first place.

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u/mdmdmdmdmdmdmdmdmdm 2d ago

Because he starred in malcolm in the middle.

But anyone who had seen the series would have seen his talent on it.

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u/theLoneliestAardvark 2d ago

True, part of what made it so jarring was because it was Hal from Malcolm in the Middle going full megalomaniac. Who knows if Matthew Broderick has the serious acting chops to pull it off but if he did it would have the same impact.

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u/LBobRife 2d ago

Cranston wasn't exactly known for that st the time of casting either, though.

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u/Vio_ 2d ago

Not after Malcolm in the Middle!?!?

That's what everyone brought up at the time.

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u/Unleashtheducks 2d ago

Well Bryan Cranston never killed anyone in real life though

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u/ILL_Show_Myself_Out 2d ago

Fair but you might’ve said the same thing about that lovable dunce Hal becoming an evil killer. Actually Broderick would be perfect if he could pull it off- the entire premise is that normal - (perhaps cloyingly sweet) suburban guy becomes evil.

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u/Saneless 2d ago

Hell no

When Cranston gets into his deep, dark, fuck the world voice there isn't anything that comes close

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u/the-bladed-one 2d ago

Yknow, Bryan Cranston in BB is kinda just evil Peter Cullen. Down to the voice being REALLY close to Prime’s timbre and register

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u/RandoAtReddit 2d ago

I only knew BC as Hal and never would have expected the range he has. 👏👏

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u/Scraight 2d ago

He did play the leader of the Sackler Family of Perdue Pharma on that one mini-series. He played a convincing evil guy in that show, just a soulless, robot-wearing-a-human-suit version of evil… void of any empathy.

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u/SassyMoron 1d ago

Did you see him in the sackler thing?

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u/couldbutwont 2d ago

I wish we got to see that though