Interview with Bryan Cranston about a web-series called The Handlers, hosting SNL in October, his upcoming movie projects and of course the 4th season of Breaking Bad.

Question: How did you get involved with this web series, The Handlers?
BRYAN CRANSTON: A friend of mine, Jamie Bruce, who’s one of my partners in it, is part French and he’s a director, and he told me about it and I said, “This is really funny.” It’s based on a French concept called Henaut President, and so I watched that and thought, “This is really clever and fun. Can we Americanize it?” So, we said, “Yeah, let’s try it.” I was also working with Avalon Television, at the time, and really enjoyed working with them on a pilot idea that we sold to the States. So, we got together and we’re producing this short-term series that could turn into a longer-term series, if it works well on Atom.com. We’ll see. We’re premiering on January 4th, and a new episode will show up every Tuesday for eight weeks, so we’re happy about that. It’s fun.

What is The Handlers about?
CRANSTON: It’s a humorous way to look at politics. It’s part of the political spectrum, but it’s non-partisan. We don’t take anything seriously and it’s very racy, at times. We really go into the art of the campaign and the war room behind it and some of the decisions that are made. We’re really following, not necessarily the candidates so much, but the handlers and the campaign managers who take on all the campaigns that happen, throughout the country, around the clock, throughout every year. It doesn’t have to be a presidential election year. They’re doing this all the time.
So, we focused on taking it away from the candidate, and the focus is really on the four people who are the handlers. In future episodes of it, it could be with other celebrities being the candidates. We’re hoping it follows that format. They could be running for mayor, they could be running for dog catcher or, in some cases, there are actually some counties that elect their own coroner. I don’t know how you go about saying, “Oh, I don’t like the work he’s doing! I think we need someone new. His people just don’t look as real.” So, we’re going to explore a lot of different things. It’s fun to keep active and do funny things.

Who are you playing?
CRANSTON: I play a character named Jack Power, who is running for a State Senate seat in a non-descript, small state. We don’t say which state it is. It’s fun to just make it more appealing and more relatable to people, so that it could be any state, really.

Was this a nice diversion from Breaking Bad?
CRANSTON: Breaking Bad is a fantastic show. I love working on it. But, it’s very dark sometimes. It’s nice to just break it up and be a little silly and have fun.

How long did it take to shoot? Was it something that was done pretty quickly?
CRANSTON: It is, budgets as they are. Atom.com was very gracious with us. They paid for everything and we’re grateful for that. That being said, we still don’t have a huge budget. Our dressing rooms consisted of us dressing on the fly, as we did this. It takes a week to prep it and write it and shoot it. We get our writer/performers together, and myself, and Jamie Bruce, who directs them, and we put it together in that week. We shoot for two days and we’re done. And then, we send it to post and do some post work on it. It’s hand-held and loose, but the quality is really quite good. We’re pleased with it.

Is there a lot of improvisation involved with something like this?
CRANSTON: Yes, there was definitely improvisation, which I think is terrific. In some sketches, we took a page out of Saturday Night Live, that puts together a show in a week. We write sketches, read the sketches, rehearse the sketches and then decide which ones we want to do. And sometimes we take a page out of Curb Your Enthusiasm, where we have a concept and we get everybody together and just riff on that concept and see what we come up with. We’ve done both. I think we’ll continue to do both because sometimes it’s good to have it sketched out and have an idea, so that the performers can all just go and expand and say anything and see what happens. And then, other times, you have a specific idea of the beginning, middle and end, for where you want it to go and it’s good to have it scripted because that also saves a lot of time, and you get to it and knock it out.

You hosted Saturday Night Live this past October. What was that experience like for you? How nerve-wracking was that to do?
CRANSTON: It is amazingly nerve-wracking. It was one of the highlights of my career, honestly. The cast and crew and the writers and Lorne Michaels were very gracious, welcoming and supportive, and they know what they’re doing over there and have really got it down. I just wanted to come in, as I did, and say, “I want to be a team member here. If you think I should be in a sketch, great. If you think I shouldn’t, fine. Just work me and let me participate.” I was really, really happy with the experience. It was working without a net. It’s live and you don’t know what’s really going to happen. You have an idea of what’s going to happen. You’ve rehearsed. But, that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen exactly the same way it should. It was fun to be able to jump in.
It’s so chaotic, it’s nerve-wracking. As soon as you finish your monologue and they go to that Saturday Night Live commercial to fill time, I was rushed off the set to change clothes and was immediately throwing wigs off. Three people were taking my clothes off and putting wigs on me, and someone was holding me so that I didn’t lose my balance, and someone was holding up a cup of water in case I wanted a sip, and someone was yelling, “25 seconds! 15 seconds!” And then, they push you on and there you are. The live audience has an idea of what we just went through, but the TV audience just doesn’t know that it was this absolute chaotic moment. But, it’s stimulating and it’s so much fun.

Was there a favorite skit that you got to do?
CRANSTON: There were several favorites that I enjoyed. I think the game show was one of my favorites. Overall, the silliness of singing with Fred Armisen was great. It was two brothers who only sang one song and the song was, “I Sent a Bottle of Sparking Apple Juice to Your House, Did You Get It?” That was the only lyrics to the song, and somehow it cracked the Top 100 in the ’70s and we had a little ripple of fame because it was so goofy. It was like “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer.” That was fun and so bizarre.

When do you start filming Breaking Bad again?
CRANSTON: We go back on January 13th. That is our first shooting day for our fourth season.

Have they given you any hints about what the arc is going to be for Season 4, or are they still trying to figure all of that out?
CRANSTON: No, they’ve got it. I just don’t know it. It’s true. I haven’t asked and they haven’t told me. I don’t want to know. This is such a journey for Walter White. He doesn’t know what’s happening, from moment to moment, so I didn’t want to ruin it. I enjoy reading the scripts cold and seeing where it goes, just like you’re reading a good novel. If someone were to tell me, in a thumbnail sketch, what happens, I’d be disappointed. I don’t want them to tell me. I want to experience it. That’s my philosophy on it. So, I honestly truly don’t know where this fourth season is going.

What are the qualities that you like best in Walter White, and are there qualities that you wish you could change in him?
CRANSTON: That’s funny because you get so subjective to it. Walter is in a metamorphosis. When we first started the show, I could tell you who he was, and what he is and what he isn’t, as most people can. But, at this stage, Walter doesn’t even know. He’s coming to grips with the dark side of his personality. At first, he had to acknowledge that there is such a thing, and now he’s embracing it. This third season was all about accepting who you are, so that you can stay alive in this very dangerous game. He’s learning about himself. When I look at it now, objectively, I think he’s going to try to hold onto as much of that altruistic nature as he can. It’s a, “I’m doing this for my family,” point of view. But, in reality, I don’t think so. He’s found some sort of addictive quality to the rush of the game itself, that he didn’t even know he had. I think about that and realize that, given the right set of circumstances, just about any one of us can be that dangerous.

What’s it like to be on such a long break from the character? Do you like having the extra time to do films in between seasons, or would you prefer to return to the character quicker?
CRANSTON: No, I like the break. We had almost a year break this year and it was great because I got to spend time at home with the family, and then I went off and did several films and developed The Handlers. Things were good and I was able to have L.A. as my base. I was fortunate to be able to then look forward to coming back for a fourth season of the show. Now, as the year is winding down and I’m just relaxing, I can start thinking about Breaking Bad and The Handlers, and a couple of the projects that I’ve got in the works, and look forward to having them jump off and see how people respond to them.

Can you talk about the film projects that have been keeping you busy during hiatus?
CRANSTON: None of them will come out for awhile, but I was able to do a lot of different things and I was very grateful. I did Larry Crowne, with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, where I got to play a jerk, but I was married to Julia. How about that? I was very intimidated about that, as you would think. At the time that Tom had offered me that role, I was Walter White. I was bald, hunched over, wrinkled, thin and sickly. I told Tom, “I’ve got to be honest with you, I feel like I’d look more like her dad than a potential mate.” But, he said, “No, you’ll be done. You’ll be fine. You’ll gain your weight back and grow your hair back.” He wasn’t worried about it at all. I said, “Are you sure?,” and he said, “Yeah, don’t worry about it.” And, it did work out great. I went on a special diet and I started pumping up a little bit. I wanted the audience to look and go, “I can see where they could possibly, at some point, get together.” That was important to me, so that it wouldn’t look like, “Why is that old guy with her?” I was a little intimidated by that, but that was fun. That comes out in July 2011.
And then, I did a little picture with Matthew McConaughey, called The Lincoln Lawyer, and that comes out in March 2011. I play an investigative officer who doesn’t like Matthew’s character at all. I got to play an authoritative tough guy, which was fun.
John Carter of Mars is another one, but that won’t come out until the Summer of 2012. And, there was Drive, which I had a terrific time on, with Ryan [Gosling], Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman and Carey Mulligan. I don’t know when that’s coming out. I’m sure we’ll have another opportunity to discuss those, and I look forward to it.

Are you having a lot of fun with all of the diverse work that you’re getting to do, in your career?
CRANSTON: I am. This is a great time for me.

Watch Breaking Bad Episodes Online

Interview with Tess Harper who plays Jesse’s mother Mrs. Pinkman:

Q: What’s it like to shoot in New Mexico?
A: Well, you get out in that desert and it’s bleak. It’s overpowering. A man in that landscape is very small. It’s scary to me because I grew up in hills [of Arkansas]. That’s way too much open space.

Q: And yet, when Hank visits Mrs. Pinkman, she’s working in a surprisingly lush yard. Did you notice that she’d surrounded herself–
A: By green? To get her out of the desert? She certainly can’t deal with bleak. What makes Albuquerque an inhabitable town is that the Rio Grande runs through it. When you fly into Albuquerque you see the desert and then you see this lush band right along the river. Those houses down there are just perfect for the Pinkmans. It was like, “Please don’t tell me any bleak news. I want my flowers.”

Q: Do you enjoy gardening as much as she appears to?
A: I have a vegetable garden in back. It’s for my grandmothers; I have to pay tribute to them. It is a very calming activity. It’s one of those things that you have to concentrate just enough that it takes you out of whatever other worries you have.

Q: Could you relate to what Mrs. Pinkman is going through? Have you ever tried to help someone with an addiction?
A: I have. I pretty much tell people they have an option if they want it, and hope they can find where they need to be to start on the road back. And sometimes they don’t. There’s a wonderful book I read once where the lead character used to say, “A thing can only be what it is.” All the help in the world goes out the window until the person is ready to receive it, hear it, or commit to do the work themselves. And meth is a horrible addiction in that it actually alters your brain. The brain doesn’t go back to who they were before. It’s made with poison. Meth is a complete creation of chemistry.

Q: If you met Mrs. Pinkman what advice would you give her?
A: I don’t know that [Jesse's parents] could have done anything differently. And the whole thing with his aunt’s house: They threw him out because there was a meth lab in the basement! [Laughs] And then he bought the house out from under them. When he comes in with the keys and just walks right past them and goes into the house, that’s just — I don’t know what you do about that.

Q: Do you ever look back on your youth and think you could have ended up like Jesse?
A: I was very lucky. I know I have an addictive personality, but I didn’t have the money when I was young to indulge it. I am a very independent person, so I couldn’t imagine being dependent on anything or anyone. The idea that I couldn’t stand on my own two feet would be so terrifying for me that I couldn’t do it. And I was raised to believe that whatever I was doing my mother would know about it two minutes after I did it. That kind of keeps you on the straight and narrow. [Laughs]

Q: What kind of things did you do to test your parent’s patience?
A: I have a good, basic fundamentalist upbringing, so any act of rebellion was huge for me. In college, going to my first bar, taking my first drink — all of that was an act of rebellion; also cursing, which I took to like a duck to water and still do.

Q: Did you find yourself giving Aaron Paul any motherly advice?
A: He’s the sweetest person on the face of the earth. He’s so different than the character he plays. How can you not mother someone like that? I just remember, from the first time I saw him, how amazingly blue his eyes were. And he was a little nervous that first year, but he grew into that role. Every year I came back it’s more growth.

Q: What’s the hardest thing you had to do or say to Jesse?
A: That scene where I’m cleaning out his aunt’s house and we have a big confrontation and I slap him. Because you walk a fine line of whether you want this anger to come from frustration or just hurt. And because personally I would just want to beat him silly, but Mrs. Pinkman is not that way. She’s horrified when she loses control in that scene. I wanted to beat the crap out of him. This house is a shambles and yet he thinks he has a right to it.

Q: She holds back.
A: She’s entirely more saint-like than I am. [Laughs]

Watch Breaking Bad Episodes Online