Breaking Bad: Bryan Cranston's Wife Approved Of The Script With A Single Expletive
Bryan Cranston's most iconic role is undeniably that of Walter White in "Breaking Bad." Fans of the series would likely agree that it's just about impossible to imagine anyone else in the role of the chemistry teacher turned ruthless meth cook. After all, Cranston pulled off some of the most iconic moments of recent television, from Walt's "Say my name" moment to his "I am the one who knocks" speech and many, many more.
For Cranston, when it comes to choosing roles, he confides in one key person in his life: his wife – fellow actor Robin Dearden – who he's been married to since 1984. Only after getting Dearden's advice does Cranston move forward with a project — "Breaking Bad" included. So before he could sign on to play Walt, he spoke with his wife and asked her to read the script. After going through it, Dearden had a simple and explicit one-word response: "sh**."
By hearing just that one word from his wife, Cranston knew that he would be moving forward with "Breaking Bad."
Cranston immediately knew Dearden loved the script from her response
In early 2023, Bryan Cranston sat down with GQ to discuss his most iconic characters, which, of course, included the frequently evil Walter White. During the discussion, Cranston recounted his wife's reaction to first reading the script.
"I remember going to my wife," Cranston said. "I always get her counsel because we're together. Whatever I do affects her, so I wanted to get her input on it." He explained that the show would be shooting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, then left her alone to read the script. "And I would peek in to see every once in a while and she was like, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom to the end," Cranston said.
It sure seemed that Dearden was enjoying the script based on how quickly she was blowing through it. Then, when she finished, Cranston got the confirmation that she was indeed on board. "Right when she got near the end, I came back into the room," Cranston said, "and she went, 'Sh**.' She just said 'sh**' and I knew that was her approval."