Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston Put A Lot Of Thought Into Walt's Mustache
When it comes to "Breaking Bad" and the main character of Walter White, Bryan Cranston put a lot of time and effort into developing the look of his antihero. From the character's abrasive tone to his unsmiling affect, especially in the early parts of the series, Cranston put more than a little thought into these traits. Especially for the mustache, the Emmy-winning actor had a distinct style he was going for.
"I called it an 'impotent mustache,'" Cranston told GQ. "And I know how to shape an impotent mustache, if anyone's interested. If a mustache drops below the creases of the lips, no, that gets bada**. That gets nasty. So you have to make sure it's always above the crease of the lips. And you thin it out, so you can see skin underneath it. And it doesn't look as masculine. It just seems, 'What's the point?'"
Fans with a discerning eye will notice that Walter's facial hair becomes more prominent as "Breaking Bad" gets further into his character arc, which could easily be construed as the character becoming more confident. Or, as Cranston says, "bada**." Still, the mustache wasn't the only part of the character that Cranston considered when developing how he would look throughout the series.
Cranston wanted Walter to look like a nobody
During the interview with GQ, Bryan Cranston elaborated even more about the goals he had for the look and aesthetic of Walter White on "Breaking Bad." He wanted Walter to wear clothes that would give off the impression that he was someone not worth seeing. He collaborated with the costume designers to ensure this by picking a very distinct color scheme.
"I chose my clothes," Cranston said. "In conversations with the costume designer to select clothes that blend in the wall. Beiges. Off-whites. Pastels. Soft yellows. Things like that. Sand color. He disappeared, he was a nobody. I took all the color highlights out of my hair. Which I had, it was kinda brown with reddish highlights. Took it all out, just deadened it. Took the color out of my face. All of a sudden you start to see yourself and you put on those clothes and you go, 'I know you. Let's go play.'"
Cranston clearly put a ton of thought into Walter and how he should present himself on screen, and it obviously paid off big time for the actor and for "Breaking Bad" as a whole. It's also interesting to see how his wardrobe shifts as the series goes on, reflecting the changes in the character as he inhabits his Heisenberg alter ego more fully.