Just Started Watching Breaking Bad...Help, Please. (Read 474 times)

 

 

 

- Sony and AMC were initially reluctant to cast Bryan Cranston because of his previous comedic roles and considered both John Cusack and Matthew Broderick for Walter White. When they both declined, Vince Gilligan got to cast Cranston.

I find this curious (I watched the entire series via the marathon prior to the finale on DVR).  Broderick and Cusack both have solid careers IMHO, but both are also solidly in the comedic, soft-cheek-babyfaced crowd.  I can't imagine either effectively and convincingly making the transition to the "dark side" that Cranston effectively executed.  While he had prior screen experience, he was not as well known and not as stereotyped into the comedic role.

A large part of the success of many series is the more or less luck in casting the right person into the right role at the right time.  Breaking Bad, IMHO, is a prime example of this.

 

 I'm not really sure who else could have done that part justice.

Maybe Kevin Spacey.

 

 It's kind of interesting thinking of other actors/actresses who could have filled those roles.  I think Jesse Pinkman would have been the toughest to sub.

I'm gonna say maybe a younger Edward Norton. Of course an older Edward Norton could probably do WW. I guess my point is Edward Norton can play anyone.

 

Robert Downy Jr. could probably have done WW, too…though he might be too pretty.  He definitely has the range and intensity.  Michael Fassbender would have been a viable candidate, too.

 

I'm having a tougher time with Skylar.  Anna Gunn did a really amazing job alternating between warm and maternal and ice queen.  Sometimes it felt like every-other episode I was a fan of Skylar.  Other times I wanted to slap her…such a conniving hypocrite.

I might have trouble seeing the geeky/loser side of your WW candidates. Although I agree Downey can pretty much do anything.

And regarding Skyler alternating between warm & cold...um...doesn't that describe all women?

 

I find this curious (I watched the entire series via the marathon prior to the finale on DVR).  Broderick and Cusack both have solid careers IMHO, but both are also solidly in the comedic, soft-cheek-babyfaced crowd.  I can't imagine either effectively and convincingly making the transition to the "dark side" that Cranston effectively executed.  While he had prior screen experience, he was not as well known and not as stereotyped into the comedic role.

 

A large part of the success of many series is the more or less luck in casting the right person into the right role at the right time.  Breaking Bad, IMHO, is a prime example of this.

I dunno...at the start of each of those three episodes I watched, I had to kind of subconsciously set myself down and say, "Okay...he's not Malcolm's dad anymore.  You are not going to laugh at him."

But sure, his comedic work wasn't nearly as well-known as Cusack or Broderick.  Speaking of those two, though, they can do a decent job on the "dark side."  I'm already wasting enough time posting, don't want to waste more on an IMDb search, but I seem to recall seeing both in something that was pretty dramatic, and way out of quirky romantic comedy territory.  Probably not up (down?) to BB standards, but I bet they didn't embarrass themselves in the parallel universes where they got cast.

For my money, Cranston's understudy would be Philip Seymour Hoffman.

We have 2 episodes left!  Damn, I realized about midway through the 3rd-to-last episode that I was holding my breath.  INTENSE!!  I'm almost afraid of what could possibly be left for 2 more episodes.

 

Once we're done I need to find a chart documenting every death and means of disposal.  Wowsers!  It's worse than a Shakespearean tragedy in terms of body count!

I watch Sons of Anarchy, so I'm immune to body counts by now!  I just finished watching BB and it was truly a great series.  I also really loved Jesse by the end.  I was so surprised at how much my opinions of the characters changed during the series.  A couple of people I work with watched it also and they warned me after season 3 to "just wait" if I felt a little sympathy for WW.  I even disliked Hank in the beginning and liked him by the end.  The character development of ALL the characters was really something to see.  That's one thing that made this different.  Usually you don't get that much character development with so many of them.  It's usually more limited to just a couple of people.  Really great series!!!

 

Whoa, you missed some big shit, then!  That would have stressed me out, too.

 

After that episode Walt Jr. might have been my favorite character on the entire show.  That kid is awesome.  And I'd love to see that actor cast a lot more.  Baby Holly might be one of the best infant actors I've ever seen, too.  Getting a child that small to respond perfectly to cues is really astounding.  Kind of like the discussion in the cats in movies thread…cats and babies have got to be about the worst actors to work with!

I really want to know why Baby Holly ALWAYS wore a hat or cap.  I imagined that she had some weird color hair or something that made her not fit in if we saw her head.  It was just strange to me.  LOL!