Breaking Bad: 10 Behind The Scenes Facts You Didn't Know
2. AMC Literally Wanted Anyone Apart From Bryan Cranston
There was a time when people went to the cinema to see films based solely on an actor's star power with people queuing around the block to see the latest John Wayne picture or Clint Eastwood's latest vehicle. Nowadays bona fide A-Listers are no guarantee that a film will succeed; look at The Mummy starring Tom Cruise, or Dwayne Johnson's Skyscraper which both bombed at the box office.
With this in mind, it is incredible that studios seem to think that people value an A-List actor over genuinely good writing. AMC fell into this insane line of thinking as they suggested some big names for who should play Walter White in their newest show Breaking Bad. One suggestion was John Cusack, an indie darling who was too well known as the down on his luck love interest to convincingly play a meth kingpin. Another more baffling suggestion was Ferris Bueller himself Matthew Broderick, looking for a good project after starring in two mid '00s remake flops, The Stepford Wives and The Producers.
Why AMC was so desperate to attach a celebrity is remarkable and thankfully both the actors rejected the offer to play Heisenberg. After ignoring Gilligan's initial suggestion of Bryan Cranston, then best known as the dad from Malcolm in the Middle, they reluctantly gave him the thumbs up. Aside from his lack of 'bankability', AMC were most nervous about his comedy origins which they believed would not be a good fit for this drama. Of course, the irony was not only did Cranston become instantly iconic as Walt but he was one of many comedy actors cast in the show alongside Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman, and Lavell Crawford and Bill Burr as Saul's henchman Huell and Kuby.