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shadowkatI finished Life in Pieces by Bryan Cranston - highly recommend, besides going in depth on the producing, writing, development and acting behind Breaking Bad, he discusses All the Way, Malcolm in the Middle, and roles prior including doing F/X work on the film Alligator and working on the soap opera Loving, where he began his career.
He also talks about his family. And is a good enough writer - that he goes into some detail, and provides interesting anecdotes.
My take-aways from it are:
* Process, believe in the process, submit to it, trust in it, the rest will take care of itself.
* Everyone gets stage fright, including Bryan Cranston. Coming off of Breaking Bad, he decided to play LBG in All the Way on Broadway. Which was wonderful, except he discovered he had four weeks to learn a boat-load of lines. And wasn't sure he could do it. Worked his ass off learning the lines and how to play them, and everything he could about LBJ. But there were points in which he wanted to quit, that he had panic attacks, that the actor's nightmare of being on stage and forgetting all his lines plagued him. The four weeks leading up to the first performance - were excruciating, but the performance, getting to act on stage in front of an audience, made those four weeks of preparation worth it.
* Do not be a hoarder. He tells a gut-wrenching story about his Aunt and Uncle who died in their house. And obviously been dead for days before anyone found them. Surrounded by stuff. They'd kept all their car keys, none of which fit their car. It was as if they couldn't bring themselves to throw anything away. It made me want to clean out my apartment and throw out everything. (And I'm not a hoarder. I hate clutter. I throw out cards and letters.)
* We never know that what we are creating will become. They didn't know Breaking Bad would be a hit when they were making it. Or anywhere near the phenomenon it became. He states that when you are in the midst of creating something - you don't know where it will go. It could be too soon or before its time, or too far after it. It could hit the audience wrong. You simply do not know. (I honestly think if Breaking Bad premiered today - it wouldn't be a hit and few would watch. I think it had a lot to do with timing. Now, we're all burned out on the good guy becomes a nasty crook trope.)
* Have balance in your life. Hobbies. Family. Don't make work the end all be all. Balance it out. He refers to his parents a lot, who he's forgiven and sees as human, but also has learned from. When his father died at 90, Cranston and his brother found a message that their father had written stating that he was pleased that his children had managed to forgive him for what he'd done. He was thankful for that. (I cried when I heard it - which was awkward since I was in the laundry room at the time, trying to ignore the Bengali man doing laundry three machines down, while talking on the phone in Bengali.)
He states that there were rumors at the end about the script for the final episode being stolen and released on the internet. What had actually happened, is someone stole his bag which had his backpack in it, and the script for the previous season's finale. He called the regular line not 911. Because the sheriff's office was closed. And left a message. Someone sold a false story to the media, and they bought it - the false story was the script for that seasons' finale had been leaked to the internet and he had tied up the 911 hotline for hours regarding it. Not true. (The media is very gullible.)
He also stated that film for the final episode - specifically a scene where White breaks down after his son tells him via a text message that he hates him - was pulverized in transit, so they had to film it again, and again. He said, it acting, you learn early on - that it involves a lot of repetition. You cry your eyes out in a scene. Okay, great. Now do it again.
He says there's a way to deal with it - that you just learn to shrug it off and do it, it's part of the job.
Definitely worth a listen. To date, possibly the best of the audiobooks that I've listened to. And among the few, in which I wanted more.
He also talks about his family. And is a good enough writer - that he goes into some detail, and provides interesting anecdotes.
My take-aways from it are:
* Process, believe in the process, submit to it, trust in it, the rest will take care of itself.
* Everyone gets stage fright, including Bryan Cranston. Coming off of Breaking Bad, he decided to play LBG in All the Way on Broadway. Which was wonderful, except he discovered he had four weeks to learn a boat-load of lines. And wasn't sure he could do it. Worked his ass off learning the lines and how to play them, and everything he could about LBJ. But there were points in which he wanted to quit, that he had panic attacks, that the actor's nightmare of being on stage and forgetting all his lines plagued him. The four weeks leading up to the first performance - were excruciating, but the performance, getting to act on stage in front of an audience, made those four weeks of preparation worth it.
* Do not be a hoarder. He tells a gut-wrenching story about his Aunt and Uncle who died in their house. And obviously been dead for days before anyone found them. Surrounded by stuff. They'd kept all their car keys, none of which fit their car. It was as if they couldn't bring themselves to throw anything away. It made me want to clean out my apartment and throw out everything. (And I'm not a hoarder. I hate clutter. I throw out cards and letters.)
* We never know that what we are creating will become. They didn't know Breaking Bad would be a hit when they were making it. Or anywhere near the phenomenon it became. He states that when you are in the midst of creating something - you don't know where it will go. It could be too soon or before its time, or too far after it. It could hit the audience wrong. You simply do not know. (I honestly think if Breaking Bad premiered today - it wouldn't be a hit and few would watch. I think it had a lot to do with timing. Now, we're all burned out on the good guy becomes a nasty crook trope.)
* Have balance in your life. Hobbies. Family. Don't make work the end all be all. Balance it out. He refers to his parents a lot, who he's forgiven and sees as human, but also has learned from. When his father died at 90, Cranston and his brother found a message that their father had written stating that he was pleased that his children had managed to forgive him for what he'd done. He was thankful for that. (I cried when I heard it - which was awkward since I was in the laundry room at the time, trying to ignore the Bengali man doing laundry three machines down, while talking on the phone in Bengali.)
He states that there were rumors at the end about the script for the final episode being stolen and released on the internet. What had actually happened, is someone stole his bag which had his backpack in it, and the script for the previous season's finale. He called the regular line not 911. Because the sheriff's office was closed. And left a message. Someone sold a false story to the media, and they bought it - the false story was the script for that seasons' finale had been leaked to the internet and he had tied up the 911 hotline for hours regarding it. Not true. (The media is very gullible.)
He also stated that film for the final episode - specifically a scene where White breaks down after his son tells him via a text message that he hates him - was pulverized in transit, so they had to film it again, and again. He said, it acting, you learn early on - that it involves a lot of repetition. You cry your eyes out in a scene. Okay, great. Now do it again.
He says there's a way to deal with it - that you just learn to shrug it off and do it, it's part of the job.
Definitely worth a listen. To date, possibly the best of the audiobooks that I've listened to. And among the few, in which I wanted more.
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Date: 2023-03-24 09:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-03-25 03:02 am (UTC)