Bryan Cranston has won three Emmys for his meth-making role on “Breaking Bad,” and he’s just scored some more respect from the foreign press (which previously nominated him for “Malcolm in the Middle”) with his third Golden Globes nomination. I talked to the ever-loquacious Cranston about the latest critical kudos for his portrayal of Walter White and why he has no idea what’s next for the troubled character.
We’re getting used to seeing you at these awards shows for “Breaking Bad.” Is it almost old hat now?
No, it doesn’t get old, and I think it’s because I never want to expect it or feel I’m entitled to it or any sensibility like that. I just put my head down and go to work. And if you do that, you’re never disappointed.
Unfortunately, your castmates did not get acknowledged. How do you feel about that?
It’s not an easy decision to make, I’m sure. I would have loved to see “Breaking Bad” nominated, but we did get nominated as a cast for the SAG Awards, which was a delight, and that will mean we’ll have a table and a bunch of champagne and we’ll all be together. I’ll just have to hold down the fort by myself at the Golden Globes. It’s still a great party.
Since you’ll be flying solo, are you doing anything to prepare for the Globes?
I don’t know that I prepare well for any of these things. I think about food only when I’m hungry, whereas my wife will be planning what to have for dinner while she’s eating breakfast. She remembers, when we take trips, what kind of food we had, how long her hair was, where we went, and I recall none of those things. She’ll say, “Remember when we had that bolognese?” No, no I don’t. So I won’t be thinking about what I’m going to wear or anything. I’m a guy. I don’t dwell on those things until someone says, hey, you need a suit, you’re going to this. My daughter or my wife will put out clothes for me to wear. I’m not very good at coordinating. I need Garanimals for adults.
What man doesn’t? But do you prepare an acceptance speech?
I don’t prepare a speech as much as I don’t want to be caught off guard if I do happen to win. I would think of jotting down some ideas for a theme or people I definitely want to mention, but not so much memorizing anything.
Can you tell us anything about what’s next for the fifth season of “Breaking Bad”?
I can’t. In the four years I’ve worked on the show, I never ask what’s coming up for Walter. I read the scripts only a week before we shoot them, so I’m as unaware as Walter White is. I just have a little bit of a head start. But I do know that the writers are working hard on the last 16 episodes of the show right now.
Aren’t you a little curious to find out what will happen to Walter?
Curiosity is one thing. I don’t dwell on it, but it would be like if someone gave you a Christmas present and you opened it immediately. I can wait. That’s what adults learn to do. I realized it didn’t behoove me to know too much about what was going on with this character . Because it changed hourly and was so ephemeral, I would only run the risk of informing the character with something he doesn’t know. There are benefits to delayed gratification.
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