Bryan Cranston has spoken about his new role in the newly-released comedy Why Him?, and the experiences he’s accumulated as a husband and father that he was able to bring to the part.
The Emmy and Golden Globe-winner plays Ned Fleming, a mid-Western family man with a printing business that has seen a sharp decline and “whose daughter, who he’s so close with, is dating this internet zillionaire freakazoid [Laird] in the form of James Franco.”
“There is the truth about the dads! I remember when I was dating, the dads didn’t like me very much and I didn’t know why. I now know why!”
Speaking about his own personal experiences of parenting – he is a father to a 23 year old daughter – former ‘Breaking Bad’ star Cranston said he could relate to Ned and his struggles to keep an open mind.
“It’s tough to see your child grow up and become an adult, and for us, having been responsible for them all of their lives and then just voluntarily let go of that grip, you know, and away they go. The choices they make, sometimes you go *nervously winces* and you’re a little fearful of how that’s all going to play out.”
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About Franco’s character Laird Mayhew, a rather vulgar internet billionaire, he said: “Ned and Laird are different in every way. The level of education, where they were raised, who they were raised by and their principles… everything! Naturally there’s going to be friction because they just can’t relate to each other, in any way.”
Watch the trailer for ‘Why Him?’ here:
Working on Why Him? has enabled Cranston to work with a great ensemble cast, including Keegan-Michael Key [Laird’s estate manager], Megan Mullally [Ned’s wife Barb] and Zoey Deutch [Ned’s daughter Stephanie]. He described the experience as “a blast”.
Director John Hamburg (Meet The Parents, Zoolander) actively permitted the cast to go off-script and use improv on the set. “We were not only allowed but encouraged to go crazy, and add whatever is appropriate to your character… It’s been so much fun, we were like children!”
Why Him? is released in the United Kingdom on December 26th.
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