ANDY DRACHENBERG: How did you become a part of All The Way?
BRYAN CRANSTON: I knew that I wanted to step away from television so, about a year before we were finished with “Breaking Bad,” my agency in New York was looking for a play for me to be a part of after my television series came to a close. This character I played (Walter White) became this iconic figure, so I knew that it was time to let that go and move forward. There’s no better place than in the theatre where I can really focus on a character and take some time to, what I call, “not know.” In film and television you’re expected to deliver a finished performance the day you arrive. As an actor you can get used to that and get conditioned to perform that way. It can create a lot of bad habits. Getting back to the theatre allows you to start from day one. It gives you permission to “not know,” to try things and experiment. It allows you to see what works and what doesn’t work with your fellow actors. Working on a role in the theatre you really start with a lump of clay and start to play with it and mold an image. And that’s the fun part. That’s why I wanted to do it and I’m glad I took it.
AD: What first drew your interest and what qualities about LBJ/this portrayal of him attracted you to the role?
BC: My interest in a project starts with the written word. When I decide on doing something, the most important factors are the story and how well the text supports that story. If the story is not compelling and if the text of the play does not support that story, then you’ve got nowhere to go. With this play, superbly crafted by Robert Schenkkan, the next factor was the character of LBJ. The character himself is enormous; he’s Shakespearian. Like King Lear, he has moments of rage, insanity and love. All of those things certainly didn’t escape me. So, it got to a point where there was no reason to hold back. And it’s exciting and it was the right time for me to do this.
AD: Did you have any hesitations about playing such an iconic historical figure?
BC: I have no hesitations about playing any character unless it’s something that I don’t feel I could dive into and have that character become a part of me and me a part of him. Certainly there are trepidations and nerves, but those are good because I use those conditions and tingling sensations towards my role. Sometimes I may have doubts about taking on a role so enormous in such a short period of time, but all of these emotions that come into play are part of the actor’s process. You have to go through it and trust that process. If you are open to the process, then it will seep into you almost through osmosis as you dive into the role. For me it has and I’m fully embracing this mountain of a man. It’s exhausting, but it’s a lot of fun.
AD: What research and character study did you find as you explored portraying your character?
BC: There’s a really substantial amount of source material for a man like Lyndon Johnson. Robert Caro wrote several books and is currently writing another on LBJ. For my research, I read his book Master of the Senate, and I read Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book on LBJ and about her experiences with him. Michael Beschloss wrote and assembled the famous recorded tapes from the oval office, which was very helpful because I was able to actually listen to the man. It was very intriguing to listen to LBJ’s tenor, demeanor, and the way he would drop down in his depression and then rise above it instantaneously. It was also interesting how he treated people and how he massaged things over the phone. I read a book by Mark Updegrove, the Director of the LBJ Library and Museum in Austin, Texas, which I thought was very helpful. And I’m still looking into other sources as we continue this journey.
AD: What did the run in Cambridge at The American Repertory Theatre teach you and the production?
BC: Our play transcends that need to have a firsthand experience of living during Lyndon’s presidency. Audiences were able to follow the play and take in the gauntlet of hurdles that the Civil Rights movement had with Lyndon trying to accomplish all that he did. All The Way is an important play to present, especially to those who were not alive during that time. In my lifetime, equal rights were not a livable experience for many Americans. It’s hard to believe now, but that’s the way it was. We’ve made a tremendous amount of progress, but we’ve still got a long way to go. You have to look at history in order to realize the growth that your country has made and the benchmarks of achieved greatness, but also to see where you have to go from there. This play helps you to solidify those thoughts.
AD: Do you have your own personal memories of events portrayed in this story?
BC: There are a lot of names and occurrences that I remember as a boy when I was just starting to get interested in politics. It’s funny that, as a boy, I remembered LBJ in a completely different way. To me he was a very laconic, measured, metered type of man who was very careful about what he said and was a doer in his demeanor. That’s not him at all- that was him in front of cameras because he felt he needed to present himself in a presidential manner. He was really a shit-kicking, back-slapping, story-telling country man. He would turn on charm and he would turn on pressure as he saw fit. It was an eye-opener for me to dive in and to really find out who this man really was.
AD: As the play was being mounted at A.R.T., we as a country were hitting the fiftieth anniversary of the March on Washington. Did that have a resonance with the production?
BC: I remember how coming into rehearsal on the fiftieth anniversary of the march really spurned a lot of conversation. There were a lot of actors in the A.R.T. company who were not alive during the March on Washington and wanted to satisfy their curiosity and richen their experience within the discussion. The conversation got lively and one of the topics that I raised was if the assassination of President Kennedy never happened and he was still alive, do you think the Civil Rights Bill could have been passed anyway? Passing the bill in 1964 was so difficult that even with the political acumen that Johnson had (and as strong as it was), a lot of historians doubt that the Civil Rights Bill could have could have been passed. It’s odd to think of history in that way, but there is a silver lining in everything. Johnson was astute and he knew that he had this so-called “honeymoon period” after Kennedy’s death to be able to get this bill passed. He knew that it was a short window, and that after it closed the country was going to go back to the way it was and people were going to dig their heels in.
AD: One of the distinguishing things about All The Way is the size of its cast. How has the large scale cast contributed to what the production has become?
BC: Whenever you have the backdrop of politics and you want to tackle a large subject of national and international importance, you can’t do it with a small cast. It doesn’t feel right because the sensibility of audiences is that if the play is telling you that the world surrounding it is large, multifaceted and exchangeable, with the House of Representatives, aids, etc., it necessitates a big cast. It’s a very tricky prospect because it is still necessary for cast members to play multiple parts so there are not seventy five people in the cast, but you don’t want to confuse the audience. So it’s a delicate situation. I’m delighted that we were able to have this talented cast. It’s rare to have seventeen actors in the cast, and there’s not a bad apple! This is a remarkable experience and I’m grateful for it.
AD: Do you have a favorite line or scene from the play?
BC: On the comedic side, I enjoy the scene with Senator Everett Dirksen when LBJ gives him the Texas twist and turns him around. On the dramatic side, when LBJ is talking to the Governor Carl Sanders from Georgia says, “What kind of a Christian are you and what kind of a politician are you and what kind of a man are you? It’s time to do the right thing. You have to face this once and for all” it is a lot of fun to play.
AD: What are you looking forward to most with bringing this show to Broadway?
BC: It’s been a dream of mine to one day do Broadway. This will be my Broadway debut so I’m very excited about that. I don’t have trepidations about it. I’m excited about it and I’m extremely grateful that we first mounted the play in Cambridge so that we can see what it feels like to present it and not have that pressure of opening up on Broadway. Having a month of rehearsals to really get a sense of the play, not only individually with our characters but as a whole, has been a luxury. We’re fortunate that we got great reviews at A.R.T. and audiences responded to, now we’re ready to give them a hell of a show on Broadway!
BRYAN CRANSTON(Lyndon Baines Johnson). Bryan Cranston won three consecutive Emmy® Awards for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series” for his portrayal of Walter White on AMC’s “Breaking Bad”. Cranston holds the honor of being the first actor in a cable series, and the second lead actor in the history of the Emmy® Awards to receive three consecutive wins. His performance has also earned him a fourth Emmy® nomination this year, a Television Critics Association award, three Golden Globe nominations and a Screen Actors Guild award. Cranston will make his Broadway debut in All the Way. On the big screen, Cranston won a second Screen Actors Guild award this year for his co-starring role in the 2012 Oscar-winning Best Picture, Argo, essaying the role of CIA operative Jack O’Donnell opposite star-director Ben Affleck. He will next star in Legendary Pictures remake of Godzilla opposite Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen, which will be released by Warner Bros. on May 16, 2014. He will also voice a character in DreamWorks Kung Fu Panda 3. He will then begin production on Jay Roach’s Trumbo playing the title role of Dalton Trumbo, who was one of Hollywood’s most successful screenwriters whose career came to an end when he was blacklisted in the 1940’s for being a communist. Last year, he was heard as the voice of “Vitality” in Madagascar 3 Europe’s Most Wanted, which grossed over $730 million worldwide. He also starred in Len Wiseman’s remake of Total Recall, Adam Shankman’s Rock of Ages and Nicolas Winding Refn’s critically acclaimed film, Drive, opposite Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan. Cranston’s additional feature film credits include: Contagion, John Carter of Mars, Larry Crowne, The Lincoln Lawyer, Little Miss Sunshine, Seeing Other People, Saving Private Ryan andThat Thing You Do!