Q&A: Dean Norris (Hank Schrader)
Breaking Bad's Dean Norris talks about jumping from heavies to comedies and shares his DEA rap in this exclusive interview with AMC.
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Q: What makes you such a good cop?
A: I don't know man [laughs]. I've played a lot of 'em. I think the physicality is certainly a part of it. Also having played so many cops, I've talked with a lot of technical advisers, so I've been able to pick up a lot. Coincidentally, one of my best friends growing up is a cop in Chicago, and one of my other best friends out in LA is a sheriff. So I get to see all the components of that culture. It's fun now to play cops with a little more humor to them, though. They're a little more interesting than just the hardcore guys.
Q: Hank has more than a little humor to him. He's the comic relief. Is that new for you?
A: When I was in college I did a lot of comedy. And when I came to LA -- I guess because of my look -- I ended up doing a lot of cops. I'm not complaining, but I got slotted into those kinds of roles. And then I played a funnier cop in Little Miss Sunshine and a lot of people liked it: I ended up getting called in on comedy movies all of a sudden. I don't know if it opened the door to doing Breaking Bad or not. But when I auditioned for the role, I was sitting in the room waiting to audition and Betsy Brandt was there -- I didn't know her at the time, but we were sitting there. I said to her, 'This is funny, isn't it?' She said, 'Yeah I think it's funny, right?' We were both going back and forth to reinforce each other because at first I wasn't sure. Thank God, she agreed with me because that's the way I played it going into the first meeting with Vince.
Q: Steven Michael Quezada, who plays your partner Gomez, is actually a stand-up comic. Did he give you any tips?
A: He didn't. I think he found that there's a big difference between being a stand-up comedian and an actor. When you're a stand-up, you play in front of 600 people and it's all about timing. I could never do stand-up comedy; it would be way too hard for me. But I think he actually found comfort in being able to work with me to bring his stuff down a little bit. So it was really vice versa: He looked for tips from me on how to be funny while keeping it real within the scene.
Q: What was the inspiration for Hank's Behind the Gun web videos?
A: When we were shooting the first episode I was sitting around thinking, "I've got a lot free time." So I said, "Hey guys, can you give me a camera and let me go off and do some funny skits?" They said okay, and we went out -- we actually shot lots and lots more stuff. I don't know how much we'll be able to put together. I've got a Hank rap song that's really good.
Q: A Hank rap song? Can we have a preview?
A: He's the H to the A to the N to the K / He's the Hank, He's the Man, He's the DEA / So if you're set on the crank, stay out of my way / 'Cause I'm the Hank, I'm the man, I'm the DEA. It goes on and on.
Q: What is your favorite moment from the show thus far?
A: Certainly for me the intervention scene is one of the best scenes I've ever seen on TV, and I thought it was unusual that you had five people engaged in the scene for such a long time. It's like a 10-minute scene and it was written so well. It was the moment on the set where we all gelled and everybody played their part perfectly, then it was topped off by Bryan's phenomenal speech. We did that scene the whole day, and every single time he made that speech he did it well enough that it would make you cry. The first read-through of the episode, just a sitting around the table, I went up to him afterwards and I said, "Hey man, thanks for the four-year job."
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Great interview with Dean Norris, Uncle Hank of the DEE-EEE-AYE!
Hank was my least-liked character at the beginning of Breaking Bad (at least until I hit KenWins ... Mr. BlueTooth Cell Jerk who had some problems with his Beamer one day. Ka-Pow!). But Hank was sooo dislikable for his constant, needling machismo ... the gun fetish ... the arrogant bullet-head, skinhead look and walk and talk. Yuck.
To know that Dean Norris is actually acting (!!) is great. BTW -- Please tell me he's wearing fat-suit strap ons. Please say that bulging belly is Uncle Hank, and not Dean. :)
We've enjoyed Hank's character from the get-go! He is hilarious!!! I look forward to his scenes with Gomez. Breaking Bad has officially become my family and friend's favorite show on television. Welcome to New Mexico Norris family!! We are from Albuquerque also and are glad to hear you are making this your home. There is alot of great talent here and I look forward to seeing more New Mexican's in the industry. Again, welcome to "Tamalewood"!!!
Hank is the reason my husband and I watch Breaking Bad. We want to see more of him! And we really need to hear the whole rap song, not just a one-verse teaser.
I had the unfortunate experience of serving time for a felony conviction. Dean portrays his DEA agent as if he is the real thing. Everything from the boisterous gun happy flare to the sense of humor. He even nails the walk and body language. Kudos Mr. Norris. I hope to see more of you in the seasons to come.
Dean,
Great show. You and Bryan do a hell of a great job. Hope your golf game is doing well and I hope we get a chance to visit again in the parking lot of the studio.
Hope to see you again for another season. Oh, yeah, I worked on the series. Probably another reason I like it so much. But all my friends like it to.
Hope to see you soon......and again.....great job.
Mr. Schrader,
Of course a big fan of the show. Was wondering if you would ever go for an in depth conversation about acting in general..? I'm a senior in high school and looking into acting for a major in college but know it's a cut throat kind of business... Either way, thanks for the entertainment and keep on keepin' on brother. :-D Have a good one.
- Joey
Dean,
From the looks of things, I think you and the rest of the Breaking Bad cast have that special chemistry
(lol no pun intended). Keep up the great work!! I think this show is AMC's answer to "The Sopranos"!!
Thermite and more...
Chemical Demonstrations Videos
This has been a steamy first season. We have seen alot of Skyler and Walts sexual encounters, but when will we seen Hank in a romantic scene???? Hank is the man and I think we should be able to see that he is also a ladies man.
I agree Dean, that intervention scene was really great. It was such a difficult scene to pull off with the mix of comedy and tragedy. Having gone through treatment for cancer and having to still look forward to those same decisions Walt described for his family, the scene meant a lot. I was so afraid that you wouldn't be able to pull it off, but you really all nailed it! Every actor played a crucial role in putting it all together. Bryan's speech at the end was, as you said, phenomenal.
Keep up the great work!
Hank, you are a natural when it comes to playing a cop! Very convincing! Now, you need to find out more about Walt's operation and approach him with an ultimatum, "Cut me in or get busted"!
I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I am to see Dean in a new series. In general, I truly got hooked on Breaking Bad right from the start but the truth is that the only reason I turned it on in the first place was because I knew Dean would be in it. I've been a fan of his for years. One of the joys about the Hank character is that Dean gets to use his acting strengths with this person. While Dean is frequently typecast as the cop/military/special services guy, he also had good comedic timing as evidenced by his regular role in Tremors: The Series. Twitchell started out as one of the most disliked characters on the show but in short order, Dean did a good job with the scripts given him and before long, most of the fans got to like him. There was a government guy who may not have loved his current assignment but did love his wife, was quick witted, and when push came to shove, could stand his ground in the face of 'monsters' when necessary (albeit unwillingly, which is where part of the humor came in).
To date, I'd say I've probably seen about 50% of his career performances and have enjoyed most of them. In fact, the only ones I haven't liked are simply because they are too short (air time) or because they don't utilize his talents as fully as they could have.
I'd love to see more of Hank's homelife in the series and I can't wait to see what happens when he finds out about his wife's klepto tendencies.
And as for the video blogs that Dean has done, I couldn't stop laughing. These were so great. Pity the show can't inject more of this type of humor into Hank's personality.
Anyway, as I said, I'm overjoyed to see him acting in a series once more!!
Dean - this is Mrs. Beahan from South Bend. Remember me - I wrote the play at Little Flower in which you starred when you were nine years old. (You've come a long way, baby!)
Your mom mentioned your new show in her Christmas card. We are looking forward to seeing it Sunday night and hope it is a very successful series for you.
My son Michael knew about it and said it got very good reviews last year. Wish we had known about it then.
Michael and Maribeth live in Chicago and Colleen is in Denver. We will tell them all to watch!
Break a leg!