The star of Breaking Bad took a moment from production of the second season in Albuquerque to discuss his Emmy nomination and his hopes for the future of Walt White.
Q: Congratulations on the Emmy nomination. That's wonderful news.
A: Thank you! If you think it's wonderful, how about from my point of view? You just do your work and go along and then someone taps you on the shoulder and says, "Hey guess what," and then you can honestly be surprised and happy about it. And you know, it would be great to win. It would be wonderful for the show, and hopefully that would translate to allowing us to be on the air for a few more years and to tell our story.
Q: How do you feel sharing the nomination ticket with Mad Men's Jon Hamm?
Whether you're a newcomer who's catching the encore presentations in the wee hours on Sunday nights or an obsessive fan who has the entire season stashed away on DVR for repeat viewings, AMCtv.com's weekly Breaking Bad quizzes will test your knowledge of the series. This week's questions focus on Episode 2, "Cat's in the Bag..." When you're done with it, answer the bonus question in the comments section below. A correct response will automatically enter you in a random drawing for a set of Breaking Bad test tube shot glasses.
Bonus Question: How do Walt and Jesse keep Krazy-8 in the basement?
When two-time Oscar-winning cinematographer John Toll (Braveheart, Legends of the Fall) read Vince Gilligan's pilot for Breaking Bad, he decided to return to television for the first time in nearly 20 years. Not surprisingly, his work on the first episode has garnered him an Emmy nomination. He shares his experience launching the show in AMC's exclusive interview.
Q: How did you get involved with Breaking Bad?
A: I've known Vince for quite a while. I met him through [Executive Producer] Mark Johnson and really liked him and thought he had great ideas -- he had a unique style, sort of dark and irreverent humor, but not offensively so. Then out of the blue he sent me this script for Breaking Bad and he came to visit me to talk about a look. Vince had been talking about an interesting style where the whole story takes place in the Southwest. I wasn't sure I wanted to do it because I hadn't done television for a long time and at first I thought I might be out of touch with it. But we started talking about a visual style that was rich in contrast and stark. I've got a library with all kinds of visual reference materials, so I pulled some off the shelf and we started looking through it, and within a half hour we were talking about when I would come to New Mexico with him and start looking at locations .
You're a fan of Breaking Bad. In fact, you've not only seen the episodes but you've studied the characters. So now it's time for your pop quiz. Do you have what it takes to match wits with Walt White? Can you outsmart Jesse Pinkman? Do you have the lowdown on Hank? Our weekly episodic quizzes will test your memory and your mettle.
This week we're grilling you on the first episode. If you're feeling especially astute, then respond to the bonus question in the comments section below. Answer correctly before midnight on Sunday, August 3 and you'll be entered in a random drawing for a set of Breaking Bad test tube shot glasses (pictured right).
Bonus Question: Walt celebrates his birthday in the first episode. How old is he now?
From shout-outs to the X-Files to quotes from Cool Hand Luke, Breaking Bad series creator Vince Gilligan explains the secret (and not so secret) meanings of each episode's title.
Put Inside Breaking Bad - What's in a Name on your blog:
Breaking Bad has nabbed four Emmy nominations for its debut season -- including recognition for Bryan Cranston as lead actor in a drama series -- as AMC garnered the most nominations of any basic cable network.
The drama, renewed for a second season, is also honored for Outstanding Cinematography for a One Hour Series (for Director of Photography John Toll), Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (for the show's creator Vince Gilligan) and Outstanding Single-camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series (for Editor Lynne Willingham).
"This is a milestone moment for AMC. To be considered among the best on television by the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences for the network's original series, Mad Men and Breaking Bad, is a truly distinct honor," says Charlie Collier, AMC's General Manager and Executive Vice President.
"We congratulate Vince Gilligan on Breaking Bad's nominations and Bryan Cranston for his incredible performance, earning him his first Emmy nomination as a Lead Actor in the Drama category."
Cranston is up against Jon Hamm of AMC's Mad Men, Boston Legal's James Spader (last year's winner), Dexter's Michael C. Hall, House's Hugh Laurie and In Treatment's Gabriel Byrne.
The 60th annual Emmy awards ceremony will air on Sunday, September 21.
Did you miss an episode of Breaking Bad this past winter? If so, you're about to get another chance to see it this summer. Fresh on the heels of the news that Breaking Bad has been renewed for a second season, AMC announces that encore airings of the first season will begin with the pilot episode on Sunday, July 27 at midnight (following the Mad Men Season 2 premiere). From thereon weekly, all seven episodes from the first season will air in their original broadcast order.
As part of their Road to the Emmy's coverage, Variety's Robert Abele focuses on one of Breaking Bad's leading contenders, Bryan Cranston. "Not many series' protagonists start with a death sentence such as lung cancer and then further threaten their lives by getting involved with violent drug dealers and lawbreaking," writes Abele. "With this character, humor comes from a different place," adds Cranston, who clearly has left his Malcolm in the Middle days behind him.
To help establish his character as a "physical specimen of life-beaten suburban anomie," Cranston tells Variety he had some help from the make-up department. "I wanted a mustache that made me feel impotent when I looked in the mirror, and I sure got it." His favorite thing about Walt? "His humanity. He's the ultimate human being, with good points and frailties."
When Breaking Bad premiered this January, it was an instant hit with critics across the country. Five months later, the show finds itself nominated for Outstanding New Program by the Television Critics Association. The other nominees are HBO's Flight of the Conchords, FX's Damages, ABC's Pushing Daisies, and AMC's own Mad Men..
The winner wil be chosen by the association's 200-plus critics and journalists later this summer and will be announced in a ceremony at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on Saturday, July 19
AMC announced yesterday that it will renew Breaking Bad for a second season.
"From critical praise to strong ratings and a devoted audience, Breaking Bad further reinforced AMC as a top producer of high-quality, distinctive television," said Charlie Collier, Executive Vice President and General Manager of AMC. "Breaking Bad is a powerful, intelligent and thought-provoking series that clearly resonated with viewers and critics alike. We're excited for a second season of Breaking Bad with new and provocative storylines that will delve deeper into the next chapter in the life of Walter White." The second season, unlike the first which ran a brief seven episodes due to the writer's strike, will consist of thirteen episodes, the same number as Mad Men's Season 1 and upcoming Season 2.
