Bryan Cranston, known for his performances in “Breaking Bad” and “Malcolm in the Middle,” shared a shocking moment from his love life, revealing that he once had “visions” of killing an ex-girlfriend.
In a revealing interview on the “Dinner’s On Me” podcast, hosted by Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Cranston described a tumultuous period after the end of his first marriage to Mickey Middleton. He talked about a brief relationship in the 80s that became extremely complicated due to his partner’s involvement with drugs.
Cranston, who had just landed the role of Douglas Donovan on the soap opera “Loving” and had moved to New York at the time, recalled a later encounter with his ex-girlfriend, who suggested they see each other as friends. The meeting quickly deteriorated when she started acting as if they were still together, leading Cranston to realize the mistake of accepting the invitation.
Days later, while working on the set of “Loving,” Cranston saw his ex-girlfriend looking at him angrily. She aggressively confronted him, causing the actor to enter a state of intense rage where he had visions of killing her. “I went to a different place. They called it seeing red, and all you see is emotion, anger, fear, and anxiety,” explained Cranston, admitting the fear he felt of himself in that moment.
Despite the tumultuous end to that relationship, Cranston married Robin Dearden in 1989, with whom he has a daughter, Taylor.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson tried to ease the tension of the conversation by suggesting that Cranston used that fear years later when portraying Walter White in “Breaking Bad.” The series, which became a television landmark, follows the transformation of a high school chemistry teacher into a criminal after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Although “Breaking Bad” ended in 2013, Cranston reprised the role of Walter White in special appearances in “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie” and the final season of “Better Call Saul,” as well as a Super Bowl commercial last year for PopCorners. However, Cranston revealed that this appearance will likely mark the last time we see Walter White on screen.
