Walter White famously said, “I am the danger.” But as Breaking Bad actor Bryan Cranston tells Esquire, the real danger might be our inability to let go of his award-winning antihero. When asked in a new video for Esquire if he would ever return to play Walter White in a Breaking Bad reboot, Cranston said, “Walter White was done.”
“I’ve reprised him a few times,” Cranston said, “So, I think we’d let him go. It was like, ‘That was good.’ You don’t want to, you know, regurgitate too much because even you get tired of it. It’s like, ‘All right, enough of that.’ “
Cranston first played White again after Breaking Bad in the sequel film El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie. He also played the character again in Better Call Saul, various commercials, skits on Saturday Night Live!, and even a voice acting role on The Simpsons. After winning the Emmy Award four times for the part, it makes sense why he’s looking onward to new adventures. The actor also shared that fans are constant asking him to say lines from Breaking Bad, including his famous “I am the danger” quote.
“To allow that character to die off, I can’t keep buying into that,” he said. “I have to kind of help people move away.”
Surprisingly, Cranston said that the character he would most to reprise next is a former president. He played Lyndon B. Johnson on Broadway in 2014’s All the Way, which also won him a Tony award. Then, he turned it into an HBO movie in 2016. So, in a way, he’s already doubled up on the role. “He was such a dynamic character,” Cranston said. “Maybe I’d do something like that—something presidential.” You can watch the full video above.
Cranston also voiced the president in an uncredited appearance on The Stand. But if you ask me, the actor could mop the floor with a Secret Honor revival. Cranston as Nixon? It’s perfect. Your move, Hollywood.
