Bryan Cranston Talks About How a Small Role on ‘The X-Files’ Led to His Leading Role in ‘Breaking Bad’

The great Bryan Cranston spoke with veteran journalist Dan Rather of The Big Interview about a number of topics that included acting in his underwear, the thoughtfulness he puts into every character, and how a small role in a sixth season episode of The X-Files titled “Drive”, which was written by Vince Gilligan, led to his leading role in Breaking Bad.

I’m broke so I went an audition. I got it. That episode of “The X-Files was written by Vince Gilligan. He wrote a character that was despicable. And ornery. And an Anti-semite. And just a a nasty human being who was in trouble and he wrote it where despite his actions you still felt sympathy toward him and that was my first introduction to the depth of Vince Gilligan’s writing.

Gilligan was evidently impressed with how Cranston played that role and ten years later, contacted Cranston’s agent to get him to audition for the role of Walter White in his new series.

Because of the fact that I was lucky enough to be in that episode of “The X-Files”, that he wrote and produced but he remembered it for 10 years. He remembered me, I didn’t remember him and he was my champion. Without Vince Gilligan someone else is sitting in this chair right now talking to you now.

Bryan Cranston in The X-Files Episode ‘Drive’