Not Bryan Cranston, but this actor was the first choice to play Walter White in Breaking Bad

Bryan Cranston’s portrayal of Walter White in Breaking Bad is counted among the most iconic performances in television history. The actor’s capability to make the audience sympathize with an anti-hero made him stand out.

Throughout the five Breaking Bad seasons, Walter goes from being an ordinary school teacher suffering from cancer to an intimidating drug lord, and Cranston depicted this character development with perfection.

While viewers cannot imagine anyone else playing Walter White’s role in Breaking Bad, Cranston was surprisingly not the first choice to play the role. Instead, AMC initially wanted Matthew Broderick to play the lead in the acclaimed crime drama.

AMC initially wanted Matthew Broderick to play Walter White in Breaking Bad

Before Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston had been typecast as a comic actor due to his role in the Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. AMC reportedly felt that the actor might not be able to fit into the serious character of a teacher-turned-crime lord, and hence, was not keen on casting him.

Instead, the network was eying Matthew Broderick for the project. Broderick, known for his performances in films like Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Cable Guy, had never taken up a lead role on television before. The actor has so far remain tight-lipped about if he was approached for the project and if he turned it down.

Another name that has often been reported as an initial choice for Walter White's role is John Cusack, famous for his movies The Sure Thing and Sixteen Candles. However, Cusack denied that he was offered the show and said in an interview with Variety in 2020:

“No, I never was [offered the role], and it was one of those things where I heard it so many times I started to think maybe it was true. And I ran into the creator of Breaking Bad, and I said, ‘Am I crazy or did you offer me Walter White? He’s like, ‘No.’”

The man responsible for changing AMC’s perception about Bryan Cranston was series creator Vince Gilligan, who had previously worked with the actor on The X-Files Season 6 Episode 2, Drive, in 1998. In the sci-fi series, Cranston starred as Patrick Crump, a terminally ill man who turns to crime.

Gilligan was confident that the actor was the perfect choice to play Walter. When he showcased The X-Files episode to AMC executives, they agreed to cast Cranston, and then there was no looking back. He earned four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his performance, including three consecutive wins in 2008, 2009, and 2010.

Cranston later revealed that another popular actor was in contention to play Walter apart from Broderick and Cusack. In a 2012 interview with The Rolling Stone, he disclosed that Diary of a Wimpy Kid actor Steve Zahn was being considered for the part:

“If Steve Zahn did Walter, we‘d go, ‘Oh, my God. Steve Zahn is the guy! Can you imagine anybody but Steve Zahn doing it?’ And you wouldn‘t be able to.”

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Despite tough competition, Cranston landed the role and convinced everyone that he was born to play Walter White. His dialogues have become a part of pop culture, and the actor continues to receive love and praise for his performance.

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