Steve Zahn disputes Bryan Cranston Breaking Bad…
Steve Zahn insists he never got here close to taking part in Walter White.
During a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Zahn, 58, disputed Bryan Cranston’s declare in his 2016 memoir, “A Life in Parts,” that Zahn was in the working for Cranston’s iconic position in “Breaking Bad.”
“No,” Zahn merely replied when requested about the casting rumor.
Steve Zahn attends the “Billy Joel: And So It Goes” premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 4, 2025. Variety via Getty Images
Bryan Cranston as Walter White in “Breaking Bad.” AP
When the reporter explained that Cranston, 69, himself has put it on the market that Zahn was in competition for the position, he responded, “Oh, really!? Cranston is so awesome, but I find that hard to believe. I think Cranston is lying!”
“He’s in London right now doing a play, and I’m shooting in London, so I’m going to go talk to him,” Zahn added.
Along with in his memoir, Cranston claimed Zahn was in the pool of actors to play Walter White in a 2012 Rolling Stone interview.
“Sony and AMC were not convinced I was the guy, because Walter White wasn’t Hal from ‘Malcolm in the Middle,’” Cranston said, including that he heard Zahn was up for the position instead.
Steve Zahn attends the “Chad Powers” premiere in Sept. 2025. Getty Images
Bryan Cranston attends the “All My Sons” press evening afterparty in London in Nov. 2025. Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images
According to the article, Cranston believed he only bought the position in the AMC collection after he was provided a half as a doctor in a Fox pilot.
“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?’” Cranston said. “And you wouldn’t be able to.”
Cranston performed the chemistry teacher-turned-drug lord in “Breaking Bad” for 5 seasons from 2008 to 2013.
His efficiency, thought-about one of the best in TV historical past, earned him 4 Emmy Awards for Best Actor in a Drama Series.
Bryan Cranston in “Breaking Bad.” Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC
Cranston reprised the position in “El Camino,” Netflix’s 2019 follow-up movie to “Breaking Bad” starring Aaron Paul, and in the ultimate season of the prequel collection “Better Call Saul” in 2022.
Since “Breaking Bad” ended, Cranston has shared what it will take for him to play Walter White again.
“I thought when I was saying my tearful goodbyes to everybody that that was it,” Cranston told the outlet at the time. “Then ‘El Camino’ came up. ‘Oh, I guess I’m gonna be Walter White again. And then ‘Better Call Saul’ came up, ‘Oh, I guess I’m gonna be on,’ … and then Pop Corners commercial comes up. ‘You guys want to play it together?’ ‘Sure!’ It’s just fun,’” he said during a 2023 interview with Awards Radar.
Bryan Cranston as Walter White in “Breaking Bad.” Carin Baer / AMC
Bryan Cranston in “Breaking Bad.”
“So now I’d be a fool to say, ‘Yeah, we’re done,’” he continued, including that while “nothing’s on the horizon,” he’d return to the beloved position if creator Vince Gilligan had the proper pitch.
“If you’re stunned and astonished by something, you should pay attention,” Cranston acknowledged. “So, if that happens, I don’t assume that will — but if that ever did, I’d listen.”
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