Bryan Cranston’s acting range has taken him from inept dad on FOX’s "Malcolm in the Middle" to menacing meth dealer in AMC’s "Breaking Bad."
Now, he’s thinking out loud about playing a Texas icon — Willie Nelson.
In a recent interview, NME posed the question: Is there a musician or rock star you’d like to play in a biopic?
“Willie Nelson comes to mind,” Cranston replied. “The hair and the beard. I think there’s some physical resemblance. He’s very old and wrinkled, and I can relate to that [laughs]. So I wouldn’t have to wear a lot of makeup.”
It’s not all about looks, Cranston said.
“Willie’s had a fascinating career — as a writer and as a performer, and as a free speech person, being anti-war and on the forefront of hemp [culture],” Cranston said.
“That’s kind of interesting to me, even though I don’t vibe with that stuff. I don’t like smoking, it just doesn’t do it for me.”
Last month at the Sundance Film Festival, a five-part documentary, "Willie Nelson and Family," told Nelson’s story with interviews and archival footage. Directors Thom Zimny and Oren Moverman told Variety that Nelson was also open to the prospect of a narrative feature about him.
“He’s had time to reflect over the pandemic,” Moverman said. “He’s been very careful. He’s almost 90 years old. He lost his sister, who was 91, recently. She’s in the movie and she’s a huge part of his life.
“So he believes in a lot of inspiring things, and he is a big reincarnation guy. He’s seeing something right now that makes sense to him, and I think he’s very open to a biopic.”
This year is a landmark one for Nelson.
Nelson will turn 90 in April and plans a two-day all-star celebration at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. In March, he’ll release a studio album, "I Don’t Know a Thing About Love."
This month, he was announced as one of 14 nominees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He also won Grammy Awards for best country album for "A Beautiful Time" and country solo performance for “Live Forever.”
Cranston has been busy, too. He and former co-star Aaron Paul got together again as their "Breaking Bad" characters recently for a Super Bowl ad for PopCorners.
Cranston is also reprising his role as a New Orleans judge gone bad in Showtime’s "Your Honor," which is streaming on various platforms. He’s also open to jumping back into his role in a "Malcolm in the Middle" reboot.
“We had such a great family on that, and I certainly would be open to that if there was a good idea that came up like, ‘Oh, that would be fantastic to explore what happened to this family 20 years later,’” he told E! News. “I can’t believe it’s already that, but that would be fun to do.”
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