Bryan Cranston, 'Breaking Bad'

Leading men in Emmy contention

By ROBERT ABELE

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Bryan Cranston views his "Breaking Bad" character Walter White, a cancer-stricken chemistry teacher who starts making meth to provide for his financially strained family, as a guy "living up to his responsibilities. He's in a desperate situation."

The series, which has one of the more daring premises on television, has thrown Cranston into a wild left turn of a role after seven years of playing eccentric dad Hal on "Malcolm in the Middle."

"With this character, humor comes from a different place," says Cranston, who adds he immediately became possessive of Walter after reading the pilot script.

"He's making the best of his sour batch of lemons, and he's gonna make his lemonade until he dies," Cranston observes. "I think he's honorable in that sense. He's the milquetoast with his back against the wall, becoming a different person. It's the stories you hear about lifting the car and pulling the child out, running into a blazing fire. It's unbounding where it might lead."

Not many series' protagonists start with a death sentence such as lung cancer -- and then further threaten their lives by getting involved with violent drug dealers and lawbreaking -- but Cranston notes that we all die, it's just a matter of imminence.

"The irony is that Walt is feeling more alive than anytime in the past 25 years," Cranston says. "Even fear is a better feeling than numbness."

To set up Walter as a physical specimen of life-beaten suburban anomie, Cranston knew the mustache was crucial. He and the makeup artist decided on shaving to the edge of the lip, thinning it out and lightening it. Says Cranston, "I wanted a mustache that made me feel impotent when I looked in the mirror, and I sure got it."

Cranston is also happy with being a fledgling member of cable net AMC's original drama club, along with "Mad Men." He says the channel is fostering creativity without the fear of maintaining big ratings that comes with working for the broadcast networks. "Breaking" just received its second-season pickup.

"I would much rather do a show I'm proud of that fewer people see than do a show that many people see that I'm not proud of," he explains.

Favorite scene: From the pilot, a marriage-defining moment in bed with Anna Gunn, who plays his wife. She's on the computer, he's talking about weekend chores, and they engage in a pitifully one-sided sexual act. "It was not only comical, but indicated the level of intimacy -- or lack thereof -- this couple was at."

What you like most about your character: "His humanity. He's the ultimate human being, with good points and frailties."

TV guilty pleasure: "It's not even guilty. I love Discovery Channel shows, like 'Survivor Man' and 'Deadliest Catch.' I need to start watching crappy reality shows so I can answer that question."