Anthony Hopkins' letter to Bryan Cranston

Cafe Society
1

Basically, the gist of it is what we all know: Breaking Bad is one of the greatest shows in television history. I personally can’t help but agree completely with Hopkins (and let’s be honest - Hannibal Fucking Lecter saying, quite literally, “Walter White was the best acting I have seen - ever” is definitely better than the average joe pointing out that the show is blows-me-away amazing).

So uh… Yeah. Thought I’d share this. It’s pretty cool. Can’t wait for Better Call Saul; if that has anywhere near the same level of acting, directing, or general talent behind it, it’s gonna be stellar. The only thing in recent years that touched me more than the end of season 6 was the Friendship is Magic season 2 finale.

2

Anthony Hopkins may be a great actor, but he’s not much of a letter writer.

3

Mailing this one over to Cafe Society.

4

It’s a nice letter but I suspect alcohol may have played a part.

5

Hopkins has publicly acknowledged he is an alcoholic. And as a result he stopped drinking in 1975.

6

Maybe some reefer too, explaining the “smoke blowing” references.

7

Ah. I did not know that. I therefore retract the implication.

Well, then it’s probably just a hastily dashed-off note. I doubt he expected it to go viral.

8

I think he might have composed something more elegant if he’d expected it to be made public. It was a private note sent to Cranston to be shared with the rest of the cast, and it sounds like Gomie posted it to Facebook. I think it’s very cool that Hopkins was as impressed with Breaking Bad as we were, but this was a little invasive of his privacy.

9

He wrote me almost the exact same letter when he saw me play Teddy in my community theater production of Arsenic and Old Lace in 2003. Knowing that he sent almost the same letter to Bryan Cranston cheapens it for me.

10

There are loads of actors who are capable of playing evil characters.

There are loads of actors who can play ordinary, hapless schmoes.

There are a fair number of actors who can play BOTH evil characters and ordinary schmoes. Anthony Hopkins is one of those guys (equally convincing as Hannibal Lecter and as C.S. Lewis).

But what Bryan Cranston accomplished, and that very few actors could do, was to portray the SAME man as both an ordinary schmoe AND as an evil mastermind, and to be equally convincing as both. Cranston made Walter White believable as an ovecrime lord, underappreciated guy stuck in a pair of dead-end jobs that are beneath him, but ALSO as a cold-blooded killer.

Even when Walter White was a peon at a car wash, you could see the anger and intelliugence behind the nerdy schlemielish exterior. And even when he was Heisenberg, you could see a bit of the nerdy loser in his face.

THAT is what makes his performance so remarkable.

11

right. It’s not a letter it’s a very informal email.

12

Well, he’s quit acting a few times as well…