Reginald Collin dies at 84

Reginald Collin, a producer and director for British television, died of heart and chest problems in Shaftesbury, Dorset, England, on Friday, 12 ,. 16. He was 84. Collin created the esteemed, dark espionage drama "Callan," which went from 1967-72 and starred Edward Woodward. Younger crowd authored and directed some episodes, and that he was nominated for 2 BAFTA Honours for his focus on the series Woodward won a BAFTA for his performance. Collin became a member of ABC Television (later Thames TV) in 1959. Like a director within the features department, he produced the 1963-65 arts series "Tempo" and helmed a set of episodes. Later he created the series "Sat'day While Sunday," "Special Branch," "Six Times of Justice," "Napoleon and Love" and "Armchair Cinema." Collin was created working in london and left school at 14. His first job was like a lab boy in a London hospital in the height from the blitz. Throughout service following the war within the RAF, he would be a shorthand typist at Headquarters Bomber Command but spent a lot of his time running the amateur drama group. After departing the military he won a scholarship towards the Old Vic Theater School and spent some carrying out in repertory, then many years by which he directed pantomime and summer time shows. Additionally to his BAFTA noms, Collin received a Royal Television Society fellowship (the RTS' greatest award) in "recognition of the outstanding contribution towards the furtherance of television" in addition to nods for plan to the from BAFTA and Kodak. Collin also composed it "BAFTA Behind the Mask: Personal Memories." Children include Collin's wife, Pamela Lonsdale, a BAFTA Award champion for that preschool program "Rainbow," which she produced. Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

Brad Pitt Birthday: Actor Turns 48; What's His Best Onscreen Moment?

On Dec. 18, 1963 in Shawnee, Okla., William Bradley Pitt was born to Jane Etta and William Alvin Pitt. 48 years later, William -- better known to you as Brad -- has become one of the biggest movie stars in the world thanks to his performances ('Se7en,' 'Fight Club,' 'Ocean's 11,' 'Moneyball') and relationships. (Did you know Pitt once dated Gwyneth Paltrow and was married to Jennifer Aniston before his current long-term pact with Angelina Jolie? Me neither!) 2011 might have been Pitt's best year yet: in addition to continuing his successful coupling with Jolie, the actor starred in two likely Best Picture contenders, 'The Tree of Life' and 'Moneyball,' the latter of which has him in the thick of the Best Actor race. In honor of Pitt's happy day, let's remember his finest onscreen moment. Pitt is unbelievable in 'Moneyball' and probably deserves and Oscar for his work in that film (he also probably won't get it); you also can't go wrong with anything he did in 'Fight Club,' 'Se7en,' 'Inglourious Basterds' or 'The Assassination of Jesse James.' But, for his birthday, let's remember Pitt as burnt-out stoner Floyd in 'True Romance,' the guy who smokes pot out of a honey bear and doesn't like to get con-des-cended to by mobsters (in this case, a very, very young James Gandolfini). Cheers, Floyd! Cheers, Brad! Have a great birthday! [Photo: AP] Best Performances of 2011 11. Uggie, 'The Artist'10. Corey Stoll, 'Midnight in Paris'9. Ryan Gosling, 'Drive'8. Kristen Wiig, 'Bridesmaids'7. Michelle Williams, 'My Week With Marilyn'6. Meryl Streep, 'The Iron Lady'5. Michael Fassbender, 'Shame'4. Albert Brooks, 'Drive'3. Charlize Theron, 'Young Adult'2. Brad Pitt, 'Moneyball'1. Rooney Mara, 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' See All Moviefone Galleries » Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Forex Orders KGB Spy Drama from Justified Showrunner

Graham Yost Forex has purchased The People in america, a drama about two KGB spies appearing as People in america in early eighties, the network introduced Friday. The series, executive created by Justified's Graham Yost and produced by Falling Skies' Joe Weisberg, focuses on the 2 spies, whose arranged marriage evolves into some thing real, compromising their mission throughout the Cold War. Browse the relaxation of present day news "Joe Weisberg has written among the best pilot scripts we have ever read with two highly attracted and indelible figures starting with an epically exciting, emotional, and morally complex journey," stated Nick Grad, executive v . p . of original programming at Forex. Who do you consider should take part in the married spies? Could it be an excessive amount of for you to for Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton? Friday Evening Lights reunion! Hit your comments ought to together with your ideas.

LA Filmmaker Charged With Movie Tax Credit Fraud In Massachusetts

News reports saywriter-director Daniel Adams was arraignedtoday with defrauding Massachusetts of about $5 million in inflated tax credits he obtained for The Golden Boys and The Lightkeepers.Adams appeared this morning in Boston Municipal Court and ordered held on $100,000 bail. He was arrested Thursday andcharged quickly because authorities want to keep him from flying back to Los Angeles. His attorney said officials had rushed to judgement. Production companies are eligible for a 25% tax credit for payroll and filmmaking expenses incurred in Massachusetts. Prosecutors allege Los Angeles-based Adams intentionally inflated expenses when completing forms for the tax credit andthe state overpaaid some $4.7 million to his production companies. One of Adams’ alleged false claims waspaying Richard Dreyfuss $2.5 million for The Lightkeepers when the actor’s actual fee was $400,000. Maximum penalty if convicted is five years in prison. Both movies were written and directed by Adams andset in the early 20th centuryalong the Cape Cod coast.The Golden Boys (2008) starred David Carradine, Rip Torn and Bruce Dern. The Lightkeepers (2009) starred Dreyfuss, Julie Harris, and Blythe Danner.Adams most recently directed The Big Valley, starring Jessica Lange as the matriarch of a California family based on the TV series that starred Barbara Stanwyck.

The State of the Screenplay Races

CBS has nabbed a police procedural from the Queen. The network has made a script deal for an untitled cop show from Queen Latifah. The project, about a street savvy Philadelphia woman who realizes her calling as a homicide detective after a defining moment, hails from Flavor Unit Entertainment and CBS Studios. Charles Murray (V, Castle, Criminal Minds) will pen and executive produce the drama, withLatifah (Single Ladies, Let's Stay Together) set to executive produce through her production banner Flavor Unit Entertainment.Flavor Unit's Shakim Compere and Shelby Stone along with production company Rocklin/Faust's Nicole Rocklin, Blye Faust and Renata Adamidov are attached as executive producers. If it ultimately makes it to air, the project will join other Latifah-produced entries, including VH1's Single Ladies and BET's Let's Stay Together. Latifah is also prepping a daytime talk show with Sony Pictures Television. Murray, who is writing and directing indie drama Things Never Said, is repped by UTA, Industry Entertainment and Morris-Yorn; Latifah is repped by WME and Eisenberg, Tanchum & Levy. Email: Lacey.Rose@THR.com; Twitter: @LaceyVRose PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery 20 Best and Worst Music to Movie Crossovers Related Topics Queen Latifah CBS TV Development

Top Chef's Whitney: My Way Of Thinking Was Off

Whitney Otawka Steak-gate hit Top Chef when Lindsay fired Ty-Lor's meats too soon, however it was Whitney Otawka's undercooked potato gratin that sent her packing and bought Ty-Lor a later date. Not she's any difficulty with this. "Ty shouldn't go home for that meats," Whitney informs TVGuide.com. "A lot of people were focusing on them and there is bad communication, also it wasn't his fault that they are fired early. I deserved to visit.Inch The Georgia-based chef understood the writing was around the wall the moment Tom Colicchio stated his taters were raw. What exactly went wrong? And just how was she unaware these were undercooked? Continue reading.Best Chef's Chuy: I understood I had been screwedTom stated it was among the simplest eliminations they have done. Was very difficult to listen to?Whitney: No, I had been fine with this. It had been among individuals things where the moment he explained exactly what the problem was, I understood I would go back home. I undercooked the potato. This is a pretty fundamental component that people all use each day. And So I was like, "Oh, garbage! I am departing." He's a chef, I am a chef, and so i have it. It's disappointing, obviously, because I wish to be there before the finish. However I comprehend the show. I have seen it over nine seasons. I understood what would occur to me also it happened! You did not think they may pursue Ty for that meats?Whitney: I did not think so because I understood that that required an organization effort. It had not been just him. Individuals were, like, 300 meats. He grilled them, however they went into a lot of hands, whereas with my dish, it had been my dish. Which was among the problems too. I required possession from the dish because I understood that maybe it's a positive thing ultimately or perhaps a really bad factor. It had been exclusively my responsibility, therefore it ought to be me to visit home. Many people were suggesting to prepare the gratin yesterday. Why did not you?Whitney: It had been a period constraint. We'd three hrs in advance so when you are preparing it for your lots of people - just setting it up sliced and eager - there is not a way to prepare it in advance. After which I place it all-in-one convection microwave. You realize when you are in individuals situations under a lot pressure that the brain does not think linearly? [Laughs] My way of thinking was off. I put everything within the convection microwave and whenever you accomplish that, it will not prepare exactly the same it is going to prepare longer. There's a lot in [the dish], therefore it is working harder. So that all those within the center, I am presuming, just were not too done because the ones at the base or even the top. All kitchen devices are various and all ovens work in a different way. It was completely new equipment and that i just shoved everything inside! After I first got it out, I believed which i needed to awesome them because cutting a hot gratin is completely impossible. I understood right from the start like, "What have I completed to myself?"Top Chef's Richie: I wasn't thinking clearlyHow have you not tell that a lot of it was undercooked? Whitney: It's funny because we cooled it so quick because you don't work when it is hot, which means you wouldn't have the ability to differentiate. These were quizzing me in the Judges' Table, like, "Could not you know together with your knife?" It's like, "No, because whenever a potato is cooled off, it's essentially cream and cheese with this dish and hen cream and cheese are cold, it's harder to chop, therefore it seems hot." Those that Used to do try, I figured were overcooked, therefore it just proves that the oven does not always prepare everything evenly. This is exactly why I had been like, "What?! It's undercooked?!" You are saying you had been tight on some time and the idol judges stated six hrs was a lot of time. Whitney: It isn't enough! [Laughs] Consider planning for a social gathering for, like, 40 people. Consider time it might take that you should plan it, prepare it after which prepare it. But you're able to be in your space. You need to suppose you are not in your kitchen, so you are totally not acclimated to everything who are around you. After which you will find 13 people having one another. There's a lot stress it carries over into how you are cooking and that i return to that non-linear way of thinking. Your mind is simply bouncing around inside a million directions. You appear back and you are like, "My dear gosh! That which was I doing?"The entire steak problem was strange. Why did Lindsay fire them so early? Just how much did affecting your dish?Whitney: The entire factor was this type of strange mess. I am not really sure the way it all went lower. It affected many of us because we are all attempting to make the meals hot, therefore it could've cooled off more. Which was among the hard things, too, because we made the only real hot plate. I was effortlessly the prospective. Performing 300 hot plates isn't the simplest factor on the planet.Best Chef's Keith: I understood Sarah and Lindsay would throw me underneath the busHugh is the mentor. Did he say almost anything to you once you were removed?Whitney: He did not say almost anything to me directly. They know me like a chef and that i know him. I have labored for him for such a long time. He's trained me all I understand, therefore it is type of good he wasn't like, "You suck! Whoever else done?" I believe they know me much better than that. I believe also because he's been on the top Chef Masters, he realizes the strain level we are under, so perhaps he did not wish to put on. Maybe there is a soft place in Hugh Acheson's heart we haven’t heard of! [Laughs]What exactly are you so far?Whitney: I am in Athens, Ga. I am back where Hugh's original restaurant is and I am in a restaurant known as Farm 255. I required over this kitchen around three days ago, therefore it is been crazy busy. It is amazing. We now have our very own farm and process our very own meat. It is simply a very great space. I am off [Cumberland Island, where she accustomed to work], that is sad, however i thought I ought to become more accessible because individuals help you on television plus they should have the ability to a minimum of come and eat my food!

Ka-Chung! How All Christmas Music Doubles Radio's Ratings

Jason Aldean was the big winner at Monday night's American Country Awards in Las Vegas, taking home six awards, including artist of the year.our editor recommendsAMAs 2011: Taylor Swift Wins Entertainer of the Year; Adele Scores Favorite Album; Bruno Mars Upsets Justin BieberCMA Awards: Taylor Swift Wins Second Entertainer of the Year TrophyKristin Chenoweth Covers Carrie Underwoods 'Lessons Learned' (Video)Taylor Swift Wins Entertainer of the Year at ACM Awards The singer, the night's top nominee with Zac Brown Band at eight, also nabbed album of the year for My Kinda Party, touring artist of the year and single of the year by a male artist for "My Kinda Party" at the fan-voted awards. PHOTOS: Country Crossovers Meanwhile, Carrie Underwood, who was last year's top winner with six of the Fender Telecaster trophies, won female artist of the year honors as well as music video and single of the year by a female artist for "Mama's Song." Brad Paisley, who was not present at the ceremony, was named male artist of the year. Blake Shelton won video of the year by a male artist for "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking." He dedicated the win to his father, who has "been having a pretty rough couple of weeks." Dick Shelton is the hospital with pneumonia. American Idol winner Scotty McCreery was named new artist of the year. PHOTOS: 54th annual Grammy Award Nominees As expected, the show's focus was squarely on country music's youth movement, with twentysomethings taking in the early haul of Fender Telecaster trophies and performances slots. Chris Young was the show's early leader, earning breakthrough artist and single of the year for "Voices." Co-host Kristin Chenoweth, brought in to keep returning host Trace Adkins in line, added zing to the show. The diminutive Broadway star entered the MGM Grand Garden Arena in boxing gloves, a fighter's robe and impossibly tall high heels, tossing jabs at her 6-foot-6 counterpart while running circles around him. She then challenged him to a singing contest. After she required him to sing "Oklahoma," she dropped the robe to reveal an artificially enhanced posterior and launched into Adkins' hit "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk." Later, Adkins carried her on stage strapped to his chest in a baby carrier. The Associated Press contributed to this report. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Country Crossovers Related Topics Carrie Underwood Kristin Chenoweth Blake Shelton Brad Paisley

Wizarding Arena Of Harry Potter Goes Hollywood

FROM MTV MOVIES: The Wizarding Arena of Harry Potter will get a little bigger. News broke this year's week the second spot for the "Potter" theme park looks like it's opening at Universal Studios' Hollywood location, getting all the frozen butter beer and patronuses that Californians might request. Seems like now's pretty much as good a period of time every for your "Potter" cast's wants Wizarding World inclusions in enter effect, too! See the full story at MTV Movies.

Holdovers, re-releases rule B.O.

Disney's 'The Muppets,' which cumed $41.5 million inside the holiday stretch, is searching ideal for a soph-sesh revival.'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Beginning -- Part 1' is constantly on the feast round the B.O. within the third frame.Appreciate it or else, most Stateside moviegoers will have to play catch-up at multiplexes a couple of days ago.That's because that is usually one of the slowest B.O. seshes of year (a couple of days following Thanksgiving), art galleries have chosen not to bow new game game titles around the country wide scale. The drought takes care of for holiday game game titles, introduced by last week's top photos, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Beginning -- Part 1" and "The Muppets."The weekend's finest-profile era is Fox Searchlight's NC-17-rated "Shame," starting with nine locations.Searching to take advantage from the recession, a few honours hopefuls that opened up up taken, such as the new the new sony pair "Moneyball" and "The Ides of March," have become wide re-releases. Paramount's large champion while using National Board of Review, "Hugo," also adds greater than 500 locations within the second outing for just about any total 1,840.A week ago, "Breaking Beginning" assigned the domestic B.O. getting a five-day tally of $61.9 million, then "The Muppets," which collected $41.5 million inside the extended holiday stretch. "Breaking Beginning" cumed $228 million through Wednesday "Muppets," $44 million.Even though penultimate "Twilight" pic might win its third straight frame (pic has assigned mid-days handily), some B.O. bloggers say "The Muppets" is searching ideal for a soph-sesh revival.A year ago, Warner Bros.' Thanksgiving champion "Harry Potter as well as the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" surrendered the publish-holiday frame's top spot to Disney's "Twisted." "Twisted," however, did slightly a lot better than "The Muppets" with mid-week perfs. "Muppets" faces a more crowded family market.Either in situation, B.O. experts expect a great race.Other likely benefactors in the holdover-centered weekend are the remaining kidpics -- Warner Bros.' "Happy Foot Two," Sony's "Arthur Christmas" and "Hugo."Initial soft monitoring for "Hugo" triggered Componen to re-think the film's release strategy, scaling it to simply north of a single,200 locations. In the wake of positive critical response and robust adult interest, the studio attacked an effective second week expansion. (Adult auds are often more passionate patrons throughout repeat frames.)Fox Searchlight's "The Descendants," which nabbed three NBR honours, including actor and supporting actress, also needs to still draw strong adult support. A week ago, the film increased being Searchlight's fastest-grossing film to attain $ten million in just 12 days, beating "Black Swan," which needed 17 days striking that mark."Descendants," which has totalled north of $12 million through Wednesday, develops now to 574 playdates.Meanwhile, the distrib's limited bow of "Shame" faces an uncertain road given its limited rating, though kudos attention for star Michael Fassbender should lift overall interest. Searchlight bowed NC-17-rated "The Dreamers" at five locations throughout February 2004, calculating a great $28,526 opening per-screen.Similarly explicit indie "Sleeping Beauty," from Sundance Selects, debuts a couple of days ago at two locations, because the Weinstein Co.'s "Coriolanus" features a one-week Oscar-being qualified run at two locations in NY and La before its opening Jan. 20. Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com

REVIEW: Strange, Hypnotic Sleeping Beauty Sends No Apparent Message -- Fortunately

When Australian author-director Julia Leigh’s Sleeping Beauty made its debut at Cannes last May, the responses among experts I spoken to veered from bland outrage to vexed monotony. That doesn’t leave plenty of middle ground, which i desired to determine Sleeping Beauty again before I used to be reasonably sure a few things i considered it. I’m still not reasonably sure a few things i contemplate it: The look is clinical within the approach which is technique, yet it leaves lots of questions not-clarified — it’s straightforward in the vague, maddening way. It’s also oddly, obliquely compelling. Emily Browning — who recently came out just like a small-skirted vixen warrior in Sucker Punch and, a few years before that, as Crimson in Lemony Snicket’s Numerous Unfortunate Occasions — plays Lucy, a continuously broke Australian college student who must execute a patchwork of jobs to settle the debts. She also provides an unusual mishmash of pals whose particular roles in their existence should never be clearly referred to: There’s some science dude in the lab coat who’s grateful they’ll permit him to regularly drop a narrow tube way lower her throat there’s furthermore a shy, bookish shut-in gent (carried out by Ewen Leslie) who’s thrilled when she involves visit him — and not because she flows him a bowlful of cereal decorated liberally with vodka. Nevertheless the central occasions of Lucy’s existence at this time around are episodes through which she literally sleeps: After reacting to some newspaper ad, she becomes the worker of Clara (Rachael Blake), a awesome blonde Tippi Hedren lookalike who’s a madam of sorts. Lucy’s first gig with Clara involves wearing pale vanilla lingerie that seems as if it were built of spun sugar and flowing brandy for many leering, clearly wealthy oldies. (Her compatriots in this particular exercise are bare-breasted brunettes with slicked-back hair from the Robert Palmer video.) Then Clara enlists Lucy for just about any different kind of work: Lucy is drugged, along with her consent, having a couple of unknown powder taken into a cupful of tea. Then, in their slumber, she’s placed naked beneath the coverlet from the golden-brocade bed mattress. Clara’s clients — mostly the identical wealthy oldies seen earlier — can buy time while using “sleeping beauty,” there is however one strict rule: They cannot penetrate her. They could, however, talk dirty to her, lift her up and drag her around, or just nestle silently alongside her. And you'll wager they're doing all people things. Lucy’s curiosity eventually can get the higher of her, that literally brings the film to have an unforeseen and oddly tender climax. But through everything, you’re vulnerable to request, after i did: Exactly what are you doing here? And why? The greater I consider Sleeping Beauty, the higher I admire Leigh due to not being released getting a significantly defined motive or message. It wouldn’t be difficult to constitute some blah-biddy blah-blah explication of Sleeping Beauty through getting a few convenient feminist-lit code words about women’s agency if the involves their sexuality, or perhaps the possessive character of male desire, or somesuch. However think Sleeping Beauty is much better experienced as a little of fragmented poetry instead of a strict ideological tract. Visually, it’s a perfect little bit of craftsmanship: As shot by DP Geoffrey Simpson, the look features a pearlescent, dreamy glow, specially when it calls for Browning’s impossibly peachy skin, which there’s a good deal. The majority of the movie’s plans are painterly, and Browning herself is kind of a Burne-Manley heroine to use it. Her performance here's measured and controlled mostly, her character just allows products to happen to her, barely responding. That’s part of the idea, possibly: Lucy can be a receptor, even though she appears to own taken charge of her sexuality (she sleeps with whomever sherrrd like, picking males up in bars if the suits her), she really hasn’t a concept what she’s doing. The reason, possibly, is always that there’s something so mysterious about libido that doesn't probably the most contemporary freethinkers within our midst can ever totally appreciate it. Maybe that’s really all this semi-surreal, hypnotic picture is about. And possibly that’s enough. Follow Stephanie Zacharek on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

'Breaking Bad' Ensemble on Meth and Method

'Breaking Bad' Ensemble on Meth and Method By Back Stage staff November 30, 2011 Photo by Ben Leuner/AMC When "Breaking Bad" premiered on AMC in January 2008, expectations weren't high. It was only the second original program the network had producedalthough its first one, "Mad Men," was a critical and commercial hit. And it starred Bryan Cranston, best known as the doofus father from "Malcolm in the Middle," playing a high school teacher who turns methamphetamine manufacturer when he's diagnosed with lung cancer. Four seasons and three Emmy wins for Cranston later, "Breaking Bad" has proved to be not only groundbreaking television but also a showcase for one of the best dramatic ensembles on TV. Along with Cranston as Walter White, the original cast consists of all-stars: Aaron Paul as Walter's boneheaded partner, Jesse; Anna Gunn as Walter's wife, Skyler; Betsy Brandt as Skyler's sister Marie; Dean Norris as Marie's DEA agent husband, Hank; and RJ Mitte as Walter and Skyler's son, Walt Jr. Over the years, great support has been lent by Bob Odenkirk as sleazy lawyer Saul, Giancarlo Esposito as meth distributor Gus, and Jonathan Banks as Gus' right-hand man Mike. Much credit goes to creator Vince Gilligan, who has crafted complex, distinctive characters and a story line that dares to go places never seen before on television. Back Stage spoke with some of the cast members of the innovative show, now gearing up for its fifth and final season.Back Stage: How did your role on the show come about? Bryan Cranston: Well, I was the first one cast. Almost 10 years earlier, I had done an "X-Files" episode, which Vince Gilligan wrote. The character I played was conflicted: He was really an awful person, and yet he was a human being. That kind of nuance was exactly what Vince does well. Flash-forward: After "Malcolm in the Middle," I get this call. Vince wants to see me for this role, Walter White, on "Breaking Bad." Then I read the script, and it was phenomenal. I went in for a scheduled 20-minute meeting, and an hour and a half later I left. After that meeting, Vince was my champion to get the role. And it wasn't easy. I became known for "Malcolm in the Middle," so AMC and Sony TV were saying, "Wait a minute. For Walter, you want that goofy dad from 'Malcolm in the Middle'? Are you kidding?" And Vince was like, "Yes. He's the guy." He sent over the tape from "X-Files," and they watched it and said, "Yeah, but we should still look at others." He said, "Well, you can, but he's the guy." I owe it all to the Vince, not only in writing this character but also in support of me to get the role. I was very fortunate they filled out the rest of the cast with fantastic actors to work with. All the drama is in the show and not around the show, which is great.Anna Gunn: I had just had my second babyshe was about 3 or 4 months oldwhen my friend and casting director Sharon Bialy was trying to get me to come in and read for "Breaking Bad." At the time, I had a really bad flu, and I told her I couldn't come in, but then Sharon called and said, "I don't care how sick you are, you're coming in. You have to read for this." She sent me the script, and I went, "Oh myokay, this is a brilliant script." They had already cast Bryan Cranston as Walt. I went in and read opposite him, and so did three other women. Bryan and I got along immediately. We had really good chemistry and just really enjoyed each other. Sharon said after the reading, "Okay, get ready to go to New Mexico." I said, "What?" because the script at the time was still set in the outskirts of L.A., but they decided to take it to New Mexico. I talked to Vince because I wanted to make sure that Skyler wasn't going to be just the long-suffering wife. There are a lot of those characters on TV. I had a conversation with him and asked, "What's your plan for her? What kind of journey is she going to go on?" He said, "Well, she's going to be kind of like Carmela Soprano, but in on the crime." He had a clear sense of where he wanted to take the characters. I said, "Okay. Sold." Dean Norris: I auditioned for Vince Gilligan. It's funny because I met Betsy Brandt outside the room for the first time. I was looking at her, and I was going, "Man, this seems like a comedy to me, right?" She was like, "Yeah, I'm not sure; I think it's a comedy, too." "Right," I said. "But it's not all comedy. I think my part's the comedy part." So luckily, I made the right call on that and hit it off with Vince right away, and that was it. I think I pretty much had it from that moment on. Had to go through the test with the network, but they were all on board.Betsy Brandt: Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomastwo of my favorite casting directors; I love them professionally, and they are two of the best people that I knowbrought me in for the role of Marie. I'm always excited when they bring me in for something, because they do such good work. I read the pilot and told my husband it was the best one that I had ever read, and then once I met Vince Gilligan, I really wanted to work on the show.Aaron Paul: I read the pilot, and I loved it instantly, but I actually found out later on that Jesse was supposed to have died in the first season. They still make a joke out of it on set. But they loved the sort of "Odd Couple" pairing Walt and Jesse made and, thankfully, decided to keep him on. I'm so grateful, and just feel so blessed, because it's been such an amazing journey.Back Stage: Did you do any special research or preparation for the part? Cranston: I went to USC, and I followed around the head of the chemistry department for two daysreally just sucked up all his brain matter on the subject. In fact, I had my script with me, and I showed it to him. And for a few things, he said, "Oh, that's not correct. That kind of round-bottom boiling flask is only for boiling, not for mixing." So I called Vince right away. We do the best we can to make it as accurate as possible, so that chemists watching the show will go, "That's pretty damn good."Gunn: Research was very minimal for Skyler at the start because, being from New Mexico and a mother of two, I understand how she felt as a housewife who is pregnant and has another kid. She and her husband are in dire financial straits, and she's trying to keep her head above water as she runs that household, but she's always trying to find a clever way to pay the endless pile of bills. I felt like I knew who Skyler was up-front, but we had to do some shading with her. I asked Vince, "Why is Skyler not working if Walt has to work two jobs to keep the family afloat?" He said, "Well, she's pregnant." I said, "I know, but pregnant women do work as well, so is there something we can give her to do to help the family?" Early on, he and I talked about her being a short-story writerartistically that was her dream, and that was something we felt she could do while being at home taking care of the kids. That was in the show in the first season here and there. Then she went back to being Ted Beneke's [played by Christopher Cousins] accountant. I thought from the beginning that [she] would have something to do with the cooking the books, possibly. Norris: I did [research] after I got [the role], because the material of the audition didn't actually make it into the pilot. It was all kind of his personality and his being, who he was. So the research came after I got the role, because I needed to know more about the DEA and how they worked and their guns and all that kind of stuff. We had a lot of DEA guys, and they would take me out in Albuquerque to their top-secret training locations, and we got to shoot a lot of guns and just talk about the process and things they do. Also, at the same time, I was getting to meet the guys and get an eye on them and see what they are like and learn about them, in addition to getting the actual information about what the DEA does and how they do it.Brandt: I didn't do any special research for Marie in the beginning. I did talk to some friends in New Mexicohe's a DEA agent, and she's lived through all the things you live through when you're married to an agent. That was really helpful to me, and they've become close friends of ours.Paul: Yeah, it's really been a combination of things. I've watched a lot of YouTube videos of peopleyou can pretty much find anything on the Internet nowand I also spoke one-on-one with some recovering addicts, and they shared their journeys with me. I also had some personal experience watching a friend that had gone through that and watching that path. It was a very dark experience.Back Stage: What has been your most challenging moment on the show? Or favorite scene? Cranston: I enjoyed the classroom scenes early on when Walt was still teaching, because I was able to allow the character to be comfortable, sharing his knowledge of a subject he was very fond of. Now that's gone, and it spun off into this deteriorating kind of lifestyle that this man has because of his poor choices. The most important element for me was when he made the initial decision to become someone he's not. A lot of people will have different opinions on when he went from good to bad. I say it was the very first episode, when he allowed his morality to lapse and make a decision, and consequently, make more decisions that supported that lack of morality and dance with the devil. Gunn: I really loved in Season 3 when Skyler starts a relationship with Ted. She gets there because they did have a friendship and obviously some sort of chemistry between them beforehand. At that point in the show, she's in a position where Walt won't tell her anything when she finds out what he's doing and she's trapped. She doesn't have a way to deal with it. She could take the kids away and run, or she could turn Walt in to the police, which she knows she can't do because that would devastate her 16-year-old. She's in a situation where she has to say, "I'm going to stay here and make the best of it." But her anger and the feeling of being trapped makes Skylerin terms of her ownbreak bad. And leads to her involvement with Ted, which was really a slap in the face to Walt. I really liked the scene where she comes into the kitchen and says, "I f---ed Ted," because nobody knew that was coming and nobody knew that Skyler had it in her to do that. That was a really great moment because that was when she really started to break bad herself. In Season 4, Ted comes to Skyler and basically says, "The IRS is going to come and look at the books. They are going to look into me and you." She knows if they look into her, that's very bad. I love the scene where she went into the IRS office and pretends to be a bubble-headed blond to explain the errors in the books. Skyler has been a moral center for the show, and I love that she was willing to tart herself up and act like a bimbo because it was her only way to save the family. Norris: It would be the episode "One Minute." Actually, any of my scenes in "One Minute" I'll take, but particularly the scene where Hank's on the bed talking to his wife and admits that he's no longer the man that he thought he was. I thought that was really, really a great, well-written scene and amazing for a guy like Hank to have to admit that. Admit to the whole PTSD thing to his wife and all that stuff. Immediately followed by him almost getting shot to death. For me, the biggest challenge was Season 4, having to be in a really bad mood and stuck in bed. We were in real time on that show, and there was only so much recovery they could have Hank do believably, because I think in the whole show we've only gone six months or something from day one, you know? It's not long. A year at the most. So they needed to keep him in bed. He was frustrated, and all that frustration oddly enough just bled over. After having had such interesting stuff to do in Season 3I mean, as an actor I find it more fun to play a character breaking down than a character slowly recovering. Now that he's recovered, we'll see what Season 5 brings in terms of him being able to get back into the fray of things. I mean, I'm hoping that they're going to. I don't see how they cannot not focus on the Hank-Walt confrontation because it's been building for four seasons. One would think that would have to be one of the focuses of the next season.Brandt: To this day, I would say that the intervention scene in Season 1 was a big moment for me. It was such a great ensemble piece, and I felt as if who all of these people werein their own right and to each otherbecame crystal clear in that scene. Don't get me wrong: I love the material that I get, especially in Seasons 3 and 4, but shooting that scene in the first season was a watershed moment for me.Paul: In the second-to-last episode of this season, the scene with Walt and Jesse where Jesse accuses Walt in his house of poisoning Brockthat scene took an entire day to do, and we just did it over and over all day. Our writers, they're just so amazing. The words they write are just so compellingthe way that scene unfolds has such an emotional arc. The writers really did an amazing job with this season; they just keep raising the stakes every episode.Back Stage: Are you surprised such a dark and unique show has found such critical acclaim and an audience? Was there a moment you realized the show was having such an impact on people? Brandt: No, not at all. It's just so good. I also felt that when we were shooting the pilot, that I could really see this going over extremely well. It seems kind of addictive. I love the moments that the show takes. A lot of shows, or films even, don't do that, and I just live for that stuff.Paul: Yes, every day when people come up to me on the street asking me to say, "Yo, bitch!" But in all seriousness, I kind of am surprised, but not really, how the show has found such an audience. There's a flavor in the market for material that pushes past normal television's limits. Vince and his team of writers have been so great at pushing the boundaries, and I'm so blessed to be a part of it.Cranston: I felt all along that this was a show that would make an impact if it was lucky enough to stay on the air. There are several shows that have been taken off the air before it was their time and are now forgotten. This show was pitched about six years ago. If it was pitched 10 years ago, it would never have been made. So timing is an essential part of success in this ephemeral television business. The audiences were demanding sophisticated storytelling. Cable was looking for product that was not like anything that was on broadcast. All of these elements came into place in a perfect storm. Gunn: Yeah, I think [the attention] really started to happen this season. Wherever I went, basically somebody said, "Oh, my God, you're Skyler," or "I love the show." It's such a broad and diverse group of people that say that, so it's always surprising to me. I noticed during our fourth-season premiere the number of fans outside grew exponentially from that of previous years. I thought, "Oh, my gosh, we're really on the map now." I'm doing a play over at the Geffen Playhouse currently and went out for a drink with some of my co-stars at a bar. It was right before Halloween. There was a guy with a sort of a fedora-type hat, and his eyes lit up when I walked in. He came over and said, "Are you Skyler?" I said, "I am." He said, "Oh, my God, I'm dressed as Heisenberg [Walter White's alter ego]." He pulled out crystal blue rock candy, which was supposed to be blue meth in a baggie. He asked, "Can I take a picture with you? If I take a picture with Skyler, it will make my entire night." So I took a picture with him. It was so funny, but it happens a lot now. We've seen [the audience] really grow. It's been great. Norris: There was a moment when I realized it was great, and that's when we all sat down and screened the pilot. We were just left speechless. Like, "Wow, it's like a feature film." I was a little nervous because it was so good I was like, how could it continue to be that good? Then there was a moment when Bryan won the Emmy the first year, because nobody, I mean you couldn't even bet on him, I mean there were no odds. Then when he did, we were like, "Oh wow, some people are watching. People are noticing." After that, it was just kind of slow and steady. Certainly after Season 3, any place I would go in public I would run into people who were big fans. They would stop me, and they don't just go, "Hey, I like your show." They grab me by my shirt and go, "Man, that's the best f---ing show I've ever seen." They are very vocal about it. Which is cool. And I'm up here in Alaska doing a movie ["The Frozen Ground"], and literally everybody in any bar or restaurant I go out at, there's any number of people who will come up and talk about the show. 'Breaking Bad' Ensemble on Meth and Method By Back Stage staff November 30, 2011 PHOTO CREDIT Ben Leuner/AMC When "Breaking Bad" premiered on AMC in January 2008, expectations weren't high. It was only the second original program the network had producedalthough its first one, "Mad Men," was a critical and commercial hit. And it starred Bryan Cranston, best known as the doofus father from "Malcolm in the Middle," playing a high school teacher who turns methamphetamine manufacturer when he's diagnosed with lung cancer. Four seasons and three Emmy wins for Cranston later, "Breaking Bad" has proved to be not only groundbreaking television but also a showcase for one of the best dramatic ensembles on TV. Along with Cranston as Walter White, the original cast consists of all-stars: Aaron Paul as Walter's boneheaded partner, Jesse; Anna Gunn as Walter's wife, Skyler; Betsy Brandt as Skyler's sister Marie; Dean Norris as Marie's DEA agent husband, Hank; and RJ Mitte as Walter and Skyler's son, Walt Jr. Over the years, great support has been lent by Bob Odenkirk as sleazy lawyer Saul, Giancarlo Esposito as meth distributor Gus, and Jonathan Banks as Gus' right-hand man Mike. Much credit goes to creator Vince Gilligan, who has crafted complex, distinctive characters and a story line that dares to go places never seen before on television. Back Stage spoke with some of the cast members of the innovative show, now gearing up for its fifth and final season.Back Stage: How did your role on the show come about? Bryan Cranston: Well, I was the first one cast. Almost 10 years earlier, I had done an "X-Files" episode, which Vince Gilligan wrote. The character I played was conflicted: He was really an awful person, and yet he was a human being. That kind of nuance was exactly what Vince does well. Flash-forward: After "Malcolm in the Middle," I get this call. Vince wants to see me for this role, Walter White, on "Breaking Bad." Then I read the script, and it was phenomenal. I went in for a scheduled 20-minute meeting, and an hour and a half later I left. After that meeting, Vince was my champion to get the role. And it wasn't easy. I became known for "Malcolm in the Middle," so AMC and Sony TV were saying, "Wait a minute. For Walter, you want that goofy dad from 'Malcolm in the Middle'? Are you kidding?" And Vince was like, "Yes. He's the guy." He sent over the tape from "X-Files," and they watched it and said, "Yeah, but we should still look at others." He said, "Well, you can, but he's the guy." I owe it all to the Vince, not only in writing this character but also in support of me to get the role. I was very fortunate they filled out the rest of the cast with fantastic actors to work with. All the drama is in the show and not around the show, which is great.Anna Gunn: I had just had my second babyshe was about 3 or 4 months oldwhen my friend and casting director Sharon Bialy was trying to get me to come in and read for "Breaking Bad." At the time, I had a really bad flu, and I told her I couldn't come in, but then Sharon called and said, "I don't care how sick you are, you're coming in. You have to read for this." She sent me the script, and I went, "Oh myokay, this is a brilliant script." They had already cast Bryan Cranston as Walt. I went in and read opposite him, and so did three other women. Bryan and I got along immediately. We had really good chemistry and just really enjoyed each other. Sharon said after the reading, "Okay, get ready to go to New Mexico." I said, "What?" because the script at the time was still set in the outskirts of L.A., but they decided to take it to New Mexico. I talked to Vince because I wanted to make sure that Skyler wasn't going to be just the long-suffering wife. There are a lot of those characters on TV. I had a conversation with him and asked, "What's your plan for her? What kind of journey is she going to go on?" He said, "Well, she's going to be kind of like Carmela Soprano, but in on the crime." He had a clear sense of where he wanted to take the characters. I said, "Okay. Sold." Dean Norris: I auditioned for Vince Gilligan. It's funny because I met Betsy Brandt outside the room for the first time. I was looking at her, and I was going, "Man, this seems like a comedy to me, right?" She was like, "Yeah, I'm not sure; I think it's a comedy, too." "Right," I said. "But it's not all comedy. I think my part's the comedy part." So luckily, I made the right call on that and hit it off with Vince right away, and that was it. I think I pretty much had it from that moment on. Had to go through the test with the network, but they were all on board.Betsy Brandt: Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomastwo of my favorite casting directors; I love them professionally, and they are two of the best people that I knowbrought me in for the role of Marie. I'm always excited when they bring me in for something, because they do such good work. I read the pilot and told my husband it was the best one that I had ever read, and then once I met Vince Gilligan, I really wanted to work on the show.Aaron Paul: I read the pilot, and I loved it instantly, but I actually found out later on that Jesse was supposed to have died in the first season. They still make a joke out of it on set. But they loved the sort of "Odd Couple" pairing Walt and Jesse made and, thankfully, decided to keep him on. I'm so grateful, and just feel so blessed, because it's been such an amazing journey.Back Stage: Did you do any special research or preparation for the part? Cranston: I went to USC, and I followed around the head of the chemistry department for two daysreally just sucked up all his brain matter on the subject. In fact, I had my script with me, and I showed it to him. And for a few things, he said, "Oh, that's not correct. That kind of round-bottom boiling flask is only for boiling, not for mixing." So I called Vince right away. We do the best we can to make it as accurate as possible, so that chemists watching the show will go, "That's pretty damn good."Gunn: Research was very minimal for Skyler at the start because, being from New Mexico and a mother of two, I understand how she felt as a housewife who is pregnant and has another kid. She and her husband are in dire financial straits, and she's trying to keep her head above water as she runs that household, but she's always trying to find a clever way to pay the endless pile of bills. I felt like I knew who Skyler was up-front, but we had to do some shading with her. I asked Vince, "Why is Skyler not working if Walt has to work two jobs to keep the family afloat?" He said, "Well, she's pregnant." I said, "I know, but pregnant women do work as well, so is there something we can give her to do to help the family?" Early on, he and I talked about her being a short-story writerartistically that was her dream, and that was something we felt she could do while being at home taking care of the kids. That was in the show in the first season here and there. Then she went back to being Ted Beneke's [played by Christopher Cousins] accountant. I thought from the beginning that [she] would have something to do with the cooking the books, possibly. Norris: I did [research] after I got [the role], because the material of the audition didn't actually make it into the pilot. It was all kind of his personality and his being, who he was. So the research came after I got the role, because I needed to know more about the DEA and how they worked and their guns and all that kind of stuff. We had a lot of DEA guys, and they would take me out in Albuquerque to their top-secret training locations, and we got to shoot a lot of guns and just talk about the process and things they do. Also, at the same time, I was getting to meet the guys and get an eye on them and see what they are like and learn about them, in addition to getting the actual information about what the DEA does and how they do it.Brandt: I didn't do any special research for Marie in the beginning. I did talk to some friends in New Mexicohe's a DEA agent, and she's lived through all the things you live through when you're married to an agent. That was really helpful to me, and they've become close friends of ours.Paul: Yeah, it's really been a combination of things. I've watched a lot of YouTube videos of peopleyou can pretty much find anything on the Internet nowand I also spoke one-on-one with some recovering addicts, and they shared their journeys with me. I also had some personal experience watching a friend that had gone through that and watching that path. It was a very dark experience.Back Stage: What has been your most challenging moment on the show? Or favorite scene? Cranston: I enjoyed the classroom scenes early on when Walt was still teaching, because I was able to allow the character to be comfortable, sharing his knowledge of a subject he was very fond of. Now that's gone, and it spun off into this deteriorating kind of lifestyle that this man has because of his poor choices. The most important element for me was when he made the initial decision to become someone he's not. A lot of people will have different opinions on when he went from good to bad. I say it was the very first episode, when he allowed his morality to lapse and make a decision, and consequently, make more decisions that supported that lack of morality and dance with the devil. Gunn: I really loved in Season 3 when Skyler starts a relationship with Ted. She gets there because they did have a friendship and obviously some sort of chemistry between them beforehand. At that point in the show, she's in a position where Walt won't tell her anything when she finds out what he's doing and she's trapped. She doesn't have a way to deal with it. She could take the kids away and run, or she could turn Walt in to the police, which she knows she can't do because that would devastate her 16-year-old. She's in a situation where she has to say, "I'm going to stay here and make the best of it." But her anger and the feeling of being trapped makes Skylerin terms of her ownbreak bad. And leads to her involvement with Ted, which was really a slap in the face to Walt. I really liked the scene where she comes into the kitchen and says, "I f---ed Ted," because nobody knew that was coming and nobody knew that Skyler had it in her to do that. That was a really great moment because that was when she really started to break bad herself. In Season 4, Ted comes to Skyler and basically says, "The IRS is going to come and look at the books. They are going to look into me and you." She knows if they look into her, that's very bad. I love the scene where she went into the IRS office and pretends to be a bubble-headed blond to explain the errors in the books. Skyler has been a moral center for the show, and I love that she was willing to tart herself up and act like a bimbo because it was her only way to save the family. Norris: It would be the episode "One Minute." Actually, any of my scenes in "One Minute" I'll take, but particularly the scene where Hank's on the bed talking to his wife and admits that he's no longer the man that he thought he was. I thought that was really, really a great, well-written scene and amazing for a guy like Hank to have to admit that. Admit to the whole PTSD thing to his wife and all that stuff. Immediately followed by him almost getting shot to death. For me, the biggest challenge was Season 4, having to be in a really bad mood and stuck in bed. We were in real time on that show, and there was only so much recovery they could have Hank do believably, because I think in the whole show we've only gone six months or something from day one, you know? It's not long. A year at the most. So they needed to keep him in bed. He was frustrated, and all that frustration oddly enough just bled over. After having had such interesting stuff to do in Season 3I mean, as an actor I find it more fun to play a character breaking down than a character slowly recovering. Now that he's recovered, we'll see what Season 5 brings in terms of him being able to get back into the fray of things. I mean, I'm hoping that they're going to. I don't see how they cannot not focus on the Hank-Walt confrontation because it's been building for four seasons. One would think that would have to be one of the focuses of the next season.Brandt: To this day, I would say that the intervention scene in Season 1 was a big moment for me. It was such a great ensemble piece, and I felt as if who all of these people werein their own right and to each otherbecame crystal clear in that scene. Don't get me wrong: I love the material that I get, especially in Seasons 3 and 4, but shooting that scene in the first season was a watershed moment for me.Paul: In the second-to-last episode of this season, the scene with Walt and Jesse where Jesse accuses Walt in his house of poisoning Brockthat scene took an entire day to do, and we just did it over and over all day. Our writers, they're just so amazing. The words they write are just so compellingthe way that scene unfolds has such an emotional arc. The writers really did an amazing job with this season; they just keep raising the stakes every episode.Back Stage: Are you surprised such a dark and unique show has found such critical acclaim and an audience? Was there a moment you realized the show was having such an impact on people? Brandt: No, not at all. It's just so good. I also felt that when we were shooting the pilot, that I could really see this going over extremely well. It seems kind of addictive. I love the moments that the show takes. A lot of shows, or films even, don't do that, and I just live for that stuff.Paul: Yes, every day when people come up to me on the street asking me to say, "Yo, bitch!" But in all seriousness, I kind of am surprised, but not really, how the show has found such an audience. There's a flavor in the market for material that pushes past normal television's limits. Vince and his team of writers have been so great at pushing the boundaries, and I'm so blessed to be a part of it.Cranston: I felt all along that this was a show that would make an impact if it was lucky enough to stay on the air. There are several shows that have been taken off the air before it was their time and are now forgotten. This show was pitched about six years ago. If it was pitched 10 years ago, it would never have been made. So timing is an essential part of success in this ephemeral television business. The audiences were demanding sophisticated storytelling. Cable was looking for product that was not like anything that was on broadcast. All of these elements came into place in a perfect storm. Gunn: Yeah, I think [the attention] really started to happen this season. Wherever I went, basically somebody said, "Oh, my God, you're Skyler," or "I love the show." It's such a broad and diverse group of people that say that, so it's always surprising to me. I noticed during our fourth-season premiere the number of fans outside grew exponentially from that of previous years. I thought, "Oh, my gosh, we're really on the map now." I'm doing a play over at the Geffen Playhouse currently and went out for a drink with some of my co-stars at a bar. It was right before Halloween. There was a guy with a sort of a fedora-type hat, and his eyes lit up when I walked in. He came over and said, "Are you Skyler?" I said, "I am." He said, "Oh, my God, I'm dressed as Heisenberg [Walter White's alter ego]." He pulled out crystal blue rock candy, which was supposed to be blue meth in a baggie. He asked, "Can I take a picture with you? If I take a picture with Skyler, it will make my entire night." So I took a picture with him. It was so funny, but it happens a lot now. We've seen [the audience] really grow. It's been great. Norris: There was a moment when I realized it was great, and that's when we all sat down and screened the pilot. We were just left speechless. Like, "Wow, it's like a feature film." I was a little nervous because it was so good I was like, how could it continue to be that good? Then there was a moment when Bryan won the Emmy the first year, because nobody, I mean you couldn't even bet on him, I mean there were no odds. Then when he did, we were like, "Oh wow, some people are watching. People are noticing." After that, it was just kind of slow and steady. Certainly after Season 3, any place I would go in public I would run into people who were big fans. They would stop me, and they don't just go, "Hey, I like your show." They grab me by my shirt and go, "Man, that's the best f---ing show I've ever seen." They are very vocal about it. Which is cool. And I'm up here in Alaska doing a movie ["The Frozen Ground"], and literally everybody in any bar or restaurant I go out at, there's any number of people who will come up and talk about the show.