No one can accuse Bryan Cranston of being unprepared for his role in the new HBO film All the Way.
After all, he brought the role – of former US president Lyndon B Johnson – to Broadway in 2014 in writer Robert Schenkkan’s play of the same name, which was originally commissioned by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It had its premiere in 2012, with actor Jack Willis in the lead role.
Set during the height of America’s civil-rights struggle, it offers an unforgettable behind-the-scenes look at Johnson’s tumultuous first year in office and his efforts to win support for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The Broadway production won the Tony Award for Best Play, and Cranston, almost unrecognisable in heavy make-up that recreates the Texan president’s big nose and bigger ears, and with a nasty drawl to die for, won the award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play.
Now Schenkkan has adapted his play for a television film, which is on OSN tonight. Being free of the constraints of the stage, he says, “gives us the opportunity to get a little deeper”.
Credit is also due to director Jay Roach, who has flexed his talent for tense political drama for HBO with Recount (2008) and Game Change (2012), in between frothier fare, such as the Austin Powers and Meet the Parents movies.
All the Way begins with vice president Johnson taking the oath of office after president John F Kennedy's assassination, wrestling with the escalation of the Vietnam War and launching a landmark civil-rights bill, all set against the added pressure of a run for re-election.
Even after a demanding six-month stint on Broadway, Cranston says he didn’t hesitate to sign up for the film because he feels the lesson of the play – which lays bare the moral and political courage it took for Johnson to enact the Civil Rights Act – is so vital.
“We could now reach millions more and tell this important story by way of HBO,” says the actor.
Roach tells how Steven Spielberg, an executive producer, advised him to use the camera to “be in the most desperate places with Johnson” as well as to “commit to the quiet moments”.
Cranston spent more than two hours each day in the make-up chair, put lifts in his shoes and surrounded himself with pictures of LBJ in his dressing room to help him slip deeper into the man’s skin.
“It’s almost as if I was checking in with him, seeking [his] approval,” he says.
“The main focus is the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It was always a negotiation: What do I need to give, and how much of a sacrifice will that be, in order to get this greater gain.”
The stellar ensemble cast includes a few familiar faces including: Anthony Mackie (Captain America: Civil War) as Martin Luther King Jr; Oscar and Emmy winner Melissa Leo (The Fighter) as Johnson's wife, "Lady Bird" Johnson; Bradley Whitford (The West Wing, Transparent) as vice president Hubert Humphrey, Stephen Root (NewsRadio) as FBI chief J Edgar Hoover; and three-time Tony winner Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon) as Richard Russell, junior, a Georgia senator who locked horns with Johnson in opposing the civil-rights movement.
Cranston’s evolution as an actor has been a joy to behold.
After a fun turn as Jerry's dentist in a handful of episodes of Seinfeld, starting in 1994, he first caught our attention in a big way as goofy dad Hal on the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle (2000-20006), a critically adored series that won a Peabody Award and seven Emmys.
Then, in what can only be described as incredibly insightful casting by Breaking Bad showrunner Vince Gilligan, Cranston tore into his four-time Emmy-winning turn as chemistry-teacher-turned-drug-lord Walter White, changing perceptions of him and proving he is so much more than a one-trick comic pony.
To get into character as Johnson, in addition to volumes of reading and a trip to his presidential library, Cranston also visited the former president’s Texas ranch.
“We got a full backstage tour,” he says. “I saw his home quarters and bedrooms and things, and the place where he passed away, where he was frightfully afraid he would die of a heart attack and sure enough he did [in 1973]. It was amazing. It helped my performance tremendously.”
All The Way is on at midnight on Sunday, May 22 on OSN First HD – Home of HBO. Please see listings for more viewing times
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