Today, I explain how Anthony Hopkins’ beautiful fan letter to Bryan Cranston and the cast of Breaking Bad was spoiled by one of the cast members posting the letter online.
This is Quite a Story, a sort of catch-all feature where I share short, interesting anecdotes from interviews or books that don’t really fit into any other feature.
Back in 2013, after the award-winning TV series Breaking Bad came to a close, a fan letter that Anthony Hopkins wrote Bryan Cranston went viral. I’m about to talk about the downside of the letter getting out there, but let’s face it, the letter IS out there, so there’s no point in me not sharing it now, since it is readily available:
Dear Mister Cranston.
I wanted to write you this email – so I am contacting you through Jeremy Barber – I take it we are both represented by UTA . Great agency.
I’ve just finished a marathon of watching “BREAKING BAD” – from episode one of the First Season — to the last eight episodes of the Sixth Season. [Season 5 was split into two seasons, so Hopkins is naturally treating Part 2 of Season 5 as Season 6 which, come on, it totally was – BC] (I downloaded the last season on AMAZON) A total of two weeks (addictive) viewing.
I have never watched anything like it. Brilliant!
Your performance as Walter White was the best acting I have seen – ever.
I know there is so much smoke blowing and sickening bullshit in this business, and I’ve sort of lost belief in anything really.
But this work of yours is spectacular — absolutely stunning. What is extraordinary, is the sheer power of everyone in the entire production. What was it? Five or six years in the making? How the producers (yourself being one of them), the writers, directors, cinematographers…. every department — casting etc. managed to keep the discipline and control from beginning to the end is (that over used word) awesome.
From what started as a black comedy, descended into a labyrinth of blood, destruction and hell. It was like a great Jacobean, Shakespearian or Greek Tragedy.
If you ever get a chance to – would you pass on my admiration to everyone — Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Aaron Paul, Betsy Brandt, R.J. Mitte, Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Steven Michael Quezada — everyone — everyone gave master classes of performance … The list is endless.
Thank you. That kind of work/artistry is rare, and when, once in a while, it occurs, as in this epic work, it restores confidence.
You and all the cast are the best actors I’ve ever seen.
That may sound like a good lung full of smoke blowing. But it is not. It’s almost midnight out here in Malibu, and I felt compelled to write this email.
Congratulations and my deepest respect. You are truly a great, great actor.
Best regards
Tony Hopkins.
As an aside, it’s funny how he forgot to mention Giancarlo Esposito. Anyhow, the letter was so touching that the internet really got a kick out of it. Someone who DIDN’T get a kick out of the letter going viral was Anthony Hopkins, who told the Huffington Post in 2016, “I just wrote this personal letter to Bryan. I didn’t want it to be known publicly, but that’s what happens today. You can’t open your mouth before it goes on the internet or whatever you have, on Twitter or Facebook. I keep my mouth shut from now on. I don’t write letters to people.”
That’s SO SAD!!!
Soon after Hopkins went public with his disappointment, Cranston explained what happened with the original letter, “Well, I was amazed when I got the letter. I was astonished that Sir Anthony Hopkins himself wrote me a letter, and I was taken aback. I was tickled and honored and humbled, and it was quite a thing. I then proceeded to write a letter to my co-stars, [whom Hopkins] praised a lot. I started to write, ‘Anthony Hopkins wrote me a letter and he said basically,’ and I stopped and went, wait a minute. Why would I paraphrase him and capsulate what he wrote? I should just let them read the letter.” So he attached the letter, telling them, “Listen, here is what Anthony Hopkins wrote to us as a cast, and I thought you’d be as thrilled as I was. Enjoy it, Bryan.”
And, well, one of those actors then posted it online. There actually is heavy speculation about one actor in specific, but I don’t feel like putting their name on it without real proof.
Cranston reflected on the lesson he learned, “In this new age, I didn’t anticipate someone posting that. I didn’t anticipate that someone would then take the letter and show it to the world. It was an oversight of mine, so when it happened I thought, ‘Aw crap.’ “I now have to realize that. With the advent of Twitter and everything it’s like, OK, so now anything you say on social media is for the world to see and it is forever. So I got it. But at the time, I wasn’t in the practice of saying, ‘Please don’t share this on social media.’”
If you see any interesting anecdotes from interviews or books that you think would be worth spotlighting, drop me a line at brian@popculturereferences.com.
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