[flv:https://www.malcolminthemiddle.co.uk/video/bryan/Bryan-Cranston-Talks-to-THR-July-2008-MITMVC.flv 550 300]

Ever since Breaking Bad started airing in January people have been saying that Bryan deserves an Emmy, and he has now passed the first hurdle to that goal. Congratulations to Bryan on getting nominated for ‘Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series’ announced on July 17th.

Before the nominations where announced The Hollywood Reporter’s Ray Richmond gathered nine actors, all with major primetime TV series roles, for a provocative discussion of the Emmys and their careers. Bryan was one of them.

THR: David, did you have a great evening when you were nominated for “Just Shoot Me” in 1999?

David Spade: I actually remember my Golden Globe loss that year more than my Emmy loss. I got beat by Gregory Peck. That prick! And he came out of nowhere!

Bryan Cranston: And as I recall, wasn’t he already dead at the time?

Spade: He died on the way to the podium. He said, like, “I can’t believe I won this award for my 90-second cameo.” And I’m like, “Me, too!”

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THR: Bryan and Ted, you both made major inroads with audiences in comedic roles, but now you’re thriving in drama series on cable. Was it a tough sell for you to make those changes?

Cranston: Not in my case. I mean, actors just love to act. The only thing I think we really concern ourselves with is not being pigeonholed in any one thing. We look for the well-rounded opportunity, and “Breaking Bad” was surely that. I’d once guested on David’s show “The X-Files” 10 years ago, when Vince Gilligan was a producer over there. Fortunately, he remembered me when he was putting together his new show. He was my champion to get this role from the beginning.

Danson: I’m sure my agent and my manager pursued it for me. But when you see writing like this show has, and a star like Glenn Close, and a network that takes chances like FX, I felt lucky landing the part. You always go for the good writing.

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THR: David and Blair, you’re also on cable — do any of you feel a greater sense of creative freedom as actors working on cable shows?

David Duchovny: Having the full flower of the English language tends to be good for comedy. It’s a treat as an actor to be able to actually speak in a role the way one speaks in life.

Cranston: It’s different for David because he’s on the premium channel. On AMC, they actually give us a limit of how many “shits” or “f***s” we can use each week. You negotiate it. If we say “shit” once in an hour, we might get two “f***s.”

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THR: But the fact that there is an FX, an AMC, a Showtime, an HBO for shows that don’t fit into the restrictive broadcast parameters has to be good in terms of inspiring greater quality and variety than TV has ever before offered, no?

Cranston: No question. It’s been overused that we’re in another Golden Age, but I think we are. The bar has been set really high. I don’t think a show whose lead character is cooking crystal meth in the heartland could ever be considered for a broadcast network. So cable is opening up a lot of avenues for story lines that have long been closed.

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Baldwin: Wait a minute. I wanted to ask a question of everyone, if I may. What would be your dream TV show, if you could do anything?

Blair Underwood: I’d love to do an update of “The Wild Wild West.” Not necessarily in outer space.

Cranston: I’d like to go retro with some sort of “Andy Griffith”-type show.

More Breaking Bad behind the scenes videos have been added here.

Breaking Bad season 1 is currently re-airing on AMC see here for details.

The 60th Primetime Emmy® Awards are airing live from the NOKIA Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 21 (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on ABC.

Discuss in FORUM | Source: THR.com, Emmys.tv | Thanks Rye & PBUNDY & Tyno