Bryan Cranston

The thing that enchanted me so much about this book, and the reason I'm giving it the highest a four star rating can be before it becomes one of my rare and coveted fives, was the way Bryan Cranston told his stories—or, more accurately, the ways he didn't.

In theory, it isn't hard to write a memoir, but in practise it's got to be difficult. Not only do you have to tell your life's story clearly and honestly, but it has to be readable and preferably enjoyable. You can't be didactic, or else show more the reader feels like they're being preached to. You can't be one-note: total humour seems synthetic and unbelievable, and total tragedy is exhausting at best and self-pitying at worst. You have to avoid a "back in the old days" tone, lest you come across as ancient or moored in your wonder years. You can't make yourself out to be a paragon of morality and goodness and risk the audience becoming nauseated at your narcissism, but you shouldn't self-deprecate to the point of loathing, either. The whole thing is a delicate balance.

And yet Bryan Cranston pulls it off beautifully. His storytelling feels natural and honest, and his tone is nuanced—sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes pensive, sometimes angry. He acknowledges his faults, missteps, regrets, and flaws, but his narrative confidence ultimately comes across as admirable rather than humbly bragging. His humour is well-placed and charming, never crossing the line of flippancy. The format is clever and clear rather than gimmicky. The book feels, for lack of a better word, authentic. Genuine. It truly is like Bryan Cranston sitting down across from you at your dining room table and telling you about his life over dinner, which is a really cool feeling.

Oh, and there's another very important element in writing a good memoir: your life has to be interesting! And if you haven't guessed it by now, Cranston has that component in spades too. I loved it all, from his first taste of theatre as Professor Flipnoodle; the trip to the morgue; the implosion of his home life; the motorcycle trip with all its adventures and vagrancy; all the dozens of odd jobs and strange characters; the Tunnel of Love; marrying a couple on a plane in a Hawaiian shirt and flip flops, screaming the vows above the roar of the engine. And the chicken beheading—I definitely snort-laughed while reading that one. Bryan Cranston's life is way more interesting than I was expecting, and every triumph, lesson, failure, and bizarre job opportunity was just fascinating to read about. But there are slower parts too, those precious interludes where life unfolds, apart from all the crazy adventures, and those were no less spellbinding.

You can't write off the fact that he's an actor, and acting is an inherently interesting thing, at least in my opinion. But Cranston goes beyond a cursory description of the roles he's known for, with some "behind the scenes" treats to taste; he takes you inside his journey, how he learned things, how he prepares for a role, when he realised he wanted to be an actor. He's worked a ton in his career, and every role brought some new experience, some new lesson, some new method of dealing with work or life or emotions. He talks about the process of acting, the nitty-gritty of it all. And it's fascinating. His chapters on Breaking Bad are a great example of that—he doesn't talk too much about what shooting the show was like, but rather about who he became, what he became. He takes elements from past roles, from the stoop of his father's shoulders, from all sorts of places and experiences and he imbues this character, Walter White, with life. And through it all, you can so clearly feel his excitement, his awe at this incredible and terrifying character that he inhabited for years.

Which leads me to my final praise: the voice. I'm speaking figuratively, although I've never wanted so badly to hear a book narrated by its author than this one. Of course I'd seen Bryan Cranston before—I grew up with him as the lovable and hilarious Hal from 'Malcolm in the Middle,' then lauded his performance as Walter White in 'Breaking Bad'—but I only saw a glimpse at the person behind the role in a few short interviews, where he came across as intelligent and passionate about his work. A Life in Parts gave me a much better idea of what Bryan Cranston is really like, and his voice shines so beautifully through all his vignettes and tales. I love it when an author has a clear, distinct personality that bursts through their writing, and this was a perfect example of that. He humanises himself in a way I doubt most celebrities are able to do through the written word, without it coming across as some sort of long-awaited bombshell tell-all stuffed with stale truisms and half-baked wit.

There's always that niggling fear that your idol, or even just a celebrity that seems like a nice person, is actually an asshole. I was worried about that when I started A Life in Parts, but it was completely out of my mind when I finished. The case here isn't that Bryan Cranston is secretly an asshole or a narcissist or a stereotypical vapid actor; it's that he's a guy with a fascinating life, a great sense of humour, an admirable work ethic, an abiding gratitude for what he has and what he's learned, and a fantastic knack for storytelling. He's a master at mixing the casual and the poignant to craft a coherent and immensely enjoyable memoir. And fuck me if he doesn't do it so goddamn endearingly. show less

Bryan Cranston's memoir takes us through the many, many roles he's played both TV and in real life, from a less-than-ideal childhood up through his unexpected burst of fame in the wake of Breaking Bad. Of course, he also talks about what it was like to play the iconic role of Walter White, including his own insights into Walt's character and how they influenced what we saw on-screen. Cranston's writing is effortlessly readable, even when he's delving into emotionally difficult topics, and he show more comes across as thoughtful, sincere, and (despite some dubious youthful exploits) generally level-headed, but most of all as deeply passionate about and devoted to the art and craft of acting.

I've always been deeply impressed with his performance on Breaking Bad, and I'm pleased to say that I found him worth hanging around with for two or three hundred pages, as well. show less

Though biographies aren’t my preferred reading material, no doubt I would read more if they were all written like this. With a warmth that draws you in instantly, if you’ve never enjoyed Bryan Cranston’s acting (though I cannot imagine why not), this is still well worth reading. This book not only gives the reader an insight to his life and career, it shows an actor with great instincts for the characters and roles directors should respect but whose writing ability might well make him show more an excellent author should he ever wish to pursue fiction writing. A favourite biography. I dipped in and out of this over the month of January. show less

I always enjoyed Bryan Cranston on Malcolm in the Middle, and along the way, I realized he played the dentist Tim Watley on Seinfeld--another character I loved. I've only been able to squeeze in a viewing of the first episode of the first season of Breaking Bad--it's on my to-do list to watch the rest of the episodes and all seasons.... Meanwhile, I found listening to him reading his book to me to be quite entertaining! I found myself looking up old commercials that he mentioned being in. I show more really felt for him, too, when he discussed the trials of his childhood, the closeness he felt with his older brother, and the way his life felt altered first upon marrying his wife and then upon having his daughter. Bryan Cranston seems like a regular guy--but he's so much more!!! show less