Best known for his portrayal of Walter White, Bryan Cranston’s performance in Breaking Bad redefined his career. But nearly a decade before the AMC series, he appeared in a pivotal, though often forgotten, role in The X-Files, a role that would prove to be a turning point.
Written by future Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, the episode required an actor who could evoke both menace and sympathy, qualities Cranston effortlessly brought to life. The performance became unforgettable for Gilligan and ultimately led him to cast the actor in the iconic role of Walter White in the Emmy-winning crime drama.
Bryan Cranston’s forgotten role in The X-Files that paved the way for Breaking Bad
Long before he took the lead in Vince Gilligan’s acclaimed crime drama Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston left a powerful and lasting impression on the show’s creator through a memorable guest appearance in an episode of The X-Files.
Written by Gilligan himself and aired in 1998, the Season 6 episode titled, Drive, featured Cranston as Patrick Crump, an aggressive and desperate man taken into custody by Fox Mulder after a high-speed chase.
But the situation quickly takes a dramatic turn when Crump takes Mulder hostage, forcing him to keep driving west at top speed. As the story unfolds, it’s revealed that Crump is suffering from a mysterious and excruciating condition triggered by electromagnetic experiments conducted by a nearby military installation.
The only temporary relief from the painful pressure in his head is to move away, quickly, from the source of the waves. After his wife succumbs to the same condition, Crump is left clinging to survival, driven by desperation.
Along the way, he spews antisemitic remarks at Mulder, highlighting his deeply flawed and complex nature. Despite Mulder’s attempts to help him, Crump ultimately dies, his efforts to escape the painful effects of the waves proving futile.
Though the role may be overshadowed today by Cranston’s celebrated later work, it was a pivotal performance, one that even the actor has acknowledged as significant to his career. More importantly, it left a deep impression on Gilligan, convincing him that Cranston had the emotional range and depth to portray a morally complex character like Breaking Bad’s Walter White.
The X-Files role made Vince Gilligan believe in Bryan Cranston
After working together on The X-Files episode, Vince Gilligan and Bryan Cranston would reunite for what would become one of the greatest television shows of all time, Breaking Bad.
And the foundation for that collaboration was laid in 1998, when Gilligan witnessed Cranston’s ability to evoke sympathy for a deeply flawed character. Despite the disturbing actions and offensive behavior of Patrick Crump in The X-Files, Cranston managed to humanize him, a trait Gilligan later considered essential for the role of Walter White.
“You needed an actor who could play this guy who is an asshole, an unpleasant redneck creep, yet at the end of the hour you need to feel bad that the guy dies,” Gilligan shared in a 2013 interview with GQ.
It was a challenge in itself to find an actor who could bring both menace and vulnerability to a character, as Gilligan noted, “Casting bad guys is easy. Casting a bad guy you feel sympathy for is much harder.”
But Cranston delivered a nuanced, unforgettable performance, one that stayed with Gilligan for years. So, when it came time to cast the morally complex lead in Breaking Bad, Cranston immediately came to mind.
And he more than lived up to expectations, transforming Walter White into one of the most compelling and iconic characters in television history.
The X-Files is currently available to watch on Hulu in the USA.
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