We’re James Franco & Bryan Cranston – Ask Us Anything!

When will you guys be doing a Malcolm in the Middle movie?

There has been some conversation about that. I dont know if or when that could happen, I guess we have to gauge the temperament of the fans to see if its something they want. But maybe. It would be fun to play with all those people again. It would be like if you (JF) did a Freaks and Geeks movie -bc

Maybe for Freaks and Geeks it could be the 20 year high school reunion! I don’t know if my character would go to the reunion though. Maybe he just never left town. – jf

Bryan, has anybody ever told you that your voice is like smooth butter dripped over some like mashed potatoes? I fucking love mashed potatoes.

eat my voice -bc

Would you be interested in me writing an erotic fan fiction about your movie?

I find it very flattering when one piece of creative evokes erotic fan fiction, or another piece of creative. So why not go for it -bc

What is the best advice you've been given?

Well...Bryan has a new book out, full of great advice. -jf

ohh come on, we're not here to plug my book, A Life In Parts, available at bookstores everywhere -bc

What were both of your "Hey, I finally made it in Hollywood" moments?

When we did Freaks and Geeks I remember sitting around Seth Rogen and Jason Segel, the four of us was just like, THIS IS IT! WE MADE IT! HOLLYWOOD HERER WE COME! Even though that show was so good, when it first came out a not a lot of people watched it, so we kind of had that moment and it kind of was taken away, and then it was given back to us when it played reruns. - jf

My goal was always 'if I can make it as an actor, that would be it for me'. It happened when i was 25 years old, and since then i’ve never done anything else.

There isn't any plateau. If you think there’s a level you hit and you’re like “there it is!”, there isn’t. Its fluid and it moves, and you mature. Ultimately, know you’ve made it when you’re happy. -bc

Do either of you have a favorite gas station snack? If so, what is it?

A slim jim. Its like an old piece of sausage and you chew on it and you're like, oh wow there's a lot of grease in there. And then you realize you just ate a pig snout. Why dont they just come out with pig snout?? -bc

On a road trip...it used to be, its gross to me now, beef jerky. Now if I get jerky, I get salmon jerky from Seattle. I don't get the beef jerky anymore. - jf

Do either of you find it harder or easier to do comedies as compared to dramas?

Well thanks for that question, Sayshoe. Comedy can be tougher because its more fragile. You can ruin a comedy easier than you can ruin a drama. And thats why I say that. A drama is usually very well scripted. A comedy is not fully baked. You are infusing, on a daily basis, opening them up and trying different things. And because of that a comedy is much harder than a drama -bc

Edit: Thank you guys for all your questions, we're signing off for now. Wishing everyone a happy holiday, enjoy time with your family. You can read a book, I don’t have a title off the top of my head, but you should go see Why Him?!

Why this movie?

Pretty much the same thing. I've admired bryan cranston for a long time. No, the simple premise wasn't something that anybody said "OH MY GOD, I have to do this movie". It wasn't enough for anyone to say, Oh i have to do this. You had to look through it and see who's involved with the movie. The three of us got in a room and figured out how we could really invest in these characters. When I realized James and John were both invested in that too, we decided to make it happen. -bc

I love the director John Hamburg. He does most of those Focker movies, I Love You Man, just great guy. He was acutally my professor at NYU so I knew him a bit. WhenI heard that Bryan was interested, it just seemed like a great opportunity to it. I've been doing comedy with Seth Rogen for a long time, and I've been a fan of Bryan for a long time -- so here was a chance to do comedy with a new crew. - jf

Best moment on a film set?

I think it was our fight. I really enjoyed it. Its complicated, its like a dance. You have to choreograph it. There's something that happens during the fight that wasn't planned. Once James and I were in a certain position... its like 'well, look here'. I bit down on James Franco's crotch. I got a mouth full of Franco. That was the best and worst moment on set -bc

spoiler alert! - jf

Hey guys huge fans of both of you! Unbiasedly which of you are funnier?

you got a few emmys for comedy, don't you? - jf

No, i actually didnt get an emmy for Malcom in the middle!! Isn't that bullshit? I actually think James is funnier -bc

How would Heisenberg deal with James Franco's character in Why Him?

Speaking of barrels, he would've rolled out a barrel with some sort of chemical in it. And I would say to him “are you going to be good to her? Are you gonna be a gentlemen? Cause if not I will come after you, and no one will ever find you. -bc

I'm sure that Laird would be down with everyone at Gray Matter. - jf

Speaking of barrels, he would've rolled out a barrel with some sort of chemical in it. And I would say to him “are you going to be good to her? Are you gonna be a gentlemen? Cause if not I will come after you, and no one will ever find you." -bc

Who is the better kisser between you two?

James kissed my nose once while filming. I didnt think it was appropriate for you to use tongue in my nose though, James. His tongue darted out and went up my nostril. I didn't say I didn't like it, it was just unusual. -bc

That's my specialty. - jf

Mr. Cranston, do you ever see yourself directing a film in the future?

Yes, I do have a script that I wrote that is getting some traction and could possible go next year or the year after that. I'm really excited about it. I directed an episode of a tv series I created call SneakyPete on Amazon -bc

If either of you were marrying off your daughter or son, what would make you question them "why him?"

You just have to observe how they are treated. And the little things, the day-to-day things, thats a big indicator. Is the person being kind? Are they generous in spirit? And thats actually a perfect tie-in to this movie, because my character doesn’t see that in him in his presentation. He’s loud, he’s brash, and because of that I put up the resistance. Stephanie had to say look beyond that. In the movie he witnesses how he treats my daughter with love and kindness, and thats what you have to look for. -bc

Big hypothetical for me! Thinking about people I knew in high school, you want them to live their lives and make their own decisions. You don't want to impede that, they're adults. You just hope that they're not with anybody thats impeding them, is hurting them, detrimental to their lives. I'd like to think that you could have some influence on them..if that was the case. - jf

For both of you. What is a particular moment on set that comes to mind where you couldn't contain your laughter?

Griffin plays Bryan's young teenage son, both the character and actor were pretty innocent. On the first day, they just threw him right into it. My character asked him what his favorite swear word was…and he just started coming up with the strangest words, both tame and odd. And then from that moment on, he just went for it...and got dirter.....and dirterrrrr...….dragons and titties. - jf

It was a scene where my character is sitting on the toilet, and Keegan Michael Key is Gustav the right hand man, and its a house thats completely paperless. Fortunately there was a book nearby called MY Life In Parts which I read to kill some time, but Keegan realized something wasn't cleansing properly and he had to come in and take care of this. He had to come in and lower himself like 2 inches from my face. I think of it now and its still hard to keep a straight face. I kept breaking. There was one take that was 46 min long. I literally, when the camera was on one side, I was chomping down with my teeth on my inside cheek in order to not laugh. It was the most i’ve ever broken in any character ever. -bc

How's movie shoot catering?

Could be good or could be bad. Depends how much money is on the movie. See, my character could be any weight, I was like a midwest guy. James couldn't. As I was jamming my pie hole with pie, he was eating a half an apple every other hour. -bc

It was pretty good on this one. Bryan would get everybody pizza, or Mexican, everything. Every Friday. It was great. - jf

Bryan & James, What is your typical morning routine?

I usually get up pretty early. There's just so much to do. Although I go to bed pretty late. I've been trying to get more sleep, but it's so hard! Bryan left the party early last night! - jf

I always do! I leave parties early, its what I do! I'm not much of a club guy. There is a time, I have a curfew for myself. Around 1030 if I'm in a place in public and people have been drinking, you can feel the energy shift. Not a big fan of that, so I'm usually out and done by then. -bc

I wake up at about 630 every morning. When you do what we do you're often expected to be in a makeup chair at 630. No, I love waking up early, there's something about getting up to see the sunrise. Its the beginning and end of the day, there's something about it. -bc

Hey guys, did you happen to pull any pranks on each other while filming? I feel like you're both the type of dudes to have a little fun on set.

yes. so James was also teaching every weekend that we were shooting this. We worked 14 hours a day on our show. So during the week often, where there was a couch or something, James would take a nap on the couch (in the middle of everybody working), we'd go over and take cast pictures with James while he was sleeping. He can fall asleep anywhere. And he reads more than anybody I know - bc

I can fall asleep right here. - jf

What's your favorite pizza topping?

Considering that Bryan likes slim jims....he probably puts anything on that pizza. - jf