Why Bryan Cranston won’t work with Tony Kaye again
Detachment, Tony Kaye’s 2011 film about a disillusioned substitute teacher who forges deep connections with his students, was released to mixed reviews. Some thought Adrien Brody was sublime in his role as Henry Barthes, while others thought the screenplay let it down. Bryan Cranston, who had a minor role in the film, felt the movie missed the mark for one crucial reason.
When he spoke to reporters on the set of 2016’s Get a Job, he seemed almost bemused that his interviewer genuinely liked the film, admitting quite damningly he hadn’t even seen it. “I’m surprised to hear that [you liked the film] actually,” he remarked.
He went on to explain he felt disappointed by Kaye in particular. “Because,” he said, “I felt that Carl Lund, the writer of Detachment, wrote a really beautiful, haunting script. And I didn’t feel that it was honoured.” According to Cranston, the writing is the “springboard” of every film, and Kaye’s neglect of it meant they did not artistically gel.
“I don’t believe that I’ll be working with him again,” said Cranston of the American History X director. “I didn’t not get along with him on a personal level, but I just honour the writing. I really think that writing is the most important element there is. It is the springboard. It is where everything starts. And if you don’t honour that, which I didn’t feel it was, then where are you?” he asked.
Cryptically, Cranston revealed he was not the only actor in the film that felt this way. The other members of the star-studded cast included Lucy Liu and Christina Hendricks. It was an all-star cast, which Kaye himself didn’t seem thrilled about, saying: “The cast is a bit over the top, I have to say. There are some very big actors who are not doing all that much, but that’s one of those things,” which can’t have helped the behind the scenes tension.
However, that’s not to say that Cranston didn’t want the film to succeed. “If it turned out good, I’m happy for that, I just don’t want to do a movie just to do a movie,” he said. “I want to be able to look back on everything that I’ve done and be proud. It doesn’t mean it has to be a box-office hit, and it doesn’t have to be lauded by every critic.”
While trying to find a way to diplomatically summarise his experience with the director, Cranston said: “Tony Kaye is a very complicated, interesting fellow.” It marks one of many on-set disagreements Kaye has been involved in. The constant clashes between Kaye and star Edward Norton throughout the filming on American History X were infamously volatile, resulting in Kaye spending upwards of $100,000 to release adverts condemning Norton’s performance in the lead-up to the film’s release.
On Detachment, Kaye told The Guardian his only intentions going forward were solely to “work with great actors and get performances that are different”. It’s safe to say he can strike Cranston off of his list.
