Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston criticizes fans that imagine him as Lex Luthor, with the actor viewing it as lazy. James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy is bound to introduce a new Lex Luthor actor to carry the role in the DC Universe, and fans have asked for Cranston to play the character for some time. However, the actor himself appears to be against the idea.

Speaking with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Cranston revealed that he thought fans wanting him to play Lex Luthor was “lazy casting.”

Cranston became a household name due to his run as Walter White in Breaking Bad, with the actor famously being bald in the show, which Cranston thinks was part of the laziness in the fan casting, saying, “Because I had a bald head, they go ‘Ah! Lex Luthor!’ It’s like, come on. Let’s think about this a little bit.” Check out the full quote below:

I think it was – I think you’re right, I think it was, like, lazy casting. There should be a, like, ‘lazycasting.com.’ And I was like ‘what is it?’ Because I had a bald head, they go ‘Ah! Lex Luthor!’ It’s like, come on. Let’s think about this a little bit.

Why Lex Luthor Is So Hard To Cast

Lex Luthor is a very complex character, with the villain being Superman’s nemesis. The character always has more going on in his mind than he allows others to see, which makes him an incredible threat for any DC hero. Luthor being hard to read is essential to the character, as the villain is known for his elaborate schemes, which come to life due to his immense wealth and genius-level intellect.

Sadly, the comic book-accurate version of Lex Luthor has not made its way to the big or small screen all that frequently, which evidences why Lex is such a difficult character to cast. While Cranston has shown through his acting that he could definitely pull off a nuanced performance as Lex Luthor, the star is right in saying that it is lazy casting to simply think of any actor that physically resembles Luthor for the role, as the character’s complexity asks for a specific type of performance for the character.

Gunn’s Lex Luthor criticism perfectly explains this, with the Superman: Legacy writer/director revealing that he is not a fan of Gene Hackman’s portrayal of the character in Richard Donner’s Superman films, as Lex Luthor acted way campier than he should be in the film series. Lex needs to be played by someone with gravitas that can bring the character’s calm and collected persona to the forefront, maintaining a sarcastic tone behind his line delivery. Lex Luthor needs, in most cases, to be intimidating to Superman without being physically imposing, and only a few actors can pull that off.

Source: Josh Horowitz/Twitter

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