Bryan Cranston Is Back to Challenge Our Loyalties in 'Your Honor'

Is that working out?

We're tested three times a week — even if you're not scheduled to work that day, you have to come in. CBS and Showtime put these protocols together and as rigid as they are, they're working. Knock wood, we'll get through the next two-and-a-half weeks, and we'll finish strong. And without anybody getting infected.

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How are you feeling after recovering from COVID?

Great. I got it in March. My wife [actress Robin Dearden] and I were very fortunate. We had about three days of slight achiness, not enough to keep you in bed. I had a half a day of a 99.8 temperature, then a week of real exhaustion. You get up in the morning, walk around for three or four hours, and you say, “You know what? I gotta take a nap.” We both lost our sense of taste and smell for a solid two months. And then it slowly started coming back. Very slowly. Almost imperceptible. Now, it's almost 70 percent.

Now you can eat that rich New Orleans food.

I'm not really tasting it. I can taste sweet and savory but I can't really taste nuance or subtleties in flavors and spices. I can't smell coffee unless I open the bag and stick my nose in the bag of beans. Then I can smell it.

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Which type of character is the greater challenge, real-life ones like Dalton Trumbo and LBJ or Walter White and Hal from Malcolm in the Middle?

JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX/AFP via Getty Images

Bryan's Fast Facts

Age: 64

Hometown: Canoga Park, Calif.

Current project: Your Honor (Showtime)

Greatest Hits: Breaking Bad, Trumbo, All The Way, Network, Malcolm in the Middle, Seinfeld, The Upside

Accolades: One Oscar nomination (Trumbo), two Tony Awards, one Olivier award, six Emmy awards, three SAG awards

Education: Los Angeles Valley College, Associates Degree in Police Science

Pen to paper: 2016 memoir A Life in Parts

The fictional ones. With Trumbo or Johnson I had endless amounts of things to read and people to talk to and source material. It's fun to listen to the temper and the tenor of the voice, not to do an impersonation but to get the sensibility of why he spoke in a rhythmic way. Trumbo was irrational, and even when he said, “Yes, I'll have more coffee,” it almost sounded like an argument. It was fun to capture those things. A fictional character is a little unwieldy. It's a little too free and open. It's not as clear where you're going. Whereas if you look at a nonfictional character, you can see where you need to go. Whether you get there or not is another story.

After you play heavy dramatic roles do you ever long to go back to comic roles like Dr. Tim Whatley on Seinfeld or Larry's therapist on Curb Your Enthusiasm?

I do. I like to mix it up, for my entertainment and so that the industry doesn't pigeonhole me.

What's the secret of your 31-year marriage?

What makes it work is that we were able to be normal for many years. When you're a journeyman actor — and so is my wife — for 15 years, you sock that money away. You don't know when your next job is coming. My wife and I have never argued about money. The secret is her character. She's not cynical. She hasn't lost her girl-like joy of life. She's very emotional and empathetic and compassionate and loving. And I thought she would make a wonderful mother. And she has.

Being quarantined with someone 24/7 will illuminate the strength or weakness of a union.