Bryan Cranston has opened up about the devastating impact of fame on his marriage to Robin Dearden during an appearance at the Tribeca Film Festival.
The Breaking Bad star, who has been married to his wife for 36 years, revealed that he has to ‘find ways’ to deal with being a celebrity during a Tribeca X talk on Tuesday at Spring Studios in New York City.
While on the topic of his success, Cranston, 69, noted to moderator Cynthia Littleton, co-editor-in-chief of Variety, that he was ‘very lucky’ that ‘opportunity grew so fast’ early on in his career, but now the opportunities he’s presented with are ‘larger than’ his ambition right now.
‘Absolutely, the luck and good fortune I’ve had creates that ascension of opportunity. But, then you are working just as hard. It’s a better way to work than not having a job offer, but the offers are flooding, and you have to then sort and put people off and figure out and go, “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. How do I deal with this?”‘
He continued, ‘And then there’s the factor of this weird thing called celebrity and fame and what that does, and it offsets your personal relationship.
‘I’ve been married for 36 years and we’ve seen it like, “Oh wow, what’s happening?”‘
Bryan Cranston has opened up about the devastating impact of fame on his marriage to Robin Dearden during a Tribeca X talk on Tuesday in New York City
The Breaking Bad star said he has to ‘find ways’ to deal with fame impacting his marriage (pictured with wife Robin Dearden in July 2023)
He went on to describe moments his wife has been pushed aside by photographers so that they can get solo photos of him.
‘And, “Would you step aside, please?” You know, moving my wife out of the picture or something. And it’s like…,’ Cranston shared as he made a face of disappointment.
The moderator commented, ‘That can be a strain,’ which prompted Cranston to describe it more as an ‘interesting dynamic.’
‘It’s an interesting dynamic and I find ways to deal with it, and I think that’s like anything else. You go, “Okay, by and large, that came with being lucky in my profession.”‘
The actor’s wife rarely appears alongside Cranston on red carpets and has appeared to take a step back from her career as an actress in recent years. Her latest role was last year, when she lent her voice to a character in a short animated video The Alchemist of Cecil Street, and before that, she starred in a 2017 comedy film Chicanery.
Meanwhile, Cranston just premiered his new film, Everything’s Going to Be Great, at the Tribeca Film Festival, and released his new film The Phoenician Scheme. He also stars in Seth Rogen’s Apple TV+ series, The Studio.
In addition, he has eight other projects in the works, including the much-anticipated Malcolm in the Middle reboot coming later this year, which he teased is ‘just as crazy’ and ‘just as much fun’ as the original that first aired 25 years ago.
Bryan married Robin, 71, in July 1989 at the age of 35 after meeting on the set of TV show Airwolf and they went on to welcome a daughter Taylor Dearden, who is now 32 years old and recently made her acting debut in the drama series, The Pitt.
Cranston told the audience at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 10 about how photographers ask his wife to ‘step aside’ so they can take solo photos of him
The Studio actor has been married to his wife Robin for 36 years (pictured in June 2023)
The couple’s only child, Taylor Dearden, recently made her acting debut in a drama series called The Pitt
The Studio star still attends couple’s therapy sessions with his wife, which is something he admitted to doing over a decade ago.
‘I see a [therapist] in L.A. from time to time, when I’m feeling edgy or anxiety-ridden,’ he shared. ‘And my wife and I go to a couples therapist. Our agreement is, if either of us feels like we want to go, the other can’t object.
‘For my father’s generation, as he literally said, “I’d rather stick needles in my eyes than go to a therapist.”‘
In an interview with People magazine that took place last year, he shared his secret to his long-lasting marriage… ‘Marry the right person.’
He elaborated, ‘I think there are five things that you should look for in a mate. Whatever those five things are to you, you need those five things. After that, let it go. We’re never going to be completely alike on everything.
‘Someone said, “You don’t go shopping with your wife?”‘ he continued. ‘I go, “No! Why would I do that? I don’t like it!” I just don’t like it and she doesn’t like things that I like to do either.’
Cranston said that his wife inspired his desire to retire in 2026 since she ‘had to pivot and adjust her life’ based on his – a bombshell announcement he made with British GQ two years ago.
He also said that he hopes to travel more and move to a foreign country for at least six months with Robin. Plus, he plans on shutting down his production company, Moonshot Entertainment, and sell his half of mezcal business Dos Hombres, which he co-founded with his Breaking Bad costar Aaron Paul back in 2019.
He elaborated, ‘I want to change the paradigm once again. For the last 24 years, Robin has led her life holding onto my tail.
‘She’s been the plus one, she’s been the wife of a celebrity. She’s had to pivot and adjust her life based on mine. She has tremendous benefit from it, but we’re uneven. I want to level that out. She deserves it.’
