Anna Gunn’s Seinfeld Connection
Most fans are aware that Bryan Cranston, who played Walter White in Breaking Bad, had an early role as Tim Whatley on Seinfeld. However, not many know that Anna Gunn, who portrayed Skyler White, also appeared on Seinfeld in an episode called “The Glasses” as Jerry’s girlfriend of the week. Although her character may not be as memorable as some of Jerry’s other girlfriends, it was a significant stepping stone in her career.
In the episode, George thinks he sees Jerry’s girlfriend (Gunn) kissing his cousin across the street, but he doesn’t have his glasses, so he can’t be sure. The episode revolves around trying to catch Gunn in her lie, but when George gets his glasses back, he realizes that what he actually saw was a policewoman petting her horse. While Seinfeld wasn’t technically Anna Gunn’s first role, it was her most prominent to date. Before that, she had been part of the cast for the little-seen show Down the Shore and had guested on Quantum Leap.
Anna Gunn’s Rise to Prominence
After her appearance on Seinfeld, Gunn started landing more TV roles, appearing in shows like NYPD Blue, Murder One, Drew Carey, Judging Amy, and The Guardian. Her next big break came with a significant part on The Practice in 1997, where she appeared for 10 episodes. HBO fans will also recognize Gunn from Deadwood, a show she appeared on from 2005 to 2006, where she had a solid role for 24 full episodes opposite Timothy Olyphant. The show was unfortunately canceled prematurely, but it remains one of HBO’s best offerings in the storied history of the network. And then, of course, after a few more minor roles, Gunn landed her big break in Breaking Bad. By then, she was no stranger to hit shows or prestige TV, but it would eventually become the biggest role of her career by far.
Anna Gunn’s Breaking Bad Audition
Gunn describes the first time she ever met Cranston and how the audition process went for Breaking Bad: “They were really great about the setup of the test. They had us all go in and spend about 10 or 15 minutes with Vince [Gilligan] and Bryan [Cranston] before we had to go in and do the actual test, which was nice because it’s very nerve-wracking that situation. We had that funny scene, where Skyler is multitasking, as it were, in the pilot. It’s such a funny, sort of strange scene. It’s a bit daunting to do in a casting situation. We got right to that and trying to figure out how we would do that so that it wasn’t completely ridiculous but would still be kind of funny and real at the same time.”
“Bryan and I just started having a really good time working out the mechanics and started laughing and joking around, and Vince kind of stood back and just watched us go to town. I think he enjoyed the chemistry that was between us right away. It was really fun. I remember really distinctly that we had a really good time. It was almost like a comedy audition, in a way. You wouldn’t have known how dark it was going to get between them at that time.”
In the end, it was her and Cranston who had the chemistry and got the parts. It’s interesting to think of how Breaking Bad really could have been perceived as a comedy in some parts, particularly in the early seasons, especially with known comedic actor Bryan Cranston in the lead role. And yet the show got progressively darker and darker, and eventually, Gunn won an Emmy for her role as Skyler White as the show kept drawing more and more incredible performances out of her as things went to hell. And it all started with Seinfeld, which more or less began the careers of the two stars of one of the best shows ever made. Funny how the industry works, isn’t it?
[Photos via NBC and AMC]
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