After receiving rave reviews for his performance as President Lyndon Johnson on Broadway, Bryan Cranston will be reprising the role in an upcoming HBO movie, and we now have our first image of Cranston's transformation.
The first image was released today via People. It's absolutely stunning, and kind of difficult to even see the Cranston we know and love in there. If there was any doubt about whether he looked the part, this should cast those fears aside.
In a conversation with People, All The Way director Jay Roach said that Cranston completely channels LBJ in his performance, both physically and emotionally. Roach also said that the film will begin directly following the JFK assassination, and it concludes on Johnson's election night, when he is officially no longer the "accidental president."
"We just filmed him and Lady Bird in the Oval Office, after JFK's assassination," Roach said. "LBJ has arrived as the 'accidental President.' He's almost overwhelmed. In spiritual support, Lady Bird touches his cheek. We melted, like we went back in time and witnessed a private, heart-wrenching moment between these two great people."
Cranston received a Tony award for his performance as Lyndon Johnson in 2014, and All The Way itself won for Best Play. Director Jay Roach is no stranger to political films for HBO, as he has previously directed the HBO original movie Game Change.
All The Way will air on HBO in 2016.
image courtesy of INFphoto.com
Image via Twitter from The Film Stage