Who needs to go to the actual Emmy Awards? Last night (Saturday) top Emmy contenders for Best Actor in a Drama, Jon Hamm and Bryan Cranston, came face to face at the Toronto Film Festival. It was around 1 am, and the pair met up at the big all star Soho House party that brought in everyone from George Clooney to Bono. Hamm, of course, is nominated for “Mad Men.” Cranston is now famous for “Breaking Bad.”
Ironically, both shows are on AMC, a cable network that can’t seem to understand or capitalize on its shows successes. The result is “Mad Men” is only now shooting its fifth season, and “Breaking Bad” still doesn’t have a start date for it next season. Oh well.
Hamm and Cranston will each be in penguin suits next Sunday for the Emmys–although Cranston isn’t nominated because “Breaking Bad”s season missed the deadline. But in the meantime, while Cranston and I were reminiscing about his “Seinfeld” days as Dr. Tim Watley–who became Jewish for the jokes–Hamm and girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt passed before us like the rogue planet from “Melancholia.”
Cranston, evoking his character from “Breaking Bad,” said with a laugh, “It’s simple. I’m going to knock him out with a lead cinch pipe.” Hamm shook his head in his disbelief. Cranston said, once Hamm passed: “Oh no, it’s his year.”
Meantime, Cranston is now in the same boat Hamm was in last year when “Mad Men” was in limbo with AMC. He can make movies until “Breaking Bad” gets a greenlight. Here in Toronto, Cranston is featured with Ryan Gosling in the about to be released — and really great– “Drive.” He said he would indeed consider a movie based on Dr. Tim Watley if nothing else comes up. But once audiences see him in “Drive,” there should be less fanciful offers on the table!
