Summary of Bryan Cranston's A Life in Parts

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 When I was on set preparing to do the scene where Jane, Jesse’s girlfriend, dies, I was terrified. It was the most harrowing scene I did on Breaking Bad, and ever.

#2 Actors are storytellers. And storytelling is the essential human art. It’s how we understand who we are. I don’t mean to sound high-flown, but it is a discipline and a lot of hard work.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Jul 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822532502

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

When I was on set preparing to do the scene where Jane, Jesse’s girlfriend, dies, I was terrified. It was the most harrowing scene I did on Breaking Bad, and ever.

#2

Actors are storytellers. And storytelling is the essential human art. It’s how we understand who we are. I don’t mean to sound high-flown, but it is a discipline and a lot of hard work.

Insights from Chapter 2

#1

My parents met in an acting class in Hollywood. They bought a house in Canoga Park, close to Hollywood, but a world away from the Valley’s air pollution levels.

#2

I loved the smell of fresh-cut grass, the sound of Vin Scully’s voice calling the game on the radio, and the clean symmetry of the baseball diamond. I knew I could depend on those things, no matter what was going on at home.

Insights from Chapter 3

#1

I was a goof as a kid, but my brother Kim had a serious streak. He was introspective. He was smarter than me, not as athletic. But we were aligned in almost every other way. We both inherited the acting gene.

#2

My father, an actor, had many ambitions but lacked business acumen. He had more ideas than success. He never gave up, and he was always trying new things.

#3

I remember riding in the front seat of my dad’s car with my brother late one afternoon, and a man driving a hot rod cut him off. My dad slammed on the brakes and straight-armed my brother and me to keep us from flying through the window. We were in the rusted car that had replaced our new one. My dad gave chase, honking, and at a stoplight he pulled up alongside the spiffy car and punched the man in the face.

#4

I had a brother and sister, and we went to the Corbin Theater every afternoon after school to watch movies. My favorite was Cat Ballou, a Western spoof about a prim schoolmarm who sets out to avenge the death of her father and becomes a notorious outlaw.

#5

My parents grew apart after my dad started dating my mom’s sister. Two years later, we went to