He's on Broadway, Bitch! Emmy Winner Bryan Cranston on Going From Drug Dealer to President

Say my name! Bryan Cranston is trading Heisenberg’s pork pie hat for LBJ’s spectacles in Robert Schenkkan’s All The Way. The Breaking Bad star is making his Broadway debut in the biographical play about Lyndon B. Johnson's first year of presidency and his involvement with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Rolling Stone caught up with the actor about his new gig.

“There's more immediate reward on this stage than there was on the Breaking Bad set," Cranston said. "You're in the moment. You can say something and then hear an audience gasp or just hear them feel a sentence. Or laugh. It's very powerful. With television and film, it's different. It's fun too but you have to wait a long time for that indulgence."

"I was searching for something that would resonate with people," Cranston said about choosing his next acting job. "It had to be entertaining, of course, but it also had to have some meaning beyond the words. I found a lot of layers in this show." The screen star prepared to take on the iconic figure by reading up and visiting the LBJ Presidential Library in Texas. "A lot of things surprised me about his nature. He was a man who was accomplished and determined and politically savvy. At the same time there was a humorous side to him, and a fragility to his character that is also very interesting.”

And now for the most important question: Will Cranston's Breaking Bad co-star and "pal for life" Aaron Paul see the show? "He better!" Cranston said.

All The Way begins performances on February 10 at the Neil Simon Theatre.