( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ♪

♪ >> HOW ARE YOU?

>> James: I'M VERY GOOD!

WOW!

>> James: IT'S SO NICE TO SEE YOU!

>> I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW GREAT IT IS TO BE ABLE TO COME INTO A

STUDIO AGAIN AND SEE YOUR FACE.

>> James: WELL, IT'S ALWAYS A THRILL WHEN YOU'RE IN THE

BUILDING.

I THINK THAT'S NOT AN UNDERSTATEMENT, IS IT, GANG?

( CHEERING ) NOW, YOU HAVE HAD AN INCREDIBLY

BUSY LAST FEW MONTHS.

YOU'VE WRAPPED YOUR SHOW, I THINK, ON LAST TUESDAY.

>> YEAH.

>> James: THANKSGIVING.

YOU'RE PROMOTING THE SHOW NOW AND THERE'S A CHANCE YOU MAY BE

PICKED FOR JURY DUTY, I THINK IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS, RIGHT?

>> THAT'S ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.

I WAS ABLE TO PUSH IT OFF BECAUSE WE NEEDED TO FINISH OUR

SHOW.

SO I SAWED, OKAY, THIS IS THE LAST TIME, YOU WILL HAVE TO GIVE

US A DEFINITIVE DATE WHEN YOU'RE AVAILABLE.

I SAID, JANUARY?

THEY SAID, OKAY, JANUARY, BE THERE.

AND I MIGHT FETE ON A JURY.

WHAT'S INTERESTING IS I PLAY A SUPREME COURT COURT JUDGE IN

"YOUR HONOR."

>> James: IMAGINE IF YOU GOT PICKED FOR JURY DUTY AND IT'S A

CASE OF A GUY WHO'S BEEN COOKING METH.

>> OH, MY HEART WOULD GO OUT TO HIM.

>> James: YOU WOULD BE ON THE STAND GOING, WELL, HE KNOWS!

EDIDN'T TAKE IT, HE UNDERSTANDS!

( LAUGHTER ) NOW YOU'VE HAD TWO BIG REUNIONS,

MICHAEL AND THEN BREAKING BAD.

HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO DO BOTH TO HAVE THE BIG REUNIONS?

>> THE READING OF THE PILOT EPISODE OF MALCOLM IN THE

MIDDLE, IT'S BEEN 20 YEARS SINCE WE PREMIERED THE SHOW AND IT WAS

FOR A HEALING ORGANIZATION IN CALIFORNIA THAT HELPS VETERANS

AND HOMELESS, AND IT BROUGHT A LOT OF MONEY IN, AND IT WAS SO

GREAT TO SEE EVERYBODY'S FACE AGAIN AND TO READ THE LINES.

IT WAS REALLY SWEET.

THEN THIS SUMMER, MY WIFE AND I DROVE UP TO IDAHO TO REUNITE

WITH AARON PAUL BECAUSE HE AND I ARE IN DOS HOMBRES, AND WE'RE

DOING REALLY WELL AND I HAD TO GET UP THERE TO DO MARKETING

STUFF AND MEET WITH HIM.

SO WE DROVE STRAIGHT THROUGH FROM LOS ANGELES TO MIDDLE OF

IDAHO.

IT WAS 14 HOURS, AND WE LEFT WHEN IT WAS DARK IN THE MORNING

AND JUST DROVE STRAIGHT THROUGH.

>> James: WOW.

DIDN'T STOP.

>> James: NOT ONE STOP?

WELL, MY CAR RUNS ON URINE, WHICH IS AN UNUSUAL --

( LAUGHTER ) SO WE JUST HAVE TUBES.

( LAUGHTER ) IT WAS EASY FOR ME.

MY WIFE WAS A LITTLE HESITANT BUT THEN SHE PITCHED IN.

>> James: SHE'S A GATORADE BOTTLE GIRL.

>> SHE'S A TROOPER.

GUZZLING WATER AND GATORADE.

>> James: LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR BRAND-NEW SERIES.

>> YEAH.

>> James: IT'S GOING TO BE AN INCREDIBLY POPULAR SHOW.

FOR ANYONE WHO DOESN'T KNOW, TTELL THEM WHAT IT'S ABOUT.

>> I PLAY A SUPREME COURT JUDGE IN NEW ORLEANS AND I HAVE A

17-YEAR-OLD SON WHO IS MOURNING THE ANNIVERSARY OF HIS MOTHER'S

DEATH AND, AT THAT DAY, HE DECIDES TO GO AND HONOR HER, BUT

HE IS ALSO AN ASTHMATIC, HE'S HAVING TROUBLE BREATHING, HE

GETS INTO A CAR ACCIDENT AND PANICS AND LEAVES THE SCENE OF

THE ACCIDENT, WHICH IMMEDIATELY BECOMES A HIT AND RUN AND IT'S A

CRIME.

WHEN I GET HOME, HE TELLS ME ABOUT IT AND I SAY, LOOK, BUDDY,

YOU'VE GOT TO DO THE RIGHT THING, WE'VE GOT TO TAKE YOU IN

BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS.

SO I TAKE HIM INTO THE POLICE STATION, BUT BEFORE I TURN HIM

IN, I SEE TWO GRIEVING PARENTS, AND I KNOW THE GUY.

HE IS A MOB BOSS, A VERY DANGEROUS, DESPICABLE HUMAN

BEING, AND I KNOW THAT GUY WOULD KILL MY SON, AND, SO, I DO AN

ABOUT FACE, OUT THE DOOR, MY SON SAYS, NO, DAD, WE GOT TO -- NO,

GET BACK IN THE CAR, GET BACK IN THE CAR.

SO, FROM THAT POINT ON, I HAVE TO USE MY EXPERIENCE IN THE LAW

TO REVERSE ENGINEER ALL THESE THINGS AND BECOME A CRIMINAL,

DESTROY EVIDENCE, CREATE ALBUYS, AND MANIPULATE THE SYSTEM.

IT'S FASCINATING.

>> James: IT'S SO GREAT BECAUSE FROM MINUTE ONE YOU'RE

IN, REALLY, AND IT'S YOUR -- THIS IS YOUR FIRST LEAD IN THE

TV DRAMA SINCE BREAKING BAD.

DID YOU PURPOSEFULLY WAIT SORT OF A FEW YEARS TO DO ANOTHER TV

SERIES?

>> I DID.

FOR SOME REASON, I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, BREAKING BAD WAS SUCH A

MON MENTAL PERIOD IN MY LIFE AND I THOUGHT I NEED TO GIVE IT AT

LEAST THREE YEARS BEFORE I GO BACK AND DO TV.

I DID.

I WENT AND DID BROADWAY, WORKED AT THE NATIONAL THERE WHERE YOU

WORKED BEFORE, AND THAT DID GREAT EXPERIENCES, AND IT WAS

TIME TO COME BACK BECAUSE OF THIS STORY.

IT'S JUST AN AMAZING, COMPELLING STORY TO TELL.

>> James: NOW, IN THE SHOW, YOUR TEENAGE SON GETS INTO SOME

TERRIBLE TROUBLE, WHICH MADE ME THINK WHAT WAS A YOUNG CRANSTON

LIKE?

WHAT WAS THE MOST SORT OF TROUBLE A YOUNG BRYAN CRANSTON

WOULD GET INTO?

>> I WAS A SNEAKY PETE, I WAS A SNEAKY LITTLE KID, I TELL YA.

EVEN IN HIGH SCHOOL, I MADE SURE THAT -- YOU KNOW, WE HAD TRUANT

OFFICERS IN THOSE DAYS.

>> James: RIGHT.

THEY WERE LIKE SCHOOL POLICE AND THEY'LL ARREST KIDS AT THE

MALL AND BRING THEM IN AND CALL THEIR PARENTS AND EVERYTHING,

AND I WAS SKIPPING SCHOOL, LIKE MOST PEOPLE, AND ASKING FUN.

AND ONE DAY, WHEN THERE WAS A SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHY DAY OR TWO OR

THREE DAYS, I THOUGHT, THERE'S NO ONE MONITORING THIS.

YOU CAN JUST WRITE YOUR NAME DOWN AND GO IN.

YOU CAN WRITE ANY NAME DOWN.

SO I WROTE, I DID BRYAN CRANSTON AND HE TOOK MY PICTURE AND AWAY

I WENT AND HE SAID, YOU GOING TO BE HERE TOMORROW?

I SAID, YEAH.

CAME BACK TOMORROW, DIFFERENT SHIRT, WROTE DOWN BILL JOHNSON,

11th GRADE, TOOK THE PICTURE, GOT MY I.D. CARD.

I HAD ONE FOR BRYAN CRANSTON AND ONE FOR BILL JOHNSON.

BILL JOHNSON WAS A TERRIBLE INFLUENCE.

THAT GUY WAS A TROUBLEMAKER, HE ALWAYS DITCHED SCHOOL, HE DID

REALLY TERRIBLE ROTTEN MISCHIEVOUS THINGS, AND I'M SO

GLAD THAT I DISASSOCIATED WITH HIM COMPLETELY.

>> James: WELL, WE'VE GOT A PICTURE OF HIM RIGHT HERE.

WE HAVE A PICTURE HERE.

THIS IS BRYAN CRANSTON'S STUDENT I.D. CARD, AND RIGHT UNDERNEATH

BILL JOHNSON AND, EVEN IN THE FACE THAT YOU'RE PULLING, BRYAN

CRANSTON IS A LOVELY GUY, BILL JOHNSON HE KNOWS WHERE TO GET

YOU STUFF.

>> BUT I WAS TRICKY, SEE, BECAUSE YOU NOTICE, I GAVE HIM A

DIFFERENT GRADE LEVEL.

I WAS IN THE 12th GRADE, HE WAS IN THE 11th.

THAT'S MASTERMIND STUFF.

>> James: GENIUS!

GENIUS.

>> James: THIS IS WHY YOU'RE SO GREAT AT PLAYING ALL THESE

PARTS.