Woke bylaws have dramatically changed Hollywood’s product.
Raunchy comedies are out, with “Ricky Stanicky” being an exception relegated to Amazon Prime. Old-school rom-coms went the way of the fax machine, with the mediocre “Anyone But You” over-performing with love-starved patrons.
Yet Hollywood’s new moral order has no qualms about making hitmen (and women) the newest trend.
Yes, many recent films ask us to empathize with stone-cold killers. They murder for a living, earn fabulous paychecks, and often live to see the end credits roll. And they anchor a shocking number of films. Let’s tally up some recent examples.
<ul>
<li>Brad Pitt in “Bullet Train” (2022)</li>
<li>The “John Wick” franchise – plus “The Continental,” a new Peacock series and the upcoming “Ballerina” spinoff with Ana de Armas.</li>
<li>Michael Fassbender in “The Killer” (2023)</li>
<li>“The Hitman’s Bodyguard” (2017) and its sequel, “Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” (2021)</li>
<li>Mary Elizabeth Winstead in “Kate” (2021)</li>
<li>Jessica Chastain in “Ava” (2020)</li>
<li>Sasha Luss in “Anna” (2019)</li>
<li>Michael Keaton, Maggie Q in “The Protégé” (2021)</li>
<li>Glen Powell in “Hit Man” (June 2024)</li>
<li>Taraji P. Henson in “Proud Mary” (2018)</li>
<li>Three “Equalizer” films starring Denzel Washington</li>
</ul>
Some of these films are played for laughs. Pitt’s paid killer brings a comic, Zen-like approach to his craft. Most movies make it clear we’re meant to root for the assassins. They’re almost always smart, shrewd, and good at their work.
<div id="attachment_710089" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-710089" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-710089" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/bullettrainpitt-864x576.jpg" alt="Brad Pitt and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in &quot;Bullet Train.&quot; 87North/Columbia Pictures/Sony. 2022." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/bullettrainpitt-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/bullettrainpitt-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/bullettrainpitt-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/bullettrainpitt-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/bullettrainpitt-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/bullettrainpitt-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/bullettrainpitt.jpg 2002w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />87North/Columbia Pictures/Sony. 2022.</div>
This month, Michael Keaton directs himself in “Knox Goes Away,” the tale of a veteran hit man forced into retirement by dementia. Keaton’s character, John Knox, attempts to “cash out” while he can, hoping to funnel his money to his estranged family members.
It’s Keaton’s second time behind the camera. His directorial debut, 2008’s “The Merry Gentleman,” also found Keaton playing a hit man with a heart of gold.
What’s happening?
Antiheroes are all the rage in Hollywood. Blame Tony Soprano and Walter White. The deeply flawed figures at the heart of “The Sopranos” and “Breaking Bad,” respectively, taught us to engage with damaged souls.
The hitmen genre flows effortlessly from there.
<div id="attachment_710103" style="width: 811px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-710103" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-710103" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-462616463-801x576.jpg" alt="Actors Aaron Paul (L) and Bryan Cranston (R), pose in the press room after Cranston won Best Actor in a TV drama and &quot;Breaking Bad&quot; won Best Series - Drama, at the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, January 12, 2014. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)" width="801" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-462616463-801x576.jpg 801w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-462616463-300x216.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-462616463-768x552.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-462616463.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 801px) 100vw, 801px" />ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images</div>
It helps that the genre taps into our collective bloodlust. Few films choreograph death and destruction with the majesty of the “John Wick” saga. Every film is a ballet of bloodshed.
Other stories guarantee big, bold action sequences, the kind that play well in international markets.
Ka-ching!
These films also tap into our hunger for redemption. Yes, we enjoy seeing fathers reunite with their children on screen, or addicts come clean after years of hard living. What’s more powerful than an assassin realizing his line of work has crushed his soul?
Keaton’s character in “Knox Goes Away” knows he’s dying, but he’ll use his last days to repair some of the damage done to his son and ex-wife. The screenplay also makes clear that the targets of his handiwork essentially had it coming.
No judge. No jury. Just an execution.
<div id="attachment_710087" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-710087" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-710087" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/keatonknoxgoesaway-1024x512.jpg" alt="Michael Keaton in &quot;Know Goes Away.&quot; Brookstreet Pictures. IMDB. 2024." width="1024" height="512" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/keatonknoxgoesaway-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/keatonknoxgoesaway-300x150.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/keatonknoxgoesaway-768x384.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/keatonknoxgoesaway-1536x768.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/keatonknoxgoesaway-2048x1024.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Brookstreet Pictures. IMDB. 2024.</div>
Hollywood also recognizes something about the zeitgeist. American audiences are sick of seeing assailants walk after committing heinous attacks. Soft-on-crime policies permeate big cities, and to see deeply flawed people kill said thugs is cathartic.
Too many stores now lock up the essentials for fear of even more theft.
The fascinating part of this cultural shift circles back to the woke movement. Today’s movies can’t luxuriate in the “male gaze” without triggering cries of “The Patriarchy!” The few R-rated comedies that traffic in “problematic” themes get pummeled by mainstream movie critics. Reviewers pounced on Amy Schumer’s “Snatched” for casting minorities <a href="https://ew.com/tv/2018/05/05/bill-maher-amy-schumer-i-feel-pretty-critics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as the villain.</a>
Many classic movies couldn’t be made today thanks to the new, progressive mindset.
Yet woke scolds won’t go near the hit man genre. No outrage. No calls for their cultural banishment. No hashtag campaigns designed to snuff them out.
The same isn’t true, ironically, for vigilante films.
When Bruce Willis revived the classic “Death Wish” franchise in 2018, critics howled in protest. Even the film’s trailer <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4761804/Bruce-Willis-remake-Death-Wish-labeled-racist-alt-right.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">triggered</a> cries of racism and fascism.
How is Paul Kersey’s one-man war on crime different than John Wick slaughtering literally hundreds over the course of that franchise?
It isn’t. Actually, Wick’s body count is far worse. So is his moral compass.
Jennifer Garner fared far better with the similarly themed 2018 film “Peppermint.” Social critics pulled most of their punches, probably because the vigilante <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/peppermint-trailer-media-hypocrisy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in question</a> was a woman.
<div id="attachment_710075" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-710075" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-710075" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1024920108-864x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 28: Jennifer Garner attends the premiere of STX Entertainment's 'Peppermint' at Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14 on August 28, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1024920108-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1024920108-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1024920108-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1024920108.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Neilson Barnard/Getty Images</div>
That reminds us how hypocritical the woke movement remains. Social justice types rage against “ageist” attacks on President Joe Biden but stood down when Will Ferrell flirted with an Alzheimer’s <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/will-ferrells-reagan-script-actual-888804/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comedy based on President Ronald Reagan</a>.
They tried to cancel country singer Morgan Wallen’s career after he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-morgan-wallen-first-interview-since-n-word-video-deplatforming-i-can-only-come-tell-my-truth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">uttered the “n-word”</a> in a private conversation caught on tape. Yet they rally behind First Son Hunter Biden, a man who <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/06/10/mainstream-media-ignores-lewd-hunter-biden-n-word-texts-to-his-lawyer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">repeatedly</a> used the same word in text messages.
The woke Left will rage against a comedian for telling the “wrong” joke or a comedy for telling so-called <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/17/get-hard-review-will-ferrell-adds-to-slew-of-gay-panic-comedies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“gay panic”</a> jokes. If the hero snuffs out someone without a trial they look the other way.
Heck, make the assassin female and they might dub it “empowering.”
There’s little chance Hollywood will slow the flow of assassin-themed films. Some still make serious coin, and crime remains out of control across the country.
It’s not logical, but a part of us feels safer with people like John Wick meting out justice. Hollywood’s topsy-turvy moral compass doesn’t seem to mind.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@HollywoodInToto</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

eq3Picture1

Hollywood’s Obsession With Hitmen Movies

Hollywood's Obsession With Hitmen Movies

Brad Pitt

Breaking Bad

Denzel Washington

Entertainment

Hollywood

Jennifer Garner

Keanu Reeves

Michael Keaton

Movies

Readers Pass

&#8220;Breaking Bad&#8221; star Bryan Cranston revealed how a cross-country motorcycle trip with his brother in the mid-1970s led to the pair becoming suspects in a very real murder case.
Cranston <a href="https://people.com/how-bryan-cranston-became-murder-suspect-was-targeted-by-scorned-lover-soap-set-8580183" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spilled the details</a> during a recent appearance on Jesse Tyler Ferguson&#8217;s &#8220;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bryan-cranston/id1683905652?i=1000644286588" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dinner&#8217;s On Me</a>&#8221; podcast, saying that it had all started when they ran out of money somewhere in Florida and needed to make some extra cash.
Cranston explained that they had found work at a restaurant called The Hawaiian Inn, but had found themselves working for a cook that no one liked — a man named Peter Wong.
&#8220;There was just no way on earth you were ever going to get on his good side. But he liked the ladies. And so, all the men knew, oh, if we had any problem in the kitchen, we had to send them in,&#8221; Cranston said, adding that staffers would on occasion fantasize about how they might rid themselves of the &#8220;awful&#8221; Wong.
&#8220;We&#8217;d all discuss how rotten and mean Peter Wong is, and we&#8217;d all discuss, if one were to do away with Peter Wong &#8230; how would one do it?&#8221; Cranston recalled. Among the suggestions he remembered were something involving the meat-grinder and a plot to crack him over the head with one of his own pans.
But the Cranstons had never planned to stay long, and eventually took off on their motorcycles — generally headed toward Maine. And as luck would have it, that was about the same time that Wong mysteriously disappeared.
&#8220;Little did we know that right at the time we said goodbye and left the job, Peter Wong went missing,&#8221; Cranston said. &#8220;He was not found for a week, week and a half, two weeks.&#8221;
Wong was found dead, stuffed in the trunk of a car after being robbed, investigators eventually determined — but before they figured things out, Cranston and his brother topped their suspect list.
&#8220;My friends were saying, &#8216;Homicide, what&#8217;s going on?&#8217; They&#8217;re saying, uh, &#8216;Peter Wong was found murdered.&#8217; And everything just drops because this is serious stuff,&#8221; Cranston recalled. &#8220;And then they said, &#8216;Is there anyone ever that you can remember talking about hurting or maiming or doing any harm to Peter Wong?&#8217; And everyone&#8217;s like, &#8216;Um, yes.'&#8221;
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
&#8220;&#8216;Well, this is not a joke This really happened and the man&#8217;s dead. Is there anybody who was joking as you put it, and is not here now?'&#8221; Cranston said that because of the timing of their departure, he and his brother were the only two who fit that description.&#8221;&#8216;When did they leave? &#8230; Two weeks ago? That&#8217;s when we determined that you know, the man was killed. Where can we find them? &#8230; Oh, they left town?'&#8221;&#8221;Little did we know they put out an APB (all-points bulletin) on us and to find us. We were somewhere in the Carolinas, I think at that point. We didn&#8217;t know any of this,&#8221; Cranston added. &#8220;We were just tooling along. I can just imagine if someone really pulled us over &#8230; we were this close.&#8221;

“Last Flag Flying” International Premiere – 61st BFI London Film Festival

‘Breaking Bad’ Star Reveals How He Became A Suspect In A Real Murder

'Breaking Bad' Star Reveals How He Became A Suspect In A Real Murder

Bryan Cranston

Celebrities

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Television

U.S.

“<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/breaking-bad">Breaking Bad</a>” showrunner Vince Gilligan shared his thoughts about the hot topic of the Hollywood community: the use of AI, or artificial intelligence.
The 58-year-old <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/hollywood">director</a> said at first he was afraid of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/artificial-intelligence">AI</a>, but eventually, it just annoyed him. 
“When I first became aware of ChatGPT or whatever it’s called, it scared the living hell out of me. I thought, ‘We’re done for as a race.’ I don’t mean in the ‘Terminator’ sense, like they’re going to start exterminating us. But who wants to live in a world where creativity is given over to machines? There goes my job,” he recently told <a href="https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/vince-gilligan-new-show-details-rhea-seehorn-ai-breaking-bad-1235745560/">Variety</a>.  
He continued, saying he considers the current form of AI creatively lacking. 
“I think it’s a lot of horses***,” Gilligan continued. “It’s a giant plagiarism machine, in its current form. I think ChatGPT knows what it’s writing like a toaster knows that it’s making toast. There’s no intelligence — it’s a marvel of marketing.”
The director said he believes the technology would improve over time but that, for now, it can’t compete with human creativity in the realm of writing. 
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“Down the line there may be a moment of singularity where it actually becomes a threat, but right now it’s just a plagiarism machine,” he reiterated. “It’s a bunch of billionaires trying to become trillionaires by selling this thing as some kind of momentous sea change. It certainly will have its uses in writing legal briefs and stuff like that, but I don’t think it’s going to take over for writers of fiction.”
Gilligan was reflecting on how a decade has passed since the end of the Emmy-award-winning series, “Breaking Bad.” The director said that he’s still “very proud” of the drama but that there’s just one thing he messed up on.
“I think the one thing we got wrong was Aaron Paul’s teeth,” he said of one of the show’s lead actors who played drug dealer and addict Jesse Pinkman. “They’re too damn perfect! For a guy who got beaten up as much as he did and smoked that much meth, his teeth would not look so beautiful.”
He added, “We probably did the country a disservice, but having said that, Aaron’s easy on the eyes so that was just as well for folks watching.”

Vince Gilligan

‘Breaking Bad’ Creator Vince Gilligan Calls AI Technology ‘A Plagiarism Machine’

'Breaking Bad' Creator Vince Gilligan Calls AI Technology 'A Plagiarism Machine'

Artificial Intelligence

Technology

Several <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/entertainment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cast members</a> of the hit AMC drama series “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/breaking-bad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Breaking Bad</a>” showed up on the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/strike" target="_blank" rel="noopener">picket line</a> on Tuesday as the SAG-AFTRA and WGA writers and actors strikes drag on in Hollywood.
Lead “Breaking Bad” actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bryan-cranston" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bryan Cranston</a>, who played Walter White in the Emmy-award-winning series, expressed some of the concerns that led to a work stoppage in the first place. One issue he called out specifically was the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
“We’re here in solidarity with all of us, with all of our brothers and sisters who are affected by this, and the WGA and SAG,” Cranston told the gathered crowd outside Sony Pictures Studios, per <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/breaking-bad-cast-reunite-picket-line-strike-ai-concerns-bryan-cranston-1235577711/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Hollywood Reporter</a>. “We are all the backbone of our business.”
He continued, “We’re not making them [studios and streamers] the enemy, they’re not villains. These are people we all will be working with once again at some point. We just want them to see reality and fairness and come back to the table and talk to us.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BreakingBad?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BreakingBad</a> team <a href="https://twitter.com/BryanCranston?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BryanCranston</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/aaronpaul_8?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AaronPaul_8</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/betsy_brandt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Betsy_Brandt</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/petergould?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PeterGould</a> Jesse Plemons and more come together to picket outside the Sony lot for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ActorsStrike?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ActorsStrike</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WritersStrike?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WritersStrike</a> <a href="https://t.co/iggjIwmPTY">pic.twitter.com/iggjIwmPTY</a>
&mdash; The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) <a href="https://twitter.com/THR/status/1696587570719986153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The 67-year-old actor told THR that he is hoping for an “equitable contract” for talent to earn a guaranteed living wage.
“Something that makes the working actor able to pay their bills, pay their rent, buy food for their families,” Cranston told the outlet. “I mean, it’s really to that point. It’s a watershed moment.”
The “Breaking Bad” alum also came down hard on the use of AI. 
“This contract will have a sentence in there that states, ‘Actors must be human beings.’ This is mind-boggling, but that’s what it will say, and the same thing with the Writers Guild contract: ‘Must be written by a human being,&#8217;” Cranston said. 
“We’ve never had to imagine that before but that’s here right now. It’s possible of happening right now and we have to step in and say, ‘You are dehumanizing the workforce and it cannot continue.&#8217;”
Former Breaking Bad actors Aaron Paul, Betsy Brandt, Jesse Plemons, and writer Peter Gould joined Cranston on the picket line.
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
Plemons, who played Todd Alquist in the series, spoke up on the issue of residual payments for actors, another key item in the contract negotiations. “I started acting quite a while ago and that’s how people survive when they’re not working,” Plemons said.
WGA representatives met with studio executives last week but failed to make any progress toward coming to an agreement. They expressed disgust that the execs shared contract details with the public, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/studios-share-contract-details-after-wga-leaders-meet-with-hollywood-ceos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. 
“This was the companies’ plan from the beginning – not to bargain, but to jam us,” the reps said at the time. “It is their only strategy – to bet that we will turn on each other.”
The WGA has been on strike since May 2, while the SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14. This is the first dual strike since 1960.

‘Breaking Bad’ Cast Reunites On Picket Line, Slams AI: ‘Dehumanizing The Workforce’

'Breaking Bad' Cast Reunites On Picket Line, Slams AI: 'Dehumanizing The Workforce'

Business

Economy

strike

“Breaking Bad” star Dean Norris got slammed for his tone-deafness after he mocked Americans complaining about gas prices.
Norris became famous for his role as Drug Enforcement Administration agent Hank Schrader in “Breaking Bad” and the spin-off series “Better Call Saul.”
But on Wednesday, he angered plenty of people by tweeting, “Youre [sic] not getting ‘robbed’ at the pump. You’re paying fair market price for a commodity. If you love Capitalism so much then stfu.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Youre not getting “robbed” at the pump. You’re paying fair market price for a commodity. If you love Capitalism so much then stfu
&mdash; Dean Norris (@deanjnorris) <a href="https://twitter.com/deanjnorris/status/1536958973198274560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Norris’ foul language and his disdain for conservatives should not come as a surprise. In May, he targeted Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) with bellicose rhetoric, snapping, “There are responsible citizens who own guns for hunting, sport or self defense. Then there are limp dicks like @tedcruz who fetishize firearms to make up for their shriveled balls. Can’t even defend his own wife when Trump calls her an ugly cow.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
There are responsible citizens who own guns for hunting, sport or self defense. Then there are limp dicks like <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tedcruz</a> who fetishize firearms to make up for their shriveled balls. Can’t even defend his own wife when Trump calls her an ugly cow <a href="https://t.co/2bsTHMj3M9">pic.twitter.com/2bsTHMj3M9</a>
&mdash; Dean Norris (@deanjnorris) <a href="https://twitter.com/deanjnorris/status/1529828592514871296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As far back as 2017, Norris was denigrating former Republican President Ronald Reagan and then-President Donald Trump. As Newsweek <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/breaking-bad-star-dean-norris-sparks-furious-debate-over-gas-prices-1716424">noted</a>, he told the British newspaper The Independent:
<blockquote>He [Reagan] was the first Trump, from my perspective. People that voted Democrat all their lives, and then all of a sudden came the idea that Democrats were kind of p*****s, and Reagan became like, a man. The working class, which for economic reasons alone should be the constituents of the Democratic Party, became the constituents of the Republican Party. And we literally now have a man who lives in a golden tower speaking for blue-collar workers.</blockquote>
Norris&#8217; comment about gas prices set some people off.
Federalist columnist David Harsanyi wrote, “It&#8217;s not a fair-market price if government purposely creates scarcity to drive up the price.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
It&#39;s not a fair-market price if government purposely creates scarcity to drive up the price. <a href="https://t.co/ISjpZJeCF5">https://t.co/ISjpZJeCF5</a>
&mdash; David Harsanyi (@davidharsanyi) <a href="https://twitter.com/davidharsanyi/status/1537486508596207617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 16, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Other comments:
<blockquote>Easy for someone as loaded as you to say. Prices were fine a few months ago. Restriction of capitalism is what put us here.
Dude just act and leave real life problems to the people who understand that stuff.
How is closing pipelines the free market? How is buying from a dictatorship when you were energy independent previously, the free market? Stick to acting.
I love breaking bad [sic], but a millionaire actor from Hollywood worth 5 million can’t be telling hard working Americans who live paycheck by paycheck to just suck it up when you specifically benefit from capitalism. Please just stick to acting my guy.
&nbsp;</blockquote>

Premiere Of Netflix’s “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie” – Arrivals

‘STFU’: ‘Breaking Bad’ Star Mocks Americans Complaining About Gas Prices

Gas Prices

After two long years of waiting, “Better Call Saul” fans will finally see the triumphant return of the drama series as the sixth and final season kicks off tonight. 
Some fans of the “Breaking Bad” prequel will have already re-watched the fifth season or the entire series in anticipation of the premiere. It would make sense, considering the season 5 finale aired in April 2020, which feels like a lifetime ago.
For anyone who doesn’t have that kind of time, there are a few key elements to remember before watching the first two episodes of season 6, which will both air back-to-back on AMC beginning at 9 p.m. Monday.
The official “Better Call Saul” YouTube channel published a 15-minute recap to catch everyone up on the most important events from Season 5. In it, fans watch as Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) explains to Kim Wexler why he’s taking on the Saul Goodman persona going forward. Ignacio “Nacho” Varga breaks the news to Jimmy/Saul that “When you’re in, you’re in” after the lawyer helped with a favor for the cartel. This is the beginning of a downward spiral that will end with Jimmy putting the “criminal” in criminal lawyer. 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Season 5 Recap: Get Ready | Better Call Saul" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_s_55cKycdA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Later, Howard Hamlin of HHM insults Jimmy by offering him a job at the law firm his older brother Chuck helped found. Jimmy gives his response by lobbing a bowling ball at Howard’s Jaguar. Gus Fring saves Mike Ehrmantraut’s life and enlists him as a “soldier,” saying they both operate with the same goal in mind: revenge. In Fring’s case, he’s trying to get back at the Salamanca family, while maintaining the pretense of being business partners all working for the same drug cartel.
Kim and Jimmy seem like they’re going to break up following the debacle with Mesa Verde Bank and Everett Acker, but then they get married instead. Then Kim and Jimmy decide to hatch a plot to take down Howard with Kim taking the reins.
Nacho betrays Lalo at the behest of Fring in a coup at his hacienda. Lalo escapes, figures out it was Nacho who left the gate open to let the hitmen in, and walks away furious. The recap ends with a reminder about the flash-forward scenes to a post-&#8220;Breaking Bad&#8221; world where Saul is managing a Cinnabon in Omaha while hiding from his mortal enemies. But while there, someone recognizes him and makes him say the famous line, “Better call Saul.”
The final season of the award-winning drama is composed of 13 episodes split into 7 and 6, with the first half airing April-May and the second portion premiering in July. “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan is back to work on the final season alongside co-creator Peter Gould. During a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-bad-duo-walter-white-and-jesse-pinkman-will-appear-in-better-call-saul-season-6">recent panel discussion</a>, Gould confirmed that Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) will be making cameos in the final season.

“Better Call Saul” Los Angeles Series Premiere Screening

‘Better Call Saul’ Recap: What To Remember Before Season 6 Premiere Tonight

Plenty of actors later say they were down to their last dollar before getting the call that changed the trajectory of their careers. According to “Better Call Saul” star Bob Odenkirk, that’s exactly what happened to him before getting the role of a lifetime as the flamboyant criminal lawyer Saul Goodman on “Breaking Bad.”
“I get a phone call, ‘They’re gonna offer you a role on ‘Breaking Bad,’” the 59-year-old actor <a href="https://youtu.be/Plg9jMo_Q1E">told</a> Howard Stern on his Sirius XM radio show. He went on to explain how the Emmy-award winning series was “not a popular show or a big show at the time,” so his agent warned him “don’t say ‘no.’”
“And I was like, ‘Dude, I haven’t said &#8220;no&#8221; in a year and a half — but maybe you didn’t notice that,’” Odenkirk recalled.
The “Mr. Show” alum explains how he was working on some directing projects that didn’t pan out. This left him in a “financial hole” so deep he was forced to ask his business manager for help. Odenkirk was able to get a $900,000 loan that way so he could “keep afloat,” but he knew he needed to find a successful project soon.
It’s funny to think about now considering how financially and critically successful “Breaking Bad” became over its five season run. But at the time when it was unknown, Odenkirk said he asked a friend for advice on whether he should take the role. 
“I still checked it out, I still wanted to know what the hell the show was,” he told Stern. “I called a friend, somebody I’d been writing with, Reid Harrison, and he goes, ‘Oh, that’s the best show on TV. You gotta do that. That’s the best thing there is.’&#8221;
That decision wound up being the life-changing yes that legends are made of. Odenkirk not only dazzled as Saul Goodman for the rest of the series, but his acting chops earned him the lead in the spinoff prequel “Better Call Saul,” which some critics are claiming is even better than the original series it’s based upon. The final season of the AMC drama is scheduled to premiere this April.
Odenkirk also talked with Stern about the heart attack he suffered while filming &#8220;Better Call Saul&#8221; season six. He said the crew’s quick action doing CPR and using a defibrillator literally saved his life. He told Stern how the crew had to use the medical device three times before they got a response.
“Which is actually a lot, Howard,” Odenkirk said during the interview. “When the defibrillator doesn’t work once, that’s not good. When it doesn’t work the second time, that is kind of like — forget it. But then they jacked it up a third time, and it got me back to a rhythm.”
Odenkirk credits his improved physical condition with also helping save his life from the heart episode. The “Breaking Bad” alum spent many months getting in shape for the thriller “Nobody” in 2021. 
The Daily Wire’s first original film, Shut In, has made its cinematic debut, being met with rave reviews. The Daily Wire is building an alternative to the leftist entertainment industry, one gripping movie at a time. Join us in this mission and stream Shut In today by becoming a Daily Wire<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe"> member</a>.

Premiere Of AMC’s “Better Call Saul” Season 5 – Arrivals

Bob Odenkirk Admits To Being In A ‘Financial Hole’ Just Before ‘Breaking Bad’ Cast Him

Even the most optimistic “Breaking Bad” fan didn’t expect to love the spinoff prequel, “Better Call Saul,” as much as the original. But thanks to incredible acting and storytelling, that’s exactly what happened. The show received rave reviews because of lead actor Bob Odenkirk (Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill) especially. 
Now the series is about to launch its sixth and final season, which Odenkirk admitted is a bittersweet reality. The Emmy-award winning actor recalled having a “little breakdown” while filming the last season of “Better Call Saul” and experiencing his last turn as everyone’s favorite crooked lawyer.
Odenkirk described the experience in an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/feb/19/bob-odenkirk-better-call-saul-heart-attack-interview">interview</a> with The Guardian.
“The other day, I kind of had a little breakdown on the set, where I got pretty emotional. I couldn’t do the scene,” he told the publication. But the actor explained how he hadn’t fully processed the series ending and this moment was a reflection of that.
“I don’t know what to do about it,” he said, laughing. “My brain is like: ‘F*** it. What else we got? Think about something else.’”
In the past five seasons, “Better Call Saul” transformed from a “Breaking Bad” spinoff into a phenomenon that can stand on its own. The series, which was originally pitched as a comedy but became a drama, includes a slow burn that’s big on character development. Season 5 ramped up the drama, leaving fans anxious to see how the story of Jimmy McGill concludes in the series finale. 
Odenkirk recently wrote his memoir, which is being released March 1. The Guardian wrote how the actor described the show by saying it “beat me up and left me by the side of the road, gasping for breath, but I gave it everything I had.”
The “Breaking Bad” alum is glad he didn’t find extreme success early in his career. Odenkirk worked on big-name projects like “SNL” when he was younger, but didn’t find real notoriety until “Breaking Bad” made Saul Goodman a household name. The actor reflected on how the timing was a blessing.
“I certainly had a feeling of: ‘Oh my God, if this happened to me when I was 24, that’ll mess you up.’ Somehow I don’t think I have to worry about being too famous now. I’m 59, I don’t have that much time left,” he told The Guardian with a laugh. “I had a f***ing heart attack!” he shouted, “I mean, come on.”
The actor was referring to an incident that also happened while filming season 6 of the series. Odenkirk collapsed on set after suffering what he described as a “small heart attack.” He spent a few weeks recovering and then went right back to work.
According to <a href="https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/better-call-saul-season-6-premiere-1235174021/">Variety</a>, “Better Call Saul&#8221; will be split into two parts. The series returns to AMC on April 18 with the first seven episodes while the second six episodes are scheduled to drop July 11.
The Daily Wire’s first original film, Shut In, has made its cinematic debut, being met with rave reviews. The Daily Wire is building an alternative to the leftist entertainment industry, one gripping movie at a time. Join us in this mission and stream Shut In today by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">Daily Wire member</a>.

“Better Call Saul” Premiere and After Party

Bob Odenkirk Describes His ‘Little Breakdown’ Filming ‘Better Call Saul’s Final Season

Bryan Cranston can afford to be picky with acting roles. The 62-year-old industry veteran took on the part of a lifetime in “Breaking Bad,” solidifying his status as a Hollywood legend with the bank account to match. He’s been discerning with projects ever since the series ended in 2013. 
Most recently, Cranston walked away from the chance to direct a play about an Englishman who foils an attempt by the Ku Klux Klan to turn his fishing lodge into a meeting place. Instead of taking the helm of “The Foreigner,” the “Malcolm in the Middle” alum chose to star in a different play entirely.
“It is a privileged viewpoint to be able to look at the Ku Klux Klan and laugh at them and belittle them for their broken and hateful ideology,” Cranston told the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-02-16/bryan-cranston-interview-power-of-sail-geffen-playhouse">Los Angeles Times</a>. 
“But the Ku Klux Klan and Charlottesville and white supremacists — that’s still happening and it’s not funny. It’s not funny to any group that is marginalized by these groups’ hatred, and it really taught me something.”
The actor recalled laughing at the story and, according to The Times, this helped him realize his “white privilege.” Instead of going with that opportunity, he headed in a new direction.
“And I realized, ‘Oh my God, if there’s one, there’s two, and if there’s two, there are 20 blind spots that I have … what else am I blind to?” Cranston continued. “If we’re taking up space with a very palatable play from the 1980s where rich old white people can laugh at white supremacists and say, ‘Shame on you,’ and have a good night in the theater, things need to change, I need to change.”
Now the actor is headlining a production at L.A.’s Geffen Playhouse, but it has a different tone compared to “The Foreigner.” 
The LA Times described Cranston’s character Nichols in his production “Power of Sail” as, “an aging, highly respected Harvard professor who faces intense backlash for inviting a white nationalist and Holocaust denier named Carver to speak at his annual symposium. As student protests intensify, Nichols presses forward, claiming his intention is to give Carver and his repugnant ideas a thorough dressing down in a debate.”
Nichols is described as a  “free-speech absolutist” who believes “The answer to hate speech is more speech.”
Cranston apparently said the play took on new meaning following the death of George Floyd and “transformed Cranston, who says in these troubling years he came face to face with his own ‘white blindness’ and privilege.”
The play questions if free speech should have limits or if some rhetoric should be prohibited. 
“Power of Sail” is described as questioning these concepts. The Times said, “The play asks if there should be limits to free speech, and if so, why? It tests the boundaries of the free speech ideal by examining the traditional arbiters of that speech — those who get to decide whose voice is lifted and whose voice is quashed. It suggests the existence of a moral compass in an age when truth is often called relative by special-interest groups opposed to it.”
“There need to be barriers, there need to be guard rails,” the Emmy Award winner told the publication. “If someone wants to say the Holocaust was a hoax, which is against history … to give a person space to amplify that speech is not tolerance. It’s abusive.”
Cranston insists he’s just trying to make people think about these kinds of issues. “A good play may not change your life, but it could change your day,” he said. “To go deeper, a play can also stimulate the mind. It can make you question your thought process — your dogma. It could challenge you.”
The Daily Wire’s first original film, Shut In, has made its cinematic debut, being met with rave reviews. The Daily Wire is building an alternative to the leftist entertainment industry, one gripping movie at a time. Join us in this mission and stream Shut In today by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">Daily Wire member</a>.

Bryan Cranston Discusses His ‘White Blindness’ And Why Free Speech Limits Are Vital: ‘There Need To Be Guard Rails’

In a scene that could have been taken from the hit series “Breaking Bad,” two Arkansas college professors were arrested for allegedly manufacturing methamphetamine and the use of drug paraphernalia, according to Fox16 Little Rock. Henderson State University chemistry professors Terry Bateman, 45, and Bradley Rowland, 40, were charged on Friday.
An official with the university stated:
<blockquote>Both professors are on administrative leave, which was effective October 11. The Reynolds Science Center closed October 8 due to a report of an undetermined chemical odor. Remediation work by the university’s on-call environmental service company included scrubber systems to filter air and the temporary removal of some windows from Reynolds to aid ventilation. The building reopened October 29 after third party testing indicated the building meets all Environmental Protection Agency recommendations for occupancy.</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/two-chemistry-professors-arrested-allegedly-making-meth-arkansas-university-n1084371">NBC News</a> reported, “Initial testing indicated an elevated presence of benzyl chloride in a laboratory, the school said. Benzyl chloride has been <a href="https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/HEALTHYENVIRONMENTS/HEALTHYNEIGHBORHOODS/CLANDESTINEDRUGLABS/Pages/chemicals.aspx">identified by government agencies as a chemical used in the production of methamphetamine</a>.”
<a href="https://www.wfsb.com/two-arkansas-chemistry-professors-arrested-for-allegedly-making-meth/article_4f31274b-852d-5939-bc29-be49d60f2e11.html">WFSB</a> noted, “Walter White was the lead character in AMC&#8217;s ‘Breaking Bad,’ which aired from 2008 to 2013. The show told the story of White, a high school chemistry professor portrayed by Bryan Cranston, who turned to manufacturing crystal meth to secure his family&#8217;s financial future after he was diagnosed with lung cancer.”
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/crime-law/2019/11/17/pair-arkansas-chemistry-professors-are-accused-cooking-meth-school-lab/">The Washington Post</a> added, “Bateman, an associate professor and director of undergraduate research, has been with the university for 10 years. Rowland has been there since 2014 … Manufacturing methamphetamine is a felony that could carry a sentence of up to 40 years in prison. A conviction of using drug paraphernalia could mean up to 20 years in prison, according to the Arkansas-based law firm Huffman Butler.”
Tina V. Hall, a university associate vice president of marketing and communications, stated, “The safety of our students, faculty, and staff is a top priority, and we continue to cooperate with authorities,” according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/17/us/arkansas-chemistry-professor-meth.html">The New York Times</a>, which added, “In April, Professor Bateman was honored by the school for 10 years of employment there, according to the university.”
According to the <a href="https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/methamphetamine">National Institute on Drug Abuse</a>, &#8220;In 2017, about 15 percent of all drug overdose deaths involved the methamphetamine category, and 50 percent of those deaths also involved an opioid, with half of those cases related to the synthetic opioid fentanyl.&#8221;
<a href="https://deadline.com/2019/11/breaking-bad-wanna-bes-busted-for-creating-an-arkansas-meth-lab-1202788344/">Deadline</a> reported that ironically, “Rowland was once called ‘Henderson’s Heisenberg&#8217; by the college’s newspaper, a nod to Bryan Cranston’s character Walter White’s nickname on Breaking Bad. He once told the paper that he liked the TV show because it helped students become interested in chemistry.”
“Breaking Bad” aired on AMC for five seasons, between 2008-2013. It became one of the most honored TV series of all time, winning 16 Primetime Emmy Awards, while star Bryan Cranston won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series four times. Aaron Paul won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series three times and Anna Gunn won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series twice. In 2013, the Guinness World Records <a href="https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2013/9/breaking-bad-cooks-up-record-breaking-formula-for-guinness-world-records-2014-edition-51000/">stated</a> that the show was most critically acclaimed show of all time, stating that it earned that ranking “thanks to its metascore of 99/100 on MetaCritic.com.”

(Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images

Real-Life ‘Breaking Bad‘: Two College Professors Charged With Making Meth

Arkansas

Methamphetamine

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