Bryan Cranston Reveals Surprising Inspiration For His 'Argylle' Villain

By Andrew Sanford | Film | January 30, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | Film | January 30, 2024 |

Who is the real Agent Argylle?! That’s the question on everyone’s mind. Walk into any mall in America and ask a person at random what they are most concerned about. They will likely tell you that their main reason for living at the moment is so they can learn the identity of the secret super agent in Matthew Vaughn’s newest film. The mere mention of the movie starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Henry Cavill, and Sam Rockwell will elicit a desperate plea to make it February 2nd so all Argylle’s secrets will be revealed.

Unfortunately, there is no such machine. Argylle will not get here any faster, so humanity writ large will have to settle for watching the trailer at the beginning of every movie. Even the art houses can’t escape the allure of a cat in a backpack. There is also a press tour in full swing. That gives us some time with the delightful Bryan Cranston, who plays a villain in Argylle. Cranston stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and revealed a surprising inspiration for playing the big bad: Steve Carell.

At first, Cranston and Colbert both have a laugh about Steve Carell being evil. They can barely keep a straight face while doing so. It seems pretty apparent that Carell is a nice guy. His character in Despicable Me, however? Evil but charming! Something Cranston wanted to bring to his role. It makes sense. He’ll be hunting down America’s favorite super spy. The deck is already stacked against him. If he wants to be revered, the charm will be the key.

I always love actors who draw inspiration from specific characters. Sometimes, they start as an impression, like Hank Azaria mimicking Edward G Robinson to give us Chief Wiggum. Cranston isn’t impersonating Gru, but that makes it even more fun. He’s finding inspiration from a genuinely surprising place. We can listen to an A+ actor give us a tour of his mind while we wait for the identity of Agent Argylle to finally be revealed!

Oh, God, it’s just gonna be Bryce Dallas Howard, isn’t it?