Don’t let the world pass you by... until the final moment, you have time
As his latest film Jerry & Marge Go Large arrives on Paramount+, DANIELLE DE WOLFE speaks to Bryan Cranston about luck, lotteries and love in later life
BRYAN CRANSTON has a penchant for playing dark, multi-faceted characters.
For many, his name will forever be associated with hit crime drama Breaking Bad – the Bafta and Emmy Award-winning series which saw the actor play chemistry teacherturned-drug-overlord Walter White. However, it was his gritty depiction of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo that finally saw Bryan nominated for an Academy Award.
Now, standing in stark contrast, his latest role as lottery winner Jerry Selbee in Jerry & Marge Go Large has us stroking our chins.
“Normally I love characters with deeply rooted complex problems. And Jerry Selbee was not that,” admits Bryan, 66.
Based on a true story, his latest on-screen character hit headlines across the US – alongside his wife and childhood sweetheart Marge, when the couple exploited a lottery loophole that allowed them to cumulatively win $26 million over the course of nearly a decade.
Their plan was entirely legal. Their winnings, honestly earned. All it took was a head for mathematics and a firm understanding of probability.
Having obtained a bachelor’s degree in the subject from Western Michigan University, the real-life Jerry Selbee is a man adept at calculations.
In 2003 Jerry came across a local lottery called Winfall and spotted a mathematical flaw in the game that meant if he bought enough tickets he was guaranteed to win money. The discovery led the couple to regularly drive more than 900 miles into the state of Massachusetts in order to buy thousands of lottery tickets.
Friends and family members also cashed in on the scheme. But don’t be fooled, this heart-warming tale of small-town America has more than mathematical appeal.
Starring alongside Bafta-winning American Beauty actress Annette Bening (who takes on the role of Marge), Bryan describes his character as the “good guy”.
Recounting how he and Annette ventured down to Michigan in order to meet their real-life counterparts prior to filming, the trip, says the Argo star, cemented the Selbees as a “great” couple with a “lovely marriage”.
“They still live in the same house,” smiles Bryan, pointing out that the six children (two of which are depicted in the film) and numerous grandchildren, were all set up financially for the future as a result of the winnings.
“And so it’s like, well, where’s the conflict?” says Bryan, a touch of disappointment in his voice.
It was a realisation that instead led him to focus on “the conflict within”, choosing to create a sense of “social unease” around his character, as opposed to fictionalising marital conflict.
“Jerry, he’s a numbers guy and not necessarily an emotional percouple’s son. But I think that worked,” says Bryan with a nod. “Now, in real life, Jerry Selbee is much more gregarious and friendly and open than the way I played him. But I think it was important to take that theatrical licence to subdue his personality a little bit, in order to have this experience.”
With The Devil Wears Prada director David Frankel at the helm, this adaptation is as much about the winnings as it is the community spirit and the rekindling of love in a long-term relationship.
Bryan notes that the film is a refreshing reminder “not to settle”.
“As viewers we’re constantly introduced to new and young love and the excitement. You’re always in your late teens or twenties or maybe even dipping into the 30s. It was nice to show senior citizens in an element of togetherness,” says the star.
The subject of on-screen romance among characters approaching retirement age resonated with the actor. Describing the rarity of such roles, Bryan notes society’s tendency to say: “Well, you’re of a certain age, you’re not excited about each other anymore, you can go sit on the iceberg and we’ll shove you out to sea.”
“There’s more life to be had!” enthuses the actor.
“Don’t sit in that rocking chair. Don’t let the world pass you by... I feel like I still have a lot more to live and experience – and I’ve been married for 33 years.
“To this day, we’re talking about excursions and things that we can do to stay connected and have new adventures. Until that final moment, you have time.”
It’s a poignant remark, one that reflects society’s wider priorities in the aftermath of lockdown.
“This was the first film that I did after the worldwide lockdown from Covid,” notes Bryan. “And I personally needed a sense of freshness, openness and reconnecting to a community because, as humans, we are social beings, we need to interact.”
Describing how the public’s thirst for uplifting content remains unquenched following the extended period of isolation, the actor says the timing of this project couldn’t be more apt. Noting the world’s renewed sense of community spirit and connectivity, it’s a subject that cements itself at the heart of this film.
Hoping viewers will “feel grateful and glad” for the pleasant slice of distraction – “perhaps from the troubles in their lives,” adds Bryan – feel-good content is most definitely the order of the day. Jerry & Marge Go Large fits the bill in every sense.
When it comes to summarising the project, the actor puts it simply: “It’s like a breath mint. It just makes you feel a little bit better than before you watched it.”
Normally I love characters with deeply rooted complex problems. And Jerry Selbee was not that...