PETALING JAYA, Dec 15 — How far would you go to save someone you love from the clutches of a terrifying mob boss?

American actor Bryan Cranston’s return to the small screen as judge Michael Desiato in the legal thriller Your Honor is marked by a messy moral dilemma as Desiato covers up a hit-and-run by his son after seeing that the person he killed was the son of a much-feared mafia head.

As a father himself, Cranston empathises with Desiato’s decision which throws him into a high-stakes game of lies and deceit in the criminal underbelly of New Orleans.

The 64-year-old said he wouldn’t hesitate to do the same if he found himself in Desiato’s situation, adding that parental instinct drives people to make impulsive decisions to protect the ones they love.

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“It’s impossible for human beings in that situation to stop and think about the ripple effects of what they’re going to do.

“As a parent myself, if I were forced to go through the same thing, I would do the same. I would do anything to protect my child,” said Cranston in a press conference with international media.

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Cranston made a huge impact on the cultural zeitgeist with his role as chemistry teacher turned drug lord Walter White in the series Breaking Bad.

Navigating a character who finds himself backed into a corner was familiar territory for Cranston as he’s naturally drawn to playing individuals who are deeply flawed.

“Walter White was very methodical in his journey and what he plotted out to do. Michael Desiato in Your Honor is impulsive.

“He has to make immediate decisions on what’s going to save his son’s life and he suffers from the repercussions of those decisions.

“I think everyone, whether they’re conscious of it or not, can relate to characters who are flawed because they are imperfect as well.”

Bryan Cranston sat in during real-life court trials to study the behaviours and personalities of judges. — Picture courtesy of 2020 Showtime Networks Inc
Bryan Cranston sat in during real-life court trials to study the behaviours and personalities of judges. — Picture courtesy of 2020 Showtime Networks Inc

To prepare for the role, Cranston travelled to the show’s setting in New Orleans where he observed real-life courtroom trials and judges to construct the psychological framework of Desiato.

He acknowledged that fictional depictions of the American judicial and prison systems have a greater responsibility to paint an honest picture in the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter protests this year.

“I know our writer Peter Moffat was very cautious and very specific on how to depict it accurately and be authentic about what the prison and judicial systems look like in the United States.

 “The prison system is overwhelmingly occupied by African Americans and it’s not a number that relates accordingly to the population, so there’s something askew there.

“Anything less than depicting an honest portrayal of what’s happening in our justice system and our prison system is false and I don’t want to be a charlatan in that regard.”

Cranston also revealed the difficulties of shooting a TV show in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, which ground the production of Your Honor to a halt in March.

The cast and crew only resumed filming in October and Cranston said he and his fellow actors were tested for the virus three times a week to prevent any clusters from breaking out.

Wearing protective gear during rehearsals also brought new difficulties as Cranston found himself struggling to make out the muffled sounds coming from his castmates under their face masks.

“I’m 64 years old, I’ve been to my fair share of rock concerts, and I’m absolutely positive that I’ve lost some measure of my hearing.

“It was interesting because when you’re talking to someone with a mask and a face shield, the sound is so blocked and it was difficult for me to hear anything.

“But this is a human effort, not a country effort or political effort. So let’s do the right thing, wear our masks, and let’s beat this so we can get back to some semblance of normal life.”

New episodes of Your Honor premiere every Monday at 10pm on FX (Astro CH 713/unifi TV CH 454) on the same day as the United States.