When Bryan Cranston made the transition from being Malcolm in the Middle’s dad to the meth maker Heisenberg (a.k.a. Walter White) in Breaking Bad, there was a continual noting of just how much he had changed physically in these roles, truly becoming Walt. And again, Cranston has embodied a new persona with much the same fervor. After portraying the (seriously historically underrated) President Lyndon B. Johnson on Broadway in All the Way (for which he won a Tony), Cranston is now filming the HBO adaptation. People has snagged the first photo, and it truly is amazing.

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Public Domain Image

Director Jay Roach (Meet the Parents), who is also a producer on Cranston’s other upcoming film, Trumbo, said,

 

Physically and emotionally Bryan completely channels LBJ. We just filmed him and Lady Bird in the Oval Office, after JFK's assassination. LBJ has arrived as the 'accidental President.' He's almost overwhelmed. In spiritual support, Lady Bird touches his cheek. We melted, like we went back in time and witnessed a private, heart-wrenching moment between these two great people.


Roach added that the biopic, which begins just after John F. Kennedy’s assassination,

covers the amazing 11-month journey from when LBJ takes office after JFK's assassination, through LBJ's fight to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act and his own presidential campaign, culminating on the night LBJ is actually elected to the office – no longer the 'accidental President.'

All the Way will premiere on HBO in 2016.

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Image via HBO