“I was still hustling and doing terrible 1980s TV shows when I was in my 30s,” the “Breaking Bad” alum shared.

Bryan Cranston praises daughter’s *The Pitt *success, says she’s mastered ‘subtleties’ that took him years

"I was still hustling and doing terrible 1980s TV shows when I was in my 30s," the "Breaking Bad" alum shared.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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June 30, 2026 5:38 p.m. ET

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Bryan Cranston and daughter Taylor Dearden. Credit:

Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty; Warrick Page/HBO Max

- Bryan Cranston is praising daughter Taylor Dearden for her work on HBO's* The Pitt.*

- The *Breaking Bad *alum said Dearden is even "further along" as an actor than he was at her age.

- "There [are] some subtleties that she is able to do that it took me years to be able to learn," he added.

Bryan Cranston can't stop gushing over his daughter's performance on *The Pitt*.

The *Breaking Bad* alum, who shares daughter Taylor Dearden with wife Robin Dearden, has not shied away from praising his daughter's breakout role on the HBO medical drama. And he isn't stopping now.

"There [are] some subtleties that she is able to do that it took me years to be able to learn," Cranston said of Taylor, 33, in a recent interview with PEOPLE. "And she learned it in her mid-20s, and I thought, wow."

Cranston with wife Robin Dearden and their daughter Taylor in 2009.

David Livingston/Getty

He continued, "I truly think she is further along in her ability than I ever was at her age. I was still hustling and doing terrible 1980s TV shows when I was in my 30s."

Before her role as Dr. Melissa "Mel" King on *The Pitt*, Dearden made her TV debut with a cameo on* Breaking Bad*, portraying a student at the high school where her dad's character, Walter White, taught. Five years later, she graduated from the University of Southern California, where she studied theater, and went on to star in shows including *Sweet/Vicious, American Vandal, *and* For All Mankind.*

Clearly impressed by the medical jargon she juggles on *The Pitt*, Cranston said her role on the show more than proves how far she's come as a performer.

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"This show is hard. You have to rip off those six- and seven-syllable medical terms like that, and it's tough," he pointed out. "Great shows are always tough. They really are. They're always something."

Cranston added that in his experience, the tough shows prove to be worth it. "*Breaking Bad* was never easy to shoot. It just was never easy," he added. "And *Malcolm* [*in the Middle*] was hard. Up to the wire, we're trying to get as much in as you can, and that's just the nature of the beast."

Taylor Dearden on 'The Pitt'.

Warrick Page/Max

Thus far, Dearden's role on *The Pitt *has been met with critical praise and earned her a nomination for Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series at the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards.

Cranston has previously raved about his daughter's rise to fame, telling The Associated Press in June 2025 that "there is nothing that's more gratifying than when your kid receives praise." He added that hearing praise of Dearden's work is even better than getting complimented himself.

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Months later, during a visit to *The Late Show with Stephen Colbert *in April 2026, the actor said he found yet another reason to be proud of Dearden during a family dinner that saw him witness her TV medical training in action when a guest in the restaurant started choking.

"She was running toward him and just as she's getting to him, he caught his breath and started breathing," Cranston recalled. "He was OK, and she told him, 'Just take your time, take it slow.'"

He quipped that all he could think was, "'Oh my God, we finally have a doctor in the family!'"

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