Bryan Cranston says making Tangles was “not depressing at all.” He described a story that combines family joy with grief.
The 70-year-old Breaking Bad star spoke to Page Six at a New York screening for an interview published November 14. He voices Rob, whose wife, Midge, develops early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
His mother, Annalisa “Peggy” Sell, lived with the illness before her death in 2004. Cranston said that experience helped him portray his character’s shifts between vulnerability, strength and denial.
Directed by Leah Nelson, the movie adapts Sarah Leavitt’s 2010 graphic memoir Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer’s, My Mother and Me. Nelson wrote the screenplay with Leavitt and Trev Renney. Its predominantly black-and-white animation moves between realistic family scenes and expressive imagery reflecting the characters’ inner lives.
A Family Faces Midge’s Diagnosis
Set in San Francisco in 1999, the story follows Sarah, voiced by Abbi Jacobson, as she pursues an illustration career and a relationship with Donimo, played by Samira Wiley. During a visit home, she notices changes in her mother, voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, according to the American Film Institute.
Rob and Sarah’s sister Hannah, voiced by Beanie Feldstein, initially attribute Midge’s forgetfulness and mood changes to menopause. A frightening incident during a family trip to Mexico City precedes Midge’s diagnosis. Sarah’s responsibilities as a caregiver eventually interrupt the independent life she has built.
In a separate interview with PEOPLE, Cranston described how old disagreements with his mother faded as their time together centered on care and simple activities. They took walks, watched the sky and fed ducks.
Cranston’s Pleasant Surprise at the Script
After a screening of ‘Tangles’ in New York, Bryan Cranston talks about the pleasant surprise of being sent the script for the film.
He came aboard as one of the lead voices in the animated drama https://t.co/MgupKglx3E
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) November 10, 2026
During a November 9 discussion at Regal Union Square, Cranston joked about the awkwardness of receiving scripts from friends. As Deadline reported, such invitations can leave an actor searching for a diplomatic explanation for turning down the role.
Producer Seth Rogen joined the joke as the audience laughed. Cranston praised the screenplay’s beauty and explained that reading it had convinced him to participate in the film.
Hilarity for Charity, founded by Rogen and his wife, Lauren Miller Rogen, presented the event. The nonprofit supports families affected by Alzheimer’s, and the panel brought together cast members, Nelson and Leavitt.
Nelson Joins Actors in the Booth
Nelson described her recording process in a June interview with Cartoon Brew. She joined performers inside the booth, where she could work closely with them during difficult scenes, including Rob’s moments of pain, anger and guilt.
After one intense performance, Cranston abruptly broke character, smiled and shrugged toward her. Nelson interpreted the gesture as a request for feedback and briefly had to remind herself that she was the director responsible for answering him.
She arranged for actors to record together when possible and left room for improvisation. Cranston and Jacobson developed such a productive rhythm that she found it difficult to stop their sessions. Sarah Silverman and Pamela Adlon’s joint recordings generated spontaneous comic exchanges.
A Decade From Script to Screen
Rogen estimated in a Variety interview that the project took about ten years overall. Roughly seven went into developing the screenplay, securing financing, assembling the cast and holding readings, with production occupying approximately the final three years.
The hand-drawn animation required the filmmakers to settle major creative decisions early. Rogen explained that changing completed material would be exceptionally laborious, making preparation essential before the team committed to executing the script.
Following its Cannes premiere and Toronto screening, the film begins an awards-qualifying run in New York and Los Angeles on November 27, according to The Playlist. A limited release follows January 15, 2027, with a nationwide expansion January 22. New York’s IFC Center has scheduled Cranston Q&As for the opening day of that qualifying engagement.
