Iconic and a cult figure. These are the most appropriate words I can think of describing Walter White, the high school chemistry teacher come meth cooking drug lord that actor Bryan Cranston portrays so brilliantly in the hit TV series “Breaking Bad”. After a run of 5 years of critically acclaimed success including winning best actor at the Emmys three years in a row, the show finally reaches a hopefully dramatic and spectacular conclusion at the end of September this year. There are millions of people around the world who will be on the edge of their seats waiting in anticipation for the final instalments. Bryan of course has been a well known actor way before Breaking Bad notably having played Hal in “Malcolm in the Middle” a highly praised sitcom that lasted for a run of 6 years.
Bryan is a Pisces born on 7th March 1956 in Canoga Park in California. I have looked around and could not find an official birth time for him which is a shame. If anyone out there does know, please get in touch. From what I have, I do know that alongside his Pisces Sun, which unusually is disconnected to the rest of the chart, he has a serious Capricorn Moon. This combination certainly brings a need to be in charge of his life and of things in general, he will had a desire to administrate and it is noticeable that he is slowly turning his hand to directing as well as acting, a skill which in no doubt comes from his Pisces Sun which is inspirational, creative and intuitive. The Sun represents the father in one’s chart so no surprise in doing my research for this article that Bryan’s father was a Hollywood producer and actor backing up the qualities seen here. This Sun is unattached to the rest of the chart and so there will be a free and uninhibited side to Bryan. Pisces is a sign where there are no limits holding you back and reading up on him I understand when he was younger that he disappeared for 2 years on a motorbike with a friend traveling around America on the road trip of a lifetime, free as a bird and able to go where he pleased.
That spontaneous side to Bryan expressed through his road trip can be seen in a potential Uranus Moon opposition which needs freedom and excitement in one’s life and also through a Mercury in Aquarius opposite to Jupiter and a trine to Neptune, a combination that adores travel, seeing the world in whichever way you can (Mercury rules transport). The Moon in Capricorn shows he has a need to be loved but he wont show it putting up a serious almost deadpan front to the world. Ostensibly, Bryan will be a very loyal guy but that opposition to Uranus shows he does need some emotional freedom and excitement in his life and that feeling is enhanced through the square between Venus and Uranus present on his chart too. I suspect there will be an electric charm that those meeting him will pick up on immediately.
There is a lot of creative talent on show on this chart through a possible grand cross that sits here (assuming on the position of his Moon), indeed with Neptune and Uranus involved there is an experimental feel to it. The opposition from Neptune to Venus in Aries shows a very go ahead attitude to art and music, to films and TV or even mystical subjects as well as a dreamy romantic streak that he will possess. The same can be said in a square he has on his chart between Uranus and Neptune so he may have a big interest in science and technology and also social trends and movements. Uranus’ presence connecting to Venus and the Moon can lead to one being rather reckless and it gives a feeling of a devil may care, what the hell attitude. With Neptune affecting these three other planets in the grand cross there is sense of not being able to make definite commitments, a possibility of deception and being a little vague not only to yourself but to other people too, and I am sure that this side of his character added in to his Piscean Sun went a long way into the creation of Hal, who wasn’t the strongest of parents in “Malcolm in the Middle” and was a guy who leaned very heavily on his wife.
That need to be different and not to do things by the book is shown from the trine from Uranus to Saturn. Here is a tendency not to go down the safe path in your life but to forge ahead with a bit more of a risky strategy. It is interesting that the role that has catapulted Bryan to fame is through that of a chemistry teacher, a scientist (ruled by Uranus) and that it came to him relatively late in life, Saturn rules time and it slows things down whatever it touches in a chart, but it does bring a permanence and success that is lasting. Saturn in Sagittarius is an indication of the sceptic, the academic and the teacher (another connection to Breaking Bad) and this is a sign of faith too. Many of those with Saturn in this sign can’t live without some adherence to some kind of belief, as if they have to believe in something greater than themselves. Once they have made their minds up in the style of philosophy that they prefer, they will tend to stick to it. It is quite appropriate then that Bryan is an ordained minister of the church and has carried out several weddings in his time. As a rule Saturn in Sagittarius does give a good assessment of risk and risk taking and he may be a very sound judge of when to take a chance and when not to; this position indicates that he has in his locker a talent for long term planning. Mars in Capricorn shows a hard working side to his character and it shows a pragmatic attitude, if you are going to do well you need to do it yourself and not rely on anyone. Bryan will thrive when he is the boss and in charge and this explains him dipping his toes into all areas of the film-making process from acting to writing and directing, just like his father did before him.
Saturn making a square to Pluto shows a very tenacious side to his character, certainly an iron will and a deep resolve to be the best he can be. I think he is one who will never shirk a challenge, no matter how hard it may look on the outside, beneath the surface he is a very driven and ambitious guy. With Pluto and Jupiter sitting together, as soon as those ambitions were achieved they would propel him sky high. This is a big time combination in a sign Leo that rockets you into the limelight. Pluto shows power and control and Jupiter is a big expansive influence which indicates luck, fortune and sometimes international fame. In the past few years all this has come to him.
Pluto and Jupiter make two separate trines to his natal Venus bestowing on him an intense and quite mysterious charismatic streak, he will have this natural hold over people who will be intrigued by him. This conjunction also opposes Mercury in Aquarius as aforementioned, bringing a love of taking a chance as well as a deep powerful way of communicating, his deep unmistakable voice is certainly is one of his trademarks. I am not surprised that he mentioned that he wanted to find out from a bone-fide scientist how to make pure crystal methamphetamine before he took up the role as Walter. Mercury in Aquarius can be scientifically minded and the opposition from Pluto and Jupiter wants to learn and seeks the ultimate truth of anything you are doing. There is a technical and factual approach to the the way he will think and he will have a truly inventive and probing mind, able to explore beneath the surface as well as understand the wide expanse of what confronts him. There is deep kindness here and a social conscience too.
You know, those with a strong Pisces Sun just live for the love of it, they often freewheel along the road of life not caring about responsibilities and how they are going to survive, because they ultimately know that they will. That’s the sense I get about Bryan Cranston and his natal chart, even without a birth time. In it you can see that he is spiritual, talented, rather deceptive, clever, inventive, hard working, a bit of a rebel, a teacher, is logical and scientific, is socially aware, has an iron will, is very very resourceful and wants to be top dog. Does that remind you of any particular character on TV today??