Bryan Cranston Reacts to Nostalgic 'Breaking Bad' Reunion at 2024 SAG Awards (Exclusive)

Cranston took the stage alongside Aaron Paul, Dean Norris, Bob Odenkirk and Anna Gunn at the awards show.

Bryan Cranston says he would not have done the Breaking Bad reunion at the 2024 SAG Awards if all of his fellow cast members were not on board. 

On Sunday, the 67-year-old Emmy-winning actor talked with ET's Cassie DiLaura from the red carpet of Kung-Fu Panda 4, and said that when it came to being asked if he would partake in the on-stage moment in February, he had only one stipulation. 

"It was something when they talked about it, I said, 'Well, we only want to do it if everyone can join.' And everybody was signed up," Cranston said. 

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During the Feb. 24 awards show, the cast of the long-running AMC series -- including Aaron Paul, Jonathan Banks, Betsy Brandt, Dean Norris, Bob Odenkirk, RJ Mitte and Anna Gunn -- walked out in front of the crowd arm-in-arm to present the award for Best Ensemble in a Drama Series.

One notable absence? Giancarlo Esposito, who played Gustavo Fring in the original show and reprised his role in the Odenkirk-led spinoff, Better Call Saul. Cranston told ET that Esposito, 65, was originally meant to be up there with them but that things changed suddenly. 

"We missed Giancarlo Esposito 'cause he had his work schedule changed at the last minute," Cranston explained. "But there were eight of us on stage and it had been 10 years since we last won that award." 

The gang quickly fell back into their old ways and pulled off a hilarious and dramatic bit, where they started to go through each letter from the word "ensemble" and broke it out individually. 

"10 years ago, we were proud to receive the SAG Award for Ensemble in a Drama Series," started Cranston, who played Walter White in the show. 

"Ensemble - the E stands for the excellence that each cast member brings to every exciting episode," Gunn, 55, said before Odenkirk, 61, chimed in and put a stop to it.

"And the letter N... N stands for no, no f**king way I'm going to do this cheesy thing where you say each letter of the word. I'm not doing it," he said as the audience burst out into laughter. 

As for what he was thinking about in that moment, the Malcolm in the Middle star said he was waiting rather impatiently to get off stage and share a drink with his former co-stars. 

"I just want to get through this so that I can go have a Dos Hombres Mezcal cocktail," he said, slyly referencing the tequila brand he owns with Paul, 44. 

Breaking Bad, which ran for five seasons from 2008 to 2013, racked up 58 Emmy nominations and 16 total statues from the Television Academy.

Until their next reunion, Cranston is focused on promoting Kung-Fu Panda 4, in which he reprises his role as Li, the father of Jack Black's Po.

"I love this story. You know what's great about doing animation like this is that you find the morality story hidden," he said. "It's not out here in your face but you sense it, you feel it, you know? It's also very progressive here, there's two dads raising this man."

James Hong, 95, voices Mr. Ping -- a Chinese goose and the adoptive father of Black's character. While Hong has been in the franchise since the first movie, Cranston joined in Kung-Fu Panda 2

On the carpet, the two fathers even had a "dad off" with Black, 54, as they each gave him a gift to show their love and affection. After Cranston saw the Everything Everywhere All at Once actor hand off a leaf to the School of Rock star, he sprung into action and coughed up some cold hard cash to his co-star. 

"James Hong is trying to bribe affection from Jack Black and I play the other father so I thought, 'You know what, will he appreciate the leaf more or a $50 dollar bill?'" Cranston joked. "And I said, 'You take that and you love me more because money equals love."

Kung-Fu Panda 4 premieres in theaters on March 8. 

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