Read Anthony Hopkins’s Breaking Bad Fan Letter to Bryan Cranston

Update: The Oscar winner’s publicist has since confirmed that Hopkins did indeed send the fan letter below.

Even two weeks after Breaking Bad’s epic series finale aired, the world is still discovering and obsessing over AMC’s Emmy-winning series. Case in point: Anthony Hopkins, who reportedly binge-watched the entire five seasons in a recent two-week marathon. The 75-year-old Oscar winner was apparently so impressed by the series that he e-mailed a kind-hearted fan letter toBreaking Bad’s inimitable lead, Bryan Cranston, which notes, “Your performance as Walter White was the best acting I have seen—ever.”

The letter asks Cranston to pass along similar praise to the rest of the Breaking Badcast including Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Aaron Paul, and Steven Michael Quezada—the latter of whom posted the message in full on his Facebook page on Sunday.

I wanted to write you this email - so I am contacting you through Jeremy Barber - I take it we are both represented by UTA . Great agency.

I've just finished a marathon of watching "BREAKING BAD" - from episode one of the First Season — to the last eight episodes of the Sixth Season. [Ed note: There are in fact five seasons of Breaking Bad; this might have been wishful thinking.] (I downloaded the last season on AMAZON) A total of two weeks (addictive) viewing.

I have never watched anything like it. Brilliant!

Your performance as Walter White was the best acting I have seen - ever.

I know there is so much smoke blowing and sickening bullshit in this business, and I've sort of lost belief in anything really.

But this work of yours is spectacular — absolutely stunning. What is extraordinary, is the sheer power of everyone in the entire production. What was it? Five or six years in the making? How the producers (yourself being one of them), the writers, directors, cinematographers.... every department — casting etc. managed to keep the discipline and control from beginning to the end is (that over used word) awesome.

From what started as a black comedy, descended into a labyrinth of blood, destruction and hell. It was like a great Jacobean, Shakespearian or Greek Tragedy.

If you ever get a chance to - would you pass on my admiration to everyone — Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Aaron Paul, Betsy Brandt, R.J. Mitte, Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Steven Michael Quezada — everyone — everyone gave master classes of performance ... The list is endless.

Thank you. That kind of work/artistry is rare, and when, once in a while, it occurs, as in this epic work, it restores confidence.

You and all the cast are the best actors I've ever seen.

That may sound like a good lung full of smoke blowing. But it is not. It's almost midnight out here in Malibu, and I felt compelled to write this email.

Congratulations and my deepest respect. You are truly a great, great actor.

Cranston has not yet publicly acknowledged the note because, we hope, he is busy printing out 1,000 copies of this memo at the nearest FedEx/Kinkos and attaching it as the cover letter to his résumés. (Not that he needs them.) That, or personally sealing the copies in envelopes addressed to every Emmy voter next year. Compared with the last Bryan Cranston fan letter that was publicized—in which he was propositioned for a threesome with co-star Aaron Paul—a fan letter from an Oscar winner seems like a legitimate upgrade.

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