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You both have great chemistry in this movie. How did you guys establish the easy rapport you have onscreen?

Hart: There’s no systematic approach to bonding. You either hit it off or don’t. You either click with an individual or you don’t. And when you do click, like we did, it’s effortless. In this particular case, Bryan and I talked beforehand and I think we both saw that there was an eagerness to take this project on. I think he saw how serious I was about this and when we got to the set, and we started doing rehearsals, we met each other’s expectations and then some. We were in this for the same reason and that was: to make a good movie.

Kevin, were you looking to do something a bit more dramatic?

Hart: I think it was definitely time for me to look at some more serious material. I have a lot of movies under my belt and I’ve had some box office success. But you want to make sure that you’re always challenging yourself. It doesn’t mean you go crazy with the challenge, but it’s good to take a step in a direction that’s a little out of the norm. This was a project that wasn’t necessarily what I was used to doing, but that’s what attracted me to it. And when you’re in the company of people like Bryan and Nicole (Kidman), that’s amazing company to be in. So I jumped at that opportunity.

The guys you play in this movie — Phillip and Dell — give each other a second chance at life. Who’s the person who gave you the first chance in your career?

Cranston: Well, the thing is, everyone needs a champion. You get that from your family members or your wife, but everyone needs that. And along with that, you need someone who’s going to hold the door open for you. Hopefully now, with Kevin and I in these positions, we will in turn do that for the next generation of actors. We’ll say, ‘C’mon in.’ For me, there were people like Linwood Boomer, who gave me a shot in (the TV series) Malcolm in the Middle. I was told afterwards that Fox was considering replacing me in that role. I had four or five lines in the pilot and the dad role was something they didn’t really know what they wanted to do with it. But Linwood Boomer said, ‘No, I’m not replacing him.’ And you need that. You need someone to step up and fall on the sword for you. But when that happens, you need to be a champion to them as well and prove that they made the right decision in sticking with you and giving you a shot. It’s all about getting the opportunity and then creating more opportunities for the younger generation, and that includes you, Kevin.