Jack Black may be best known for his comedic chops, but he’s no stranger to drama. He took on the role of ambitious director Carl Denham in Peter Jackson’s King Kong, bringing a fresh intensity to the character. Then there’s his impressive turn in Richard Linklater’s Bernie, where he portrayed the titular character, a small-town mortician entangled in a shocking murder case.
Despite his comedic background, Black has worked alongside some of the greatest dramatic actors in Hollywood—particularly in the Kung Fu Panda franchise, of all places. The animated martial arts saga has featured Oscar-winning legends like Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Viola Davis, and Gary Oldman. Black’s character, the lovable Po, also has two father figures in the series: his adoptive dad, Mr. Ping (voiced by the legendary James Hong), and his biological father, Li Shan, played by none other than Bryan Cranston.
In a 2016 interview with The Fix, Black opened up about his admiration for Cranston, particularly his performance in Trumbo, which had earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. However, Cranston ultimately lost the award to Leonardo DiCaprio, who won his long-awaited first Oscar for The Revenant. While most of Hollywood celebrated DiCaprio’s victory, Black was far from impressed.
“He was never going to win it against Leo DiCap,” Black said. “But let me tell you—Bryan Cranston is a better actor than Leo. The difference is, Leo was wheezing and coughing up blood, practically dying on screen… and that’s what gets you an Oscar.” He even went so far as to call The Revenant a “really bad movie.”
DiCaprio’s performance as frontiersman Hugh Glass in The Revenant was notorious for its brutal authenticity. He endured freezing temperatures, ate raw meat, and even slept inside a dead animal—all in the name of method acting. His Oscar win finally ended the long-standing joke that he would never take home the golden statuette, though with only five prior nominations, he wasn’t exactly the most snubbed actor in history. (Just ask Glenn Close or Peter O’Toole.)
However, Black’s criticism of DiCaprio’s Oscar tactics could just as easily be applied to Cranston’s performance in Trumbo. The film checked all the classic Academy Award boxes: a historical drama about a real-life figure, a powerful monologue or two, and a leading man surrounded by a star-studded supporting cast. Cranston’s portrayal of blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo was certainly Oscar bait in its own right, so Black’s argument might not hold up under scrutiny.
As of now, Trumbo remains Cranston’s only Oscar-nominated performance. Of course, with his collection of Emmys, he probably isn’t losing sleep over it. But it would be interesting to know if his Kung Fu Panda co-star still believes he was robbed—or if, years later, he’s finally let go of his grudge against the guy from Titanic.
