Anthony Michael Hall on Breaking Bad as ‘Reacher’ Season 3’s Villain and Finally Looking at His John Hughes Era With ‘Joy’

variety.com:

William Earl Anthony Michael Hall has spent his career pursuing roles that allowed him to empathize with all kinds of characters.

He’s always looking for that depth, that drive — that hook that inspires him to dig his teeth into a script, and defy expectations — and to prove he’s much more than the nerd from ’80s Brat Pack movies like “The Breakfast Club” and “Sixteen Candles.” His newest role is playing an arms dealer on the third season of “Reacher,” the hit Amazon Prime Video show about an ex-military police drifter who travels the United States, busting up increasingly outsized criminal enterprises.

For any actor, “Reacher” is a huge platform, but Hall was laser-focused on the complexity of his character, Zachary Beck, who poses as a humble rug importer. “It’s a very rich character,” he says. “He has a cover for his life, and is operating within this framework of a criminal network.

But there’s a power struggle, and he’s trying to stay alive as a criminal with this very dark side. Then again, the B storyline is essentially his relationship with his son, Richard.” That aspect of the multi-faceted role proved exciting for Hall, who welcomed his first child, Michael Anthony Hall II, in June 2023.