Bryan Cranston Shares How His Mom’s Alzheimer’s Diagnosis Transformed Their Bond: ‘All the Stress Went Away’ (Exclusive)
Bryan Cranston Shares How His Mom’s Alzheimer’s Diagnosis Transformed Their Bond: ‘All the Stress Went Away’ (Exclusive)
Ingrid Vasquez, Luke ChinmanWed, November 11, 2026 at 2:15 PM UTC
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Bryan Cranston attends the ‘Tangles’ New York screening at Regal Union Square in New York on Nov. 9, 2026.Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty -
Bryan Cranston lends his voice to Tangles, out in theaters next year
The film is based on Sarah Leavitt’s 2010 graphic memoir Tangles: A Story about Alzheimer’s, My Mother and Me
Cranston spoke to PEOPLE exclusively at a screening of the film about how his relationship with his mother, Annalisa “Peggy” Sell, changed after her diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease
Bryan Cranston‘s relationship with his late mother, radio actress Annalisa “Peggy” Sell, changed after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
PEOPLE caught up with the actor, 70, at the Nov. 9 Tangles New York Screening in Partnership with Hilarity for Charity, a film to which he lends his voice — and his personal experience.
The Leah Nelson-directed project is based on Sarah Leavitt’s 2010 graphic memoir Tangles: A Story about Alzheimer’s, My Mother and Me.
Cranston tells PEOPLE that his relationship with his mother changed after she received her diagnosis.
Bryan Cranston attends the ‘Tangles’ New York screening at Regal Union Square in New York, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026.Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
He reveals that the two “had a very challenging relationship over the years.”
“There was some contention, there was some stress and we didn’t always get along,” he explains. “Ironically, once she got this horrible disease, all that went away. All the stress went away, all the anxiety, all the history of our struggles.”
“And what was left is a person loving another person and taking care of them and going for walks and doing simple things,” says Cranston. “Looking at the sky and feeding the ducks and things like that, that really... Yeah, it simplified the life, but it also neutralized it.”
Following his mom’s diagnosis, Cranston says, “There wasn’t any more buttons to push.”
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“There wasn’t her on me or me on her or anything,” he explains. “That all went away. And that was the nice thing about it.”
Cranston says one thing he particularly likes about Tangles is that it brings attention to caregivers and the family members supporting the patient.
“They’re going through a loss at the same time, and it’s profound,” he says. “And you need to be able to function still. If you need to go for a walk, go for a walk. If you need to take two days away, do that. You need to go to the gym. “
“Whatever you do to need to reset, do that. It’s important to be able to... But I think some care and appreciation will go to the caregivers,” says Cranston.
Bryan Cranston attends “860” Broadway Opening Night at Imperial Theatre on October 21, 2026 in New York CityCredit: Jason Mendez/Getty
In addition to Cranston, the voice cast of Tangles includes Seth Rogen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Pamela Adlon, Beanie Feldstein, Sarah Silverman, Abbi Jacobson, Samira Wiley, Wanda Sykes, Adam Shapiro and Bowen Yang.
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Tangles is set to be released in limited theaters on January 15, 2027, before expanding to wide release on January 22, 2027.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
