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

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. While his onscreen son is in his 20s, Hall is now able to channel his feelings as a real life father.

“Suddenly, I had a wealth of things to draw on,” Hall says. “That allowed me to really connect with the whole nature of the Richard and Zach relationship. When you’re playing a dark character, you want to find some light in him. I think the light in him is his relationship with Richard. He’s very damaged, and it’s a damaged relationship. He’s looking to redeem himself to his son, so there’s that sense of self-forgiveness and redemption.”

Hall’s desire to play characters that have plenty below the surface started early, when he hoped to transition his young fame into a lasting career as an actor. After all, he was still a teenager after starring in a string of successful ’80s John Hughes films, including “Club,” “Candles,” “National Lampoon’s Vacation” and “Weird Science.” Yet he found himself indelibly linked to the films and co-stars of this era, like Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson and Molly Ringwald.

“I didn’t plan on being typecast — I don’t even think it was John’s intention,” he says of the “geek” archetype that he played in the films. “But that sort of happened, and I think, as with most kids, there’s that sort of self-awareness, that awkwardness, that very interesting biological fact that our brains are forming until you’re 25. I was 17 years old. I had already done a handful of films. I was just flying by the seat of my pants, and was coming from a very pure place. I think long before the pressures of any of that, I learned so much just by working with John Hughes and the gifts that he gave me. I wouldn’t be here without him. There was this sense of joy and freedom there as a kid.”

Eager to branch out and shake off his dweeb persona, Hall hopscotched among gigs, joining “Saturday Night Live” for a one-season stint in 1985, starring as a jock in “Johnny Be Good” and playing the villain in “Edward Scissorhands.”

As opportunities waxed and waned during the years that followed, Hall used every opportunity as a chance to sharpen his craft and learn about the industry.

“At different points in my career — or even let’s say in my 20s, when I was struggling just to stay alive in the industry — I’d work with these great stars,” he says. “An episode of ‘Diagnosis: Murder’ or ‘Touched by an Angel.’ When you have those jobs, and you haven’t worked in a couple of years, they felt like you’re being cast in a blockbuster and offer great lessons.”

By the early 2000s, Hall’s facial features and build had grown into adulthood and didn’t immediately evoke his famous teen look, which afforded him both stability and scores of different character actor roles. He toplined a long-running USA Network series adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Dead Zone,” and did guest stints in popular series such as “Entourage,” Community,” “Riverdale” and “Bosch: Legacy.” He also was cast in meaty film roles in high-profile projects like “The Dark Knight,” “Foxcatcher,” “Halloween Kills” and “War Machine.”

Hall’s ability to escape into roles — often playing complex men thrust into impossible circumstances — became a way for him not to get defined by the hugely popular films of his youth. That freedom has given him a new perspective on a career that followed an unlikely path, and he’s able to appreciate new challenges while still celebrating his iconic early work.

“This is my 49th year in the business,” Hall says, sounding tickled by his good fortune. “As the decades go on, I think there’s a second puberty that happens in your 20s where you think you’ve got to figure it all out by the time you get to your 30s. I feel like I’ve lightened up a lot over the years, and at this point in my career, I’m just awash with a sense of gratitude, knowing honestly about having endured it and survived. I think it’s ultimately about the company you keep, so I want to work with great filmmakers, I want to work with other great actors. I want to work, and I think I’ve just maintained that focus.”

The first three episodes of “Reacher” Season 3 are now available on Prime Video, with future episodes debuting weekly.