Cranston ‘Defensive’ About LBJ After Researching Role for Broadway Debut

Bryan Cranston is a bit surprised to find himself defending former President Lyndon B. Johnson.

The 36th president got “short shrift” for his domestic accomplishments, which included passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and laws to boost Medicare and education funding, the actor said in New York.

The star of the recently concluded AMC series “Breaking Bad” is making his Broadway debut as Johnson in the play “All the Way,” which opens March 6.

As the nation marks the 50th anniversaries of Johnson’s programs, “I think people are going to give it a second thought,” Cranston said....