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Drake’s ‘Hotline Bling’ Gets The Dramatic Reading Treatment With Bryan Cranston, Kristen Wiig, Seth Rogen, And Others [Video]

By David Cornell
Published on: 06:26 PST, Jun 17, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oRxX6-CaOA&feature=youtu.be

Drake’s “Hotline Bling” has brought together some of Hollywood’s most famous faces for a collaboration video which ranges from dramatic reading to generally singing in sections. Among the faces in the video are Bryan Cranston, Seth Rogen, and Kristen Wiig, which admittedly is a combination of people you don’t often find together. It isn’t quite on the same scale as some of Weird Al Yankovic’s latest music videos like “Tacky,” or the Beastie Boys’ “Make Some Noise,” but some are quite memorable.

Bryan Cranston starts the video by telling us what song everybody is coming together on, “Hotline Bling” by Drake. Cranston really steals the show just like he did with Breaking Bad as the chemistry teacher who became a methamphetamine kingpin, Walter White. His parts are almost like a flashback to the show, as he talks to the camera as if it’s Anna Gunn. You almost expect him to break into a monologue about how he is “the one who knocks.”

YouTube user RollercoasterSexTrain even said the video should have just been Cranston all the way through, and W Magazine responded by posting the following version with just him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU5Y3kyGUT8

The second most notable section was probably Amy Schumer, whose deadpan expression makes it sound like she’s actually talking to her ex-boyfriend. Her recent rise to fame started mostly as a Comedy Central roaster. Her classic good looks and hilarious delivery brought her to the comedy spotlight, joining Ellen DeGeneres, Maria Bamford, and the late Phyllis Diller as the funniest female comedians in recent history. Her cinematic debut in Trainwreck led to an even swifter rise to fame, and now her acting ability can be seen once again in a dramatic reading of Drake’s “Hotline Bling.”

Seth Rogen, a notable actor who never seems to be able to escape the reputation of being a “party actor,” also reads the lyrics seriously. He is known for always being in movies with a lighter tone, and according to critics, he ruined the big screen remake of Green Hornet. Unlike Tara Reid, who seems to want to shed her “party actor” reputation after her debut as a sex symbol in The Big Lebowski and American Pie, Seth Rogen seems perfectly okay with it. He has been seen on film with James Franco and Emma Watson, and is known as a marijuana fanatic.

Kristen Wiig is most commonly known as one of the cast members from the new Ghostbusters, and she also gives a dramatic impression to Drake’s “Hotline Bling.”

The others involved in this collaboration are Brie Larson (Scott Pilgrim Vs The World), Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect), Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn), Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine), Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight), Maika Monroe (Independence Day: Resurgence), Greta Gerwig (Mistress America), and Joel Edgerton (The Great Gatsby).

A few of the actresses actually sang their parts, which took away from the dramatic reading effect, even though they seemed to enjoy themselves doing so.

One notable absence in the video was Justin Bieber, who “Hotline Bling” singer Drake is working with to make a remix of “One Dance.” Seeing Bieber in this collection actually doing a dramatic reading might have almost been more epic than Bryan Cranston.

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