Aaron Paul will be front and center in the hotly-anticipated El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, but the actor revealed times have actually been tough since the show first ended. Created by Vince Gilligan, Breaking Bad told the story of Walter White (Bryan Cranston). Diagnosed with terminal cancer, the mild-mannered schoolteacher lent his scientific know-how to the drug community, manufacturing crystal meth in an effort to provide a nest-egg for his family after his passing. After his cancer goes into remission, however, he finds himself unwilling to give up his career, instead opting to forge a bloody and violent path towards a Scarface-esque destiny. The show ran for five seasons on AMC, concluding in 2013.
As Jesse Pinkman, Paul starred in the series from the very first episode. As a former student of Walter’s, he recognized Jesse during a DEA ride-along as the low-level dealer they were trying to arrest. Covering for him, Walter blackmailed Jesse into partnering up and grant him a foothold into Albuquerque’s drug industry. Although the character suffered all kinds of pain and trauma across the seasons, he also emerged as one of the only characters to live through the entire ordeal. After escaping his long-term captivity at the hands of a vicious Neo-Nazi gang in the final episode, fans have clamored to see what happened next to the character. It was announced earlier this year that fans would finally get their wish - with a new movie confirmed via Netflix. The film’s first official full-length trailer was released online last week.
Speaking with Vulture, however, Paul revealed that his journey has not been an easy one either. The actor starts by revealing that all looked to be plain sailing in the immediate aftermath of Breaking Bad’s conclusion. “I was so spoiled at the height of Breaking Bad,” he said. “I was being offered everything.” Unfortunately, things rapidly took a downturn - with Need for Speed (which saw the actor tackle his first big-screen leading role) failing to land critically or commercially. Paul’s next outing - Ridley Scott’s biblical epic, Exodus: Gods and Kings - suffered a similar fate. Paul confessed that his career suffered as a result. “You do one commercial film that’s not the success they think it’s going to be and you’re damned.” He goes on to mention how he was also “steered away from a film that would go on to become a monster, monster hit”. Though he refused to name the project, it clearly added to his anguish.
The actor has enjoyed more success within indie film circles. He has also remained a mainstay on the small screen, with roles in the acclaimed animated series BoJack Horseman and Hulu’s psycholo series The Path. Paul will also next be seen in Westworld season 3. According to the actor, however, the Breaking Bad movie couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. “There were some big thorns in my side that I had to let go,” he added. “My wife knew all of this was going on, so when I told her what Vince [Gilligan] wanted to do, she threw her arms around me. She knew it was an opportunity for me to spread my wings again.”
The news will no doubt surprise fans. Jesse was initially supposed to die tragically in season 1. The writers, however, had a change of heart, noting his untapped talent and the chemistry he shared with Cranston. They instead kept him around for the rest of the show’s run. The decision paid off in spades, with Jesse widely considered to be the show’s heart and moral center. Equally, Paul’s performances would earn him multiple Emmys and are never less than stellar, regardless of the project. As such, it will feel almost inconceivable he was unduly blamed for some films and denied further chances to shine in others. Hopefully, the new follow-up movie will prove as much the beginning of a new and rewarding chapter for Paul as it hopefully is for Jesse.
More: Breaking Bad Characters Who Can Appear In Jesse’s El Camino Movie
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie will premiere October 11, on Netflix.
Source: Vulture
