‘Breaking Bad’ Star Aaron Paul Went Through The Darkest Period of His Career Before Auditioning For the Show That Changed His Life
- Aaron Paul, before landing Breaking Bad had appeared in six failed pilots.
- The actor calls Bryan Cranston his mentor and best friend.
- Paul finally bid goodbye to his character after appearing in El Camino and Better Call Saul.
Actor Aaron Paul is widely known for portraying Jesse Pinkman in AMC’s critically acclaimed show Breaking Bad, along with Bryan Cranston, who played Walter White on the show. The actor’s performance was critically acclaimed, and the character is regarded as one of the most beloved on-screen characters.
Aaron Paul has also voiced Todd Chavez in Netflix’s popular animated show BoJack Horseman from 2014 to 2020. He has also been a part of shows including The Path, Westworld, Black Mirror, and more, but he talks about the show that changed his life.
Breaking Bad actor Aaron Paul gets candid about the reality of being an actor
Aaron Paul moved to Los Angeles at the age of 17 and eventually started landing up commercials, which later led to him appearing as a guest on major shows including ER, The X-Files, NYPD Blue, and more. He had a recurring role on HBO’s Big Love, but it was not his dream. In his interview with The Guardian, the actor mentioned that at the age of 27, he had been a part of six failed pilots, which made it very difficult for him to pay the bills.
And then Breaking Bad happened. The show, upon release, received positive responses from the critics and the audience, and the ratings, according to the actor, were modest. He added,
When the first three series landed on Netflix, my life changed. At the beginning of my career, I was not great. Even at the beginning of Breaking Bad—I was OK, I got the job. But I grew so much as an actor. Everyone saw it.
Aaron Paul credits a lot of his success to co-actor and dear friend Bryan Cranston, describing him as a mentor. In an exclusive cover story interview for People magazine, the two stars shared how their company, Dos Hombres, strengthened their friendship. Paul said,
Bryan is my mentor and one of my best friends on the planet. I’ve learned so much from this guy. To be able to tackle something yet again with him, that was really our own brainchild—a dream come true.
In his interview with THR, the actor mentioned that he started his journey on Breaking Bad at the lowest point in his career and that he needed Breaking Bad to be successful. He added that he does not want to seem melodramatic, but that is the reality. He was asked if he would’ve given up acting if Breaking Bad didn’t work, to which he said he would have kept fighting, noting the show just opened doors for so many people.
Netflix is the home to the Breaking Bad spin-off movie El Camino, for which Aaron Paul reprised his character.
Aaron Paul describes Jesse Pinkman as ‘a lost soul’
Paul, in an early interview, was asked how he sees his character, to which he explained that Jesse Pinkman is like a lost soul, adding that he is not a bad kid but just got mixed with the wrong crowd. Paul further mentioned,
He has decided to do something he knows, and he’s been cooking meth for some time now, so it’s taken over his world a little bit. And it’s interesting because when you meet Jesse’s parents, you can tell they’re an upper-class, very proper family. He doesn’t come from an abusive, alcoholic background. But maybe he didn’t relate to his father; maybe his father was too strict and too proper for Jesse.
The actor noted that Jesse and Walter White have a relationship like Oscar and Felix from The Odd Couple. Ardent fans of the show were thrilled to watch Paul reprise his character for the spin-off movie El Camino and guest appearance on Better Call Saul. In his interview with THR, the actor mentioned that he is finally ready to say goodbye to the character.
I love Pinkman. Jesse Pinkman will always have a special place inside of me, but I can confidently say that Better Call Saul was the last time we were going to see Pinkman. So it was a nice farewell.
Paul lastly mentioned that he had the time of his life when he was able to jump back into Pinkman’s skin for the movie as well as for Better Call Saul.
Breaking Bad, El Camino and Better Call Saul are available to stream on Netflix.
