Stars discuss feature-length ‘Breaking Bad’ sequel
Endings are hard. Just ask the writers of “Game of Thrones,” the finale of which tarnished the legacy of the entire phenomenon for many.
For a piece of entertainment that is globally popular, that has fans speculating wildly over what might happen next, it can seem impossible to find a satisfying conclusion. “Lost” couldn’t do it. “The Sopranos” couldn’t either. “Breaking Bad,” of course, made it look easy.
“Breaking Bad” told the story of a high-school science teacher, Walter White (Bryan Cranston), who is told that he’s dying of cancer. Distraught that he will leave nothing to his family when he goes, he cooks up a plan to produce and sell illegal substances with his ex-student Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), slowly morphing into a murderous villain in the process. “‘Breaking Bad’ has a pretty serious legacy. They nailed that landing in the perfect way. They really ended it so beautifully, and everyone thought it was great,”
THE ‘BREAKING BAD’ MOVIE
Paul told Arab News. “So why revisit this world?”
While it’s true that the final episode brought the story of Walter White to a suitably dramatic end, the answer to Paul’s question lies in another question, one that — even years after the show finished in 2013 — people were still asking. Even the show’s stars.
“Everybody, including me, has asked, ‘What happened to Jesse Pinkman? Did Jesse make it out alive?’” says Cranston.
‘El Camino,’ a feature film now available on Netflix in the Middle East, picks up moments after the series finished, following Jesse’s escape from the clutches of his kidnappers with the help of Walter White’s last acts — and on the run from criminals and authorities alike. A few years ago, Paul got a call from Gilligan, who had just had an idea for how to continue Jesse’s story. He said yes immediately and unconditionally. “He told me what he was thinking and of course I said, ‘Whatever it is, Vince, it’s a yes.’ I would follow him into a fire. I trust him that much,” Paul says. “He said, ‘I don’t want to put the cart before the horse, but if I crack it, we’ll do it. But I won’t do it unless it’s perfect.’ And here we are!” When Paul first read the script, he knew nothing about where the story might go.
“I was just along for the ride,” he says. “My heart was racing through the whole thing and I read it straight through. I’m an emotional man and so it was definitely an emotional journey for me, and I think it will be for most of our fans. Vince is exactly right. He would not do it unless it was perfect, and I truly think it is. I think our fans will be so thrilled to see this next chapter. I think that once they see it they’ll realize that they needed it in their life. The show ended so flawlessly, but it really gives some closure for this character and for our audience.” As for Gilligan, he was just happy to be reunited with Paul. “He was an absolute prince, and the crew loved him so much. He has spoiled me for the future, as I can’t imagine having as good a time with any other actor. It was so great to be working with Aaron again, I can’t even tell you,” says Gilligan. “I’ve had the time of my life.”
While Walter White’s journey saw the character go from a beloved, mild-mannered family man into a ruthless criminal mastermind, Jesse travelled a different path, transformed by the severity of his past actions and the weight of his conscience. The Jesse of “El Camino” wants nothing of the criminal world — he just wants to have a chance at a normal life.
“It follows a man on the run who will truly stop at nothing to finally become free,” says Paul. “What he has to do to become free gets pretty muddy, but he’ll really stop at nothing to make that happen. “I was wondering if it was going to be as easy as it used to be to jump back into the skin of Pinkman. It has been so many years since I put on those shoes. But after reading the script it was like no time had passed at all. I knew exactly what those moments were going to be, and how I was going to play them, just because I think that Pinkman is so inside of me,” he continues. “It just feels like I’m back home.”