It’s hard to picture anyone other than Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad. He’s essential to Breaking Bad’s mix of humor and vulnerability. At first, we think Pinkman is evil, but that flips as we get to know him because, despite his past, he aims for goodness. This is what makes this show so brilliant because it is all about things that are not truly what they seem.
The show became so popular that its strong reputation started pressuring actors to deliver top performances on camera over time. For that sake, actors like Aaron Paul took their roles very seriously and stayed in character even after the filming ended. This intense method of acting took a toll on him which nearly caused him harm. In this, Paul’s beloved friend Bryan Cranston stepped and saved his situation.
In an interview with Sam Jones on The Off Camera Show, Paul admits it was challenging to get a part in the movie. He said that nobody wanted him for the role of Jesse Pinkman. He struggled with the audition, as he kept messing up lines and forgetting what came next. Despite this, Vince Gilligan (the director of Breaking Bad) saw something others didn’t and believed him to be a suitable fit. That’s how Paul ended up cast as a meth addict with a hidden kindness.
Aaron Paul Dreams of Being Chased By Gun-Toting Drug Runners
Aaron Paul wanted to master his role as Jesse Pinkman. For that, he took his method of acting to a whole new level. He was so deep into his Breaking Bad character that he would dream of being chased by gun-toting drug runners. To truly become like Pinkman, Paul transformed himself into the role. He’d wear his character’s outfit even off-set and stay out till 4 am in rough parts of Albuquerque, just to get into “the world that Jesse Pinkman was surrounded by.”
He’d talk and act like Pinkman and even started interacting with “bum cigarettes off crackheads.” This commitment’s of Paul led him to dream as a meth addict and not as himself. All of this took a toll on Paul, leaving him feeling “worn out” and “exhausted.”
Bryan Cranston Was the One Who Saved Aaron Paul
There’s no breaking friendship like Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston. Paul once told in an interview that Cranston is his mentor and one of his best friends on the planet. Cranston also feels the same for Paul, and he even proved it. He was the one to help Paul out of the hole that he’d dug himself in. He said:
“Bryan, in the second season, I think he may have just noticed I was exhausted one day or just super beat up. And he goes, ‘You know, Paul, it’s okay to at the end of the day, you know, take off your wardrobe and wash your makeup off and just be yourself.’ And I started doing that. And it was much easier for me.”
Taking this advice to heart, Paul began to detach from his character’s intense persona after work, and he always thanked his beloved friend Bryan Cranston for leading to a positive shift in his well-being and performance.
Source: The Guardian
