Aaron Paul’s most rewarding moment as Jesse Pinkman inBreaking Badwasn’t in the script as it was executed, so it took the actor’s creative choices to make the scene what it was. As one of the leaders of theBreaking Badcastthroughout its run,Aaron Paul’s performances as Jesse were a huge factor in the show’s rampant success.
Jesse was involved in many ofBreaking Bad’s defining moments, despite theoriginal plan for showrunner Vince Gilligan to kill off Paul’s characterat the end of season 1. Jesse would even return in 2019’sEl Camino, with the movie showing what happened to Paul’s character in the immediate aftermath of theBreaking Badfinale.
In a video posted onScreenplayed’sFacebookpage, Aaron Paul can be seen reading the finalBreaking Badscript with co-star Bryan Cranston, as they each discover the fate of their respective characters. Cranston, as well as delivering Walter White’s dialogue, reads the stage directions and other text aloud.
As it turns out, Aaron Paul’s decision to play Jesse as deliriously happy/emotionally tortured after fleeing his captors in an El Camino seems to be something he added himself. Cranston’s reading of the script states that Jesse was supposed to be “grimlydetermined” as he drove away. Paul’s performance in that moment is great, but it doesn’t match the script.
Aaron Paul’s Acting Choices Were Better Than What Was In The Script
I understand why Gillian wanted Jesse to look “grimly determined” for Aaron Paul’s finalBreaking Badshot. However, what Aaron Paul ultimately did was far better than what the showrunner intended.Jesse’s emotions are running wild in the scene, and it’s difficult to tell if he’s screaming, laughing, or crying.
In reality, having been freed from such a grim and traumatic existence, the truth of the matter is thatJesse is probably feeling several emotions at once. So, it makes perfect sense that Aaron Paul would choose to play Jesse in a way that strayed from the script, and he made the scene better for it.
The script for “Felina,“Breaking Bad’s final episode, also left things intentionally vague when it came to the topic of where Jesse was headed. Cranston’s dictation of Gilligan’s writing confirmsthe original intention was for the audience to decide what Jesse would do next, and that he was simply going “somewhere better.”
However,El Camino: A Breaking Badmovie picked up Jesse’s story immediately after the events of “Felina,“revealing that he didn’t even leave Albuquerque at first. When he finally manages to find a new life for himself, it turns out to be in Alaska under the name Mr. Driscoll. So, the originalBreaking Badfinale script was retroactively altered even more.
Breaking Bad
Cast
Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan, follows a chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin named Walter White (Bryan Cranston) as he attempts to provide for his family following a fatal diagnosis. With nothing left to fear, White ascends to power in the world of drugs and crime, transforming the simple family man into someone known only as Heisenberg.
