Aaron Paul’s most rewarding moment as Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad wasn’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 the Breaking Bad cast throughout its run, Aaron Paul’s performances as Jesse were a huge factor in the show’s rampant success.
Jesse was involved in many of Breaking Bad‘s defining moments, despite the original plan for showrunner Vince Gilligan to kill off Paul’s character at the end of season 1. Jesse would even return in 2019’s El Camino, with the movie showing what happened to Paul’s character in the immediate aftermath of the Breaking Bad finale.
Jesse Was Supposed To Look “Grimly Determined” For His Breaking Bad Exit
In a video posted on Screenplayed‘s Facebook page, Aaron Paul can be seen reading the final Breaking Bad script 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 “grimly determined” 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 final Breaking Bad shot. 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 that Jesse 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.
El Camino Made Breaking Bad’s Ending Even More Different From The Original Script
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 confirms the 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 Bad movie 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 original Breaking Bad finale script was retroactively altered even more.
Source: Facebook
Breaking Bad
10/10
- Release Date
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2008 – 2013-00-00
- Showrunner
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Vince Gilligan
