Despite concluding the story of Walter White with the character’s death nearly a decade ago, Bryan Cranston has, surprisingly, returned to his iconic role a few times. He appeared in “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Story,” helping wrap up Jesse’s (Aaron Paul) story, “Better Call Saul,” and even a PopCorners Super Bowl ad. However, while the appearances filled the needs of “Breaking Bad” fans, they weren’t a long-term return for Cranston, but the actor isn’t completely ruling that out either.
“I never underestimate Vince Gilligan,” Cranston told Awards Radar, reminiscing on his final days on the “Breaking Bad” set, when he expected never to return to that world and Walter White. However, after reprising the role a few times now, he won’t completely rule out returning in a more official capacity. “I’ll just leave it at nothing’s on the horizon and I know that Vince would not want to do something where — he doesn’t need a paycheck and neither do I — and so let’s honor that. But IF there was something that he that he woke up from a dream, and went, ‘Oh my god,’ and he pitched me on it, and I too had the ‘OH MY GOD’ reaction then I’d look at it.”
While he’s open to returning to Walter White in the future, it will take a truly incredible idea for Cranston to reprise the role. He won’t rule out the possibility, but he clarifies in the interview that those “Oh my god” pitches aren’t common in the industry, so “Breaking Bad” fans shouldn’t hold their breaths.
Cranston loved returning to Walter White in Better Call Saul
Although he’s, understandably, hesitant to return to Walter White full-time, Bryan Cranston has had a blast reprising his iconic character in subsequent “Breaking Bad” stories. In an interview with Variety, the actor reflected on what it was like returning for “Better Call Saul,” detailing that, aside from not understanding the scene, it was like he and Aaron Paul never left the roles. “There were two scenes that we shot,” Cranston said. “The first one was in the RV with [Odenkirk], so we had to research the ‘Breaking Bad’ episode that that would have taken place in and what were the circumstances leading up to that. But as far as the characters? Once Aaron and I put on those clothes, we looked at each other and smiled, and we went, ‘We’re back.'”
Similarly, Cranston had the time of his life filming the “Breaking Bad” PopCorners commercial, telling Entertainment Weekly the entire light-hearted production was a breath of fresh air after being used to the incredibly serious tone of “Breaking Bad.” “We had three days of just smiling and laughing and just enjoying each other’s company and putting on these costumes that meant so much to us,” he said regarding the reunion between him, Paul, and Vince Gilligan for the commercial.
While some actors may shy away from their iconic roles, Cranston clearly loves returning to Walter White, even if it’s just for a little bit of fun. In his interview with Variety, he says he loves that “Breaking Bad” defines his career, saying, “My eventual line in the obituary — ‘best known for Breaking Bad’ — I’m proud of that.”
