The Breaking Bad cast revealed how Samuel L. Jackson tried to appear in the show, and why the showrunner said ‘No’
Inside the Samuel L. Jackson Breaking Bad cameo that wasn’t meant to be.
What happens when you pit Samuel L. Jackson against Bryan Cranston’s Walter White? Unfortunately, we’ll never know for sure.
Speaking to a crowd at Awesome Con 2024, the cast of Breaking Bad recalled the Samuel L. Jackson cameo that wasn’t meant to be. “He [Jackson] played in our golf tournament, and then I did an episode of Talking Bad, and he was the guy on the panel with me,” Dean Norris recalled. “I know he was a huge fan. I think at some point he recorded himself doing one of the Bryan Cranston speeches, ‘I am the danger,’ or one of those things or something. It wouldn’t surprise me if he wanted to do a cameo.”
Norris is correct. There is a viral video of Jackson performing the iconic “I am the one who knocks” monologue, and it’s just as awesome as you’re imagining. Ultimately, series creator Vince Gilligan dismissed the idea of a cameo because he thought Jackson was too big.
“I think Vince wasn’t into the stunt casting element because he didn’t need it,” Norris said.
That didn’t stop Jackson from trying. During an interview with IndieWire, Jackson revealed that Breaking Bad was filmed in a studio right across from the Avengers’ Albuquerque set. Jackson showed up to the Los Pollos Hermonos set dressed as Nick Fury, and pitched the idea of appearing in the background ordering chicken. Gilligan didn’t go for it.
To be fair, Disney’s lawyers probably would’ve had an issue with that one. It leads us to wonder, what would the Samuel L. Jackson cameo have been like?
“He would walk on set, say ‘motherfucker,’ and then walk off,” RJ Mitte said.
That’s on brand. Yes, that’s probably exactly how it would’ve gone.
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