Better Call Saul is currently on a mid-season hiatus, after the first seven episodes of the final season aired in April and May. The season will return on July 11, and we will get to see the final six episodes and discover the fate of Kim Wexler (as well as some other characters). Fans of the show are also hotly anticipating two cameos – of a certain Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) and Walter White (Bryan Cranston).
The return of Cranston and Paul to the world of Breaking Bad was surrounded in secrecy, and their arrival in New Mexico to film was treated like a military operation. In a recent interview with The Radio Times, Cranston said; “It was surreal. Aaron Paul and I, we had to coordinate our schedules to make sure we were available when they were in production.”
Cranston doesn’t know if they will appear in the final episode, but it seems likely; “So a year ago, April, is when we shot it. And because it was a separate section of us shooting the scene, I don’t know what actual episode it’s in. Because it wasn’t done in order.”
Cranston continued; “We were flown into New Mexico secretly and they created this shroud of privacy – we were sent right away to an Airbnb house that we were not allowed to leave. There was all this stuff going on, it was exciting! But also a secret and we kept it secret for a year. And then when Better Call Saul premiered they announced it, and Aaron and I said, ‘Oh, well, I guess we can talk about it now!'”
Reflecting on the role that he has become best-known for, Cranston said; “When Breaking Bad came to an end, I guess it was arbitrary, but I just felt I needed to step away from doing any television for three years. So I did, I didn’t do any television for three years, I went and did theatre. And so I was able to still do what I love but in a different medium. And to be able to take on different characters and help wash away the Walter White iconography of it all, you know.”
“My face is still on T-shirts and tattoos and things – and that’s kind of strangely bizarre when I see those things. But it’s my job to not lean into it. It’s my job not to embrace and keep generating interest along those lines, but to go elsewhere. And forge new ground.”
You’ll always be Hal from Malcolm in the Middle to us, Bryan. If you’re a fan of the ups and downs, twists and turns of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, check out our guide to the best drama movies.