Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul says filming Netflix sequel to popular series was a 'dream come true'

Paul united with his former co-star Bryan Cranston at the El Camino premiere 
Isobel Frodsham9 October 2019
The Weekender

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Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul said it was a “dream come true” to film a sequel the popular television series.

The actor, 40, starred as Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad’s original five seasons, playing the former student-turned-partner-in-crime to Bryan Cranston’s drug lord Walter White.

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie is out on Friday and will focus on Pinkman, who Paul admitted he "missed" playing.

Speaking at the film’s premiere in Los Angeles, he described getting back into the character's shoes as "a dream come true", adding: "I thought I’d said goodbye to this guy so long ago.

"I thought I’d said goodbye to so many of those crew members, at least as a business relationship."

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie Premiere - In pictures

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“It was so nice to revisit with them and reconnect with them and also zip on this skin once again," he continued.

“I’ve missed this guy. It was nice to be with him again.”

Breaking Bad, a neo-western crime drama set in the deserts of Albuquerque, New Mexico, told the story of Cranston’s chemistry teacher Walter White, who, after a cancer diagnosis, started selling crystal meth to secure his family’s future.

However, he was soon sucked deeper and deeper into a life of crime.

The series, which aired its final episode in 2013, is regularly listed as one of the greatest TV shows ever and August’s announcement of a sequel in the form of a standalone film was met with delight by fans.

Its finale saw Jesse on the run and Walter dying from gunshot wounds in a meth lab.

Despite Cranston's character being killed off in the series, the actor, 63, joined Paul for the film premiere last night.

Firm friends: The duo looked delighted to be seeing eachother again
Getty Images for Netflix

Paul’s intense portrayal of delinquent student Jesse earned him widespread critical acclaim, including three Emmy Awards.

However, he said had no problems moving on from the character.

“He’s been gone for some time,” he said.

“While we were shooting the show he was very much with me, he would visit me in my dreams. I would dream as him, which was very odd. But once I’d said goodbye to him, he was gone.”

El Camino is one of Netflix’s biggest releases of the year and its premiere in Los Angeles was a huge event as the streaming giant prepares to battle for supremacy with Disney and Apple, who will release their rival services later this year.

Netflix: El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019) - In pictures

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Despite the fevered interest around the film, Paul said he had no trouble keeping tight-lipped over the plot, only telling his wife, parents and close friends what he was working on.

“It was so easy for me,” he said. “I love surprising people, I love lying to people. People ask me what I’m doing, I’m like ‘I’m just doing this small little passion project’.”

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, will arrive on Netflix on October 11.

Additional reporting from Press Association

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