Bryan Cranston probably felt good about taking the role of Walter White on Breaking Bad when it was first offered to him by Vince Gilligan. But he probably couldn’t have imagined how the show-turned-franchise would transform into a phenomenon. And in the process, both Cranston and Gilligan turned Walter White into one of the most iconic television characters of all time. White met his demise in the show’s finale but did manage to make an appearance in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, thanks to a flashback. The actor is campaigning for an appearance on Better Call Saul, but, if that doesn’t happen, how will he feel if El Camino is the last time he plays the role?
Breaking Bad gave Walter White a very complete story, one that felt as though it had a set beginning, middle and end. With this, the actor says he would be at peace if his final appearance as Walter White was indeed in El Camino:
Of course. I was content with the end of Breaking Bad. I thought it was the perfect ending. I know I’m biased, but I don’t recall seeing the ending of a show that was so well-constructed, satisfying and legitimate. Everything just seemed to fall into place so extraordinarily well. And with that, from the beginning of meeting Vince (Gilligan) again before I got the role to the development of the character and the story and the prep and getting out there and shooting the pilot, then waiting and then six years of shooting, I mean, it’s seven-and-a-half years. I experienced a very satisfying beginning, middle and end. It’s as if you came to the end of a good children’s book where the kids were saved and they lived happily ever after.
It's hard to argue with Bryan Cranston’s recent comments to THR. Walter White’s brief appearance in El Camino was a sweet bookend for the character. And even without, his story would have admittedly been well wrapped up following Breaking Bad’s finale. The actor would go on to describe Walter White’s story as a “perfect meal” for himself as an actor. He also mentioned that he would rather leave audiences wanting more as opposed to dragging things out.
Although one could argue that Walter White’s cameo in El Camino didn’t need to happen, we’re so glad it did. And what was even more amazing than seeing White and Aaron Paul’s Jesse Pinkman back together was seeing how Cranston transformed back into the infamous, drug kingpin.
Still, it would be nice to see Cranston reprise his famous role in Better Call Saul, which is currently headed for its final season. Cranston is also not alone in wanting to appear on the show, as Aaron Paul has also expressed interest in doing so.
There are still a number of questions revolving around the sixth and final season of Better Call Saul, and whether or not Walter White and Jesse Pinkman show up is the top among them. Nevertheless, it’s good to know that Bryan Cranston would be perfectly fine if he never got the chance to play his fan-favorite character again.
You can relive Bryan Cranston’s performance as Walter White by binging Breaking Bad and El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie on Netflix.
