This Is What The Cast Of Breaking Bad Looks Like Now
It's been over ten years since the last episode of Breaking Bad aired on AMC. So, it's been pretty much ten years of fans scratching their heads and wondering what they're going to emotionally invest their time in now that Heisenberg is gone and Jesse is on the run. Thankfully, we got an answer to Jesse's whereabouts in the Netflix film, El Camino.
But what has happened to the rest of the cast of Breaking Bad since the airing of "Felina?" There might be a lack of blue, but here is how the actors have changed since season one.
Then: Bryan Cranston
Before Breaking Bad's anti-hero Walter White, Bryan Cranston was known for characters a bit more "human." Cranston stepped into the role of Walt after years as Hal in Malcolm in the Middle and Dr. Whatley from Seinfeld. He was "that guy" coming off of two long-running sitcoms. Now he was going to play one of the biggest character arch characters in cinematic history -- he just didn't know it yet.
Cranston went on to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series three years running, something that has only happened to one other actor. His critically acclaimed role of Walter White left us speechless.
Now: Bryan Cranston
Nowadays, Bryan Cranston has left the dark world of Walt behind him. Look at that picture! That's the face of a man that will never again harm the citizens of New Mexico again. Aside from his cheery state, Cranston has teamed up with former co-star Aaron Paul to start a tequila business. It's a bit more legal than the substance business, so we approve.
Cranston and Paul started a new mezcal brand called Dos Hombres. The idea came while the two were at a sushi bar in New York, thinking up ways to work together further down the line. It's not Breaking Bad, but we can get behind a good tequila!
Then: Aaron Paul
Aaron Paul signed with a manager after winning the runner-up spot in an International Modeling and Talent Association competition in Los Angeles. Paul landed a few commercial roles, music video cameos, but he didn't land his "big break" until HBO's Big Love. He appears on the show 14 times.
Of course, Paul is now known for his role as the lovable addict on AMC's Breaking Bad, Jesse Pinkman. Originally, Pinkman was supposed to die in the first season of the show. Creator Vince Gilligan decided against it, after seeing the chemistry between both Paul and Cranston, and wrote Paul in as a main character in the show.
Now: Aaron Paul
Jesse Pinkman is now all grown up with a wife and child. Paul married Lauren Parsekian in 2013 after meeting her at the Coachella Festival, and the two have a daughter together, Story Annabelle. Hopefully, Jane's ghost isn't too upset with him.
As the world now knows, Paul kept the filming of the Breaking Bad movie, El Camino, under wraps, but it finally released on Netflix's in October 2019. The premiere pictures of the movie left Breaking Bad fans with all the feels. We didn't know that we needed to see a picture of the cast together like that after all these years!
Then: Anna Gunn
Where do we start with the love-hate relationship that we have with Anna Gunn's character, Skyler? Well, we can't really blame her for all of her craziness, Walt did completely ruin her life in the end. Even after she told him that she wanted out. That didn't stop Gunn from writing a piece in the New York Times examining the complete dislike of her character.
Before Breaking Bad, Gunn had a reoccurring role in the ABC series The Practice. She even appeared on an episode of Seinfeld. We're now wondering if the White's met on the set of the sitcom!
Now: Anna Gunn
After her character's life fell apart on Breaking Bad, Gunn decided she was going to continue her acting career. We can't blame her, after her miraculous performance as a kingpin's wife, Gunn will never have a hard time looking for work again.
She appeared in Gracepoint, the American Remake of British murder-mystery Broadchurch, starred in the 2016 film Equity, and most recently, she starred as Maxine Faulk in the 2019 stage production of Tennessee Williams "The Night of the Iguana," as well as the 2019 HBO movie Deadwood: The Movie. We're hoping those projects were the reasoning behind her not being at the El Camino premiere!
Then: Dean Norris
Dean Norris was another character that had quite the arch during Breaking Bad. First, Hank Schrader was known as the funny guy who was always quick to crack a joke at someone's expense. After his shooting which left him in bed with minerals (they're not rocks, Marie!) he became a more analytical DEA agent.
Prior to his Breaking Bad fame, Norris appeared in a few big-screen films, including Lethal Weapon 2, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Starship Troopers, The Cell, Little Miss Sunshine, and The Book of Henry. Nothing will compare to what he brought to the character of Hank and his witty one-liners.
Now: Dean Norris
We're not sure if Dean Norris was even acting during his time on Breaking Bad. He started a company that brews Schraderbrau, the exact beer that his character made in his man cave of a garage, for crying out loud! Aside from brewing, Norris has continued to act, currently starring in the hit TNT series, Claws.
Norris and his wife, Bridget, have since opened the Norris Performing Arts Center in Murrieta, California. The center was created as a world-class integrated dance, theater, art, music, and acting program that brought in some of the highest quality art teachers in Southern California.
Then: Betsy Brandt
Marie Schrader is another character that we couldn't fully like but we didn't fully hate her either. She stole spoons and had an utter disregard for her bed-ridden husband's rock/mineral collection. We can appreciate her "I call it like I see it" attitude though, and of course, it was always great whenever she went off on Walt for being a horrible husband and father.
Brandt, surprisingly, auditioned for three different parts in the hit TV show before being offered the part of Marie. Thank goodness for that! We can't imagine anyone else playing the purple-loving kleptomaniac with the "may I speak with your manager" personality that is Marie.
Now: Betsy Brandt
After changing up her color palate, Brandt switched gears. She moved from the screen to the stage. Originally, she was drawn to the stage, wanting to direct musicals, but after winning the lead in a school play, she focused more on acting. So it's no wonder that Brandt has found her way back to the theater after years in front of a camera.
There must be something about performing for an audience that she missed. Most recently, Brandt acted as Elizabeth Hardy in the summer play Good Boys at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, California. Hopefully, no one interrupted the performance by yelling "Jesus Christ, Marie!".
Then: R.J Mitte
We know R.J. Mitte as Walt and Skyler's innocent son with cerebral palsy, Walter "Flynn" Jr., who, for some weird reason, was absolutely obsessed with breakfast. He's also the reason why we were able to justify some of Walt's worst actions -- he's doing it for his son and unborn daughter!
Mitte landed the role of Walt Jr. after training with a personal talent manager, Addison Witt, and seeking out roles that would educate viewers on disabilities. Like his character, Mitte also suffers from cerebral palsy, albeit, not as severe a case as Walt Jr.'s. Mitte is able to walk without the use of canes.
Now: R.J. Mitte
Even though his personal life isn't public knowledge, Mitte has actually been pretty busy since the last episode of Breaking Bad, building quite a resume for himself. He has appeared in the low-budget horror film House of Last Things, which was the same year he was featured in an episode of the CBS series Vegas.
He has also ditched the Breaking Bad crutches for a wheelchair, playing a paralyzed snowboarder, a reoccurring character, on the ABC Family/Freeform series, Switched at Birth. Off-screen, Mitte has been a huge advocate for actors with disabilities and has even become the celebrity ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy.
Then: Giancarlo Esposito
Where do we start with the kingpin, Gustavo Fring? At first, his character was hiring Walt to cook for him, then, all of a sudden, an all-out war between the two happened, resulting in Gus getting blown up. Giancarlo Esposito's character is known to be one of Breaking Bad's most powerful villains.
During his time as Gus, Giancarlo Esposito won Best Supporting Actor in a Drama at the 2012 Critic's Choice Television Awards and was also nominated for an Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series award at the 2012 Primetime Emmy Awards. The good news is that this wasn't the last time was saw Gus!
Now: Giancarlo Esposito
Since the end of Breaking Bad, Giancarlo Esposito has been doing what most actors do, continue to act. He joined the DC Universe Animated Original Movies, playing Ras al Ghul in Son of Batman and Black Spider in Batman: Assualt on Arkham, and even voiced pack leader Akela in the 2016 rendition of The Jungle Book.
Most notably, Espositio brought back Gus in the AMC show Better Call Saul! In the second season of the show, an anagram of the first letters of every episode's name eventually spelled out "FRINGE'S BACK." If that didn't give you chills for season's three and four we're not sure what did.
Then: Bob Odenkirk
Bob Odenkirk joined the Breaking Bad cast in the second season, staying on the show until the final episode. He taught us the importance of white lies, money laundering, and twisting the truth so it fits your needs. Pretty much, Saul Goodman is the corrupt defense attorney we all deserved on the show. As Jesse said, "you need a criminal lawyer."
Surprisingly, the character of Saul was only meant to guest star in three episodes. Thankfully, he ended up being an integral part of Walt's journey through the criminal underworld and stayed on for our little dose of comic relief throughout the drama series.
Now: Bob Odenkirk
Saul's character in Breaking Bad was so popular it made fans wonder what his origin story could possibly be to make him the criminal defense lawyer. And thus, Better Call Saul came out of the woodwork. Bob Odenkirk obviously, reprises his role as the corrupt lawyer, and joining him are many acclaimed actors, including Rhea Seehorn, Patrick Fabian, and Michael McKean.
If you like Breaking Bad, then you'll love Better Call Saul. The show fills in all of the missing pieces of Saul Goodman's life. The best part? It's created by Vince Gilligan, so you know it's worth the emotional investment.
Then: Jonathan Banks
Mike Ehrmantraut was probably one of the more "real" people on the show. Well, aside from Marie. He cleaned up everyone's messes and told them exactly what they should do so they didn't get killed. He definitely ended up saving Walt and Jesse's lives a time or six. And how is he repaid? Well, we don't want to spoil anything if you haven't watched the show.
Jonathan Banks' character made his first appearance on Breaking Bad in season two, soon becoming a regular for the following three seasons. For the fifth season, he received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
Now: Jonathan Banks
Jonathan Banks is still acting, having a reoccurring role of Buzz Hicky on the 2014 NBC sitcom Community. The following year he played the voice of James Gordon in the video game Batman: Arkham Knight. Honestly, he has one of the best detective voices.
Most importantly, he reprised his role as Mike in Better Call Saul and El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie. If you didn't cry when Mike was talking about Alaska with Jesse, we're not sure if you even care about the characters. Here's to hoping we see more of Mike in the fifth season of Better Call Saul.
Then: Charles Baker
Charles Baker's character, Skinny Pete appeared in 15 episodes of Breaking Bad. What originally started off as a one-episode casting, turned into Skinny becoming one of Jesse's best friends and close associates. The funny thing about Baker is that acting was not his initial career choice. He's actually a talented singer and musician.
His ability to play the piano was noticed by Gilligan, and in season five episode three he asked Baker to play the intricate piano melody CPE Bach - Solfeggietto on the keyboard. Watching Skinny Pete playing that haunting melody in the music store is a defining moment for a lot of fans.
Now: Charles Baker
Baker has been on the acting circuit since the ending of the AMC show. He's been featured in many films, including Wild opposite Reese Witherspoon, Approaching the Unknown, The Neon Demon, and Abysm. Baker also landed the recurring role of Chris Walton in the TNT show Murder in the First.
More recently, we see Baker bring back Skinny Pete in El Camino. It's amazing how Skinny was able to throw a plan together so quickly in order to get Jesse out of town and away from the cops. Oh, the things you can do while you're not using! Regardless, Skinny is the friend Jesse deserves.
