Aaron Paul has opened up about a savage prank ‘best friend’ Bryan Cranston played on him while filming Breaking Bad.
The 45-year-old starred as Jesse Pinkman opposite Bryan’s Walter White across all five seasons of the gritty drama, which is widely regarded as the best TV series of all time.
During an appearance on Hot Ones, he shed light sharing the screen with the 69-year-old and the firm friendship they built on set – as well as their ‘endless’ escapades behind the scenes.
When host Sean Evans questioned him on the ‘most perturbing’ prank his castmate pulled during the shoot, Aaron revealed that his co-star once convinced him that he had been axed from the show in a ‘big’ way.
‘I always say he’s the hardest worker in the room, the most lovable…,’ he insisted. ‘He’s my best friend, my son’s godfather, I adore him. I spoke to him for an hour on the phone last night. I really am obsessed with the guy.
‘But he’s also the most immature person I’ve ever met in my life, and I say that with love and respect.
‘The list [of pranks] was endless but I remember on Breaking Bad, he came out of the production office and he came up to me, and goes, “Come here, it’s okay”. And he gives me this long hug.
‘I’m like, “What are you doing?” He’s like, “At least you go out in a big way, huh?” I’m like, “What are you talking about?”’
Bryan asked whether Aaron had ‘read the latest script’, suggesting that something terrible happens to Jesse, and got other members of the crew in on the joke.
In a savage move, he urged his co-star to ‘just read it’, vowing that he was there for support if needed.
‘I sprinted into the production office, I go, “Bryan just read the latest script, what happens? I want to read it!”,’ Aaron continued.
‘Of course, I just go to the final pages and nothing happened, I’m still around, but he just made it seem like I died.
‘But he would not stop. And he would get everybody in on it. The costume designers said, “Hey, look, we got to do your measurements for the casket, so if you could stay after work, that would be great.”
‘This was all him. But I made it!’
Jesse did indeed survive the entire run of Breaking Bad, with the iconic character even landing a spin-off film, El Camino, on Netflix.
The movie was released in 2019 and picks up directly after the series finale, focusing on the drug dealer as he attempts to tie up loose ends and escape his former life, leaving the meth business behind to start afresh.
Aaron and Bryan also famously reprised their roles for very brief stints in the final season of the hit prequel, Better Call Saul.
Breaking Bad is available to stream on Netflix.
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