Aaron Paul was shocked by the announcement that he and Bryan Cranston will be appearing in Better Call Saul season 6. Paul starred in all five seasons of AMC's prestige crime drama Breaking Bad as Jesse Pinkman, a slacker and stoner who is recruited by his former high school chemistry teacher, Walter White (Cranston), to make crystal meth. Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan originally planned to kill off Jesse at the end of season 1, but Paul's performance was so endearing to audiences that he decided to keep him around and make him the show's deuteragonist.
In Breaking Bad season 2, Bob Odenkirk makes his first appearance as Saul Goodman, the strip-mall attorney without scruples who advises Walt and Jesse in the drug trade. Odenkirk's character is another whose initial role was increased due to his fan-favorite status. Now, ahead of his prequel series, Better Call Saul, entering its final season 6, co-creator Peter Gould has made the announcement that Walt and Jesse will be returning in some way.
During an interview with THR, Paul shared his reaction to this unexpected announcement. The Breaking Bad star was en route to the Better Call Saul season 6 premiere party when he was informed that Gould shared the news. Paul's initial reaction was shock, but he says he's now glad that the cat is out of the bag and he can discuss it openly. Read Paul's full reaction below:
"Shocked! I was heading to the [final season] premiere party of Better Call Saul, and they go, “There’s a flag on the play. Just so you know, Vince and Peter let everyone know that you and Bryan are going to be in the final season.” And I was like, “What?!” So I didn’t see that coming. But to be honest, I’m happy to be able to finally talk about it and not be squirrelly. It’s nice to be able to be open about it. So I’m excited. I think fans of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul might have been expecting it. They’ve been seeing the Breaking Bad family slowly appear within the walls of Better Call Saul, so I think it would be odd if Walt and Jesse didn’t make an appearance. So I’m excited that we did and how we did. I think people are going to be thrilled about it."
Gilligan was the first to plant the seed that Cranston and Paul would likely appear during Better Call Saul season 6 at some point, saying it would be a "shame" if they didn't return. Soon after, Gould made the surprise announcement confirming that Better Call Saul's final season will feature the return of Walt and Jesse. However, he didn't specify when or how this would come to fruition, and in what capacity the characters would appear. Paul has also kept largely tight-lipped about his highly-anticipated return to the Breaking Bad world either, though he did say in a previous interview that their comebacks would occur in an "unexpected" way. Still, it's unclear whether Walt and Jesse will appear as mere cameos, or have a more substantial role in season 6.
The decision by the Better Call Saul brain trust to essentially spoil Walt and Jesse's returns in season 6 is a curious one, even though fans have been expecting it since the prequel's premiere in 2015. The uncharacteristically early reveal was especially shocking given how much secrecy Jesse's spinoff movie, El Camino, was treated with throughout production. Even though one of its biggest secrets has already been revealed, there is no doubt plenty more lurking in Better Call Saul season 6 regarding the ultimate fates of its beloved main characters.
Source: THR