Why 1 Breaking Bad Character Didn’t Get A Better Call Saul Cameo Explained By Star

Breaking Bad‘s Anna Gunn opens up about why she didn’t reprise her role as Skyler White in Better Call Saul. By the end of the AMC spinoff, several prominent Breaking Bad actors had cameos in Better Call Saul. That includes Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, in their respective roles as Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, and Betsy Brandt and Dean Norris, who reprised Marie and Hank Schrader. But despite speculation that Skyler, Walter’s wife, would appear, the character is only referenced, but she does not show up on-camera.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss her role in the Apple TV+ drama Sugar, Gunn touched on her time as Skyler White and explained why she wasn’t one of the Breaking Bad characters that appeared in Better Call Saul.The actor reflected on the hate that Skyler received from some of the audience, though she added: “I don’t know that the writers could ever quite figure out a way to make that happen.” The full quote is below:

I don’t know. now because it’s 10-plus years later, but by standing up and speaking my piece at the time, I felt like I had done what I needed to do and said what I needed to say and made peace with it in that way. It also felt to me like people were caught up in that particular zeitgeist way back then, and then things evolved to where people understood more. So I don’t know that I would’ve been particularly afraid of [a Better Call Saul cameo], but I don’t know that the writers could ever quite figure out a way to make that happen. The writers also felt so badly. Sometimes, they’d come to me and say, “We’re sorry!” So it’s a weird phenomenon. People love the antihero. They want to be the one saying, “Screw you,” to their boss, and, “I’m going to do what I want.” But Skyler was the only one calling out the lie.

Why It’s Better That Skyler Didn’t Appear In Better Call Saul

Better Call Saul Was Always A Story About Jimmy McGill, Kim Wexler, and Mike Ehrmantraut.

Better Call Saul did a good job of integrating its Breaking Bad cameos to serve the spinoff’s story. But those cameos never felt as essential to the story as the journeys of Saul, Kim, and Mike. Skyler’s story arrived at a fitting conclusion by the end of Breaking Bad. Walt tries to make amends even though he knows he can’t completely clean the slate. The White family tries to forge ahead, even as they know their lives are forever changed.

It’s not a neat ending, but it speaks to the carnage that Walter left behind. In any case, Skylar’s appearance wouldn’t fit with the story that Better Call Saul grew to become. Although the spinoff tried to connect the two worlds by including a brief meeting between Kim and Jesse, it wasn’t integral. The stories of Kim and Saul are not really defined by Walter White when it matters most.

If there is one potential bonus to a cameo by Skyler, it might have been that Better Call Saul could address the hate that Gunn’s character received during Breaking Bad. But as Gunn says herself, that vitriol was partly a reflection of the time, and relitigating the subject during the spinoff would have taken attention away from the main stories. In the end, although both crime dramas are great, they can stand apart.

Source: THR

Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan, follows a chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin named Walter White (Bryan Cranston) as he attempts to provide for his family following a fatal diagnosis. With nothing left to fear, White ascends to power in the world of drugs and crime, transforming the simple family man into someone known only as Heisenberg.

Cast

Dean Norris , Bob Odenkirk , Aaron Paul , RJ Mitte , Anna Gunn , Giancarlo Esposito , Betsy Brandt , Bryan Cranston , Jonathan Banks

Release Date

January 20, 2008

Seasons

5

Franchise(s)

Breaking Bad

Writers

Peter Gould , Gennifer Hutchison , Vince Gilligan , George Mastras , Moira Walley-Beckett , Sam Catlin , Thomas Schnauz

Directors

Vince Gilligan , michelle maclaren

Showrunner

Vince Gilligan