Breaking Bad Stars Say Better Call Saul Cameos Were "Supposed to Be a Big Surprise"

By Cameron Bonomolo

Before they break bad, showrunner Peter Gould broke the news: Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul are reprising their Breaking Bad roles as Walter White and Jesse Pinkman on Better Call Saul. Gould officially announced the news at PaleyFest in April, confirming the timelines of the two series would intersect as the sixth and final season of the prequel completes Jimmy McGill's (Bob Odenkirk) transformation into criminal lawyer Saul Goodman. While how or when Walt and Jesse will appear on Better Call Saul remains under wraps, the reveal surprised Cranston and Paul, who were sworn to secrecy while filming their scenes last year in New Mexico.

"We were asked to keep it a secret forever," Cranston told the Albuquerque Journal. "We were flown in [to Albuquerque] under the darkness of night."

"We took this plane and they went to a certain private section of the airport there. And then we took like two steps out of the tarmac and into an SUV," Cranston explained. "They move us to an Airbnb — a duplex. [Paul] had the top floor. I had the bottom floor and we were told you can't leave.""

Paul added the duo was "locked inside" their rentals for four days, leaving only to film their scenes while being escorted to and from set. After the shroud of secrecy, the show announced their return at PaleyFest before sharing the news to social media.

"It's so funny that because this was supposed to be a big surprise, a big secret," Paul said with a laugh. "Then all of a sudden they announced that we were doing it, so why did they keep us in a prison? Seriously, they were just messing with us."

Read More: Where to Watch Better Call Saul Season 6 Part 2

At PaleyFest, Gould confirmed what many had suspected: that Walter White and Jesse Pinkman would join Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), and Hank Schrader (Dean Norris) as just a few of the many Breaking Bad characters to pop up on Better Call Saul. 

"I don't want to spoil things for the audience, but I will say the first question we had when we started the show was, 'Are we gonna see Walt and Jesse on the show?' Instead of evading, I'll just say yeah," Gould, who co-created the spinoff with Vince Gilligan, said at the time. "How or the circumstances or anything, you'll just have to discover that for yourself, but I have to say that's one of many things that I think you'll discover this season."

New episodes of Better Call Saul's final season air Mondays on AMC and AMC+. 

Trending Now: