Playing His Character Took Such a Toll on Breaking Bad Star That He Had Nightmares

Breaking Bad is one of the most successful shows of our time. The series has a complicated plot that captivates you from the first episode, but what makes the show a standout is its cast.

Bryan Cranston as Walter White and Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman gave their characters everything they had, and that's something to be appreciated.

While Walt a.k.a. Heisenberg did his best to make us hate him (and he succeeded), Jesse's personality was more complex and made us sympathize with him a lot.

Over the five seasons of Breaking Bad, Jesse evolved from a small-time drug dealer to a character with layers and a moral conflict. Aaron Paul's ability to adapt to Jesse's changing character arc and convincingly portray these transformations was a testament to his exceptional acting skills.

“His portrayal in the series delving deep into more and more tragedies as the seasons pass is, in my opinion, smooth af. Outstanding acting. And to think that while taking on the role of Jesse, Aaron has never taken acting classes, and yet his acting was.. class. Now that's what I call pure talent and sheer determination,” Redditor ArthurMorgan_rdr2 said.

However, getting so deep into the character didn't end well for Paul. In the interview with The Guardian, he once mentioned that he even had nightmares that kept him awake at night.

By fully embracing his character, with all his flaws and fears, he really became him for a long time. Aaron Paul said that he actually started thinking as Jesse instead of as himself. And in fact, his fans have said the same thing many times after watching Breaking Bad. "It's like he wasn't even acting," some mentioned.

Aaron Paul’s ability to process raw emotion on screen was in fact exceptional. No wonder he won three Emmy awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

Source: The Guardian