Worst Casting Decision? Breaking Bad Really Missed the Mark With Skyler
Even the most critically acclaimed show can have its little flaws.
Breaking Bad is known and loved not just for its controversial plot, but also for its variety of unique characters.
In the spotlight, we have Walter and Jessie, and their transformation over the course of the series allows us to change our attitude towards them.
And even though they are the villains of the show, sometimes the duo (especially Jesse) makes us feel sorry for them.
That's good character writing, no doubt, but the main part of the success was actually their performances. The lazy junkie that Jesse is, he still manages to be sympathetic.
Well, on paper, there was another character who should have been like that; instead, fans only felt irritated by her all the time.
This character is Walter White's wife Skyler, played by Anna Gunn. Like most Breaking Bad characters, she is also in the center of her husband's drug manufacturing and mind games.
But her reaction, whichever it was, never seemed real to the audience.
According to the fans, she never had the image of a suffering woman. She was never fully supported by fans because of her behavior and, frankly, even because of her... appearance.
All of this despite Gunn's great acting talents. Well, maybe she wasn't the right choice for the character all along?
"I think Anna Gunn is a great actress but I have wondered if Skyler would be more sympathetic if a different actress was playing the role. I like Skyler now but I have to admit the first two seasons were a challenge, and I knew I shouldn't dislike her because she was behaving rationally.
But when Anna Gunn gets that snitface when she thinks Walt is full of shit, it just rubbed me the wrong way. She didn't even have to say anything, the look was enough to turn me off the character," Reddit user CMelody said.
The fans agreed that she was good as an actress. But it seems that something about her in the role of Skyler was always off; which is why the fandom never actually grew to love her – or at least feel for her from time to time.
Still, the miscast did not prevent Breaking Bad from becoming the most critically acclaimed show of all time.
The iconic show aired on AMC from 2008 to 2013, concluding after five seasons.