Zero Dollars Is Exactly How Much Aaron Paul Earned From Breaking Bad Streaming on Netflix
Why Aaron Paul isn't exactly happy for Breaking Bad being streamed on Netflix.
Breaking Bad is one of the most iconic TV shows of all time, we can’t deny it. However, Aaron Paul, the actor who portrayed Jesse Pinkman in the iconic TV series Breaking Bad, isn’t exactly excited about its popularity.
Paul has recently been pretty vocal about his dissatisfaction with the show being on Netflix, because he doesn't make a single cent from it.
Even though the show is super successful and lots of people still watch it on Netflix, Aaron Paul isn't getting any of that Netflix cash.
Paul has been seen on the picket lines with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), alongside his co-stars Bryan Cranston and Jesse Plemons, advocating for fair pay for talent in the streaming era.
He thinks it's high time that streaming services like Netflix start paying actors their due.
"Shows live forever on these streamers, and it goes through waves," he said to Entertainment Tonight Canada during a picket, pointing out that Breaking Bad was even trending on Netflix recently.
When they asked him if he had hope for the strikes and protests, Paul responded: "I think so, yeah, because we're not going anywhere." It's clear that he's not backing down and wants streaming services to take action.
Interestingly, according to Variety, Vince Gilligan, the person behind Breaking Bad, gave props to Netflix for turning the show from just a decent success to a huge cultural thing. Gilligan even said that without Netflix, the show might not have survived past its second season.
This makes Paul's situation even more ironic. The platform that helped skyrocket the show's popularity is the same one that's not paying him residuals.
But it's not just about Aaron Paul or Breaking Bad. This issue brings up a larger conversation about how streaming services have been "getting away with not paying people a fair wage," as Paul puts it.
While Netflix has been a game-changer in how we consume content, it's important to remember that the people who create that content should be fairly compensated. Aaron Paul's public stand could be a step toward a more equitable future in the entertainment industry.