PARK CITY, UTAH – Aaron Paul can’t really sneak up on viewers anymore, or at least he can’t sneak up on fans of AMC’s “Breaking Bad.” That’s one of the problems with giving what is frequently the best performance on TV.
Over four seasons, Paul’s “Breaking Bad” character has gone through enough roller-coasters to fill a Six Flags, tracing a believable, scary and sometimes heartbreaking path of addiction, redemption, backsliding and recovery. He has a well-deserved Emmy to show for it.
The ending of “Breaking Bad” isn’t near, but it’s on the horizon with only 16 episodes remaining.
Paul was up in Park City this week for the premiere of “Smashed,” a quirky indie dramedy in which he plays a very different kind of substance abuser, a fun-loving alcoholic who shares his addictions with his wife (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), until she decides to go sober.
In the longer chunk of this interview, posting in the next day or two, Paul discusses what attracted him to “Smashed” and the different approach to playing Jesse Pinkman versus this new character.
But just to whet your appetites, here’s our brief interview-ending conversation about “Breaking Bad” and approaching the remaining episodes. It contains some very limited spoilers for past seasons…
Check it out. And stick around for the “Smashed” interview…