Where Are They Now: The Cast of Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad may have been one of the biggest shows of the century, but that doesn't mean the cast members weren't able to move on from it.
Breaking Bad became an unexpected gold mine after its premiere in 2008. Anyone venturing to binge watch a story about a cancer-ridden suburban dad and his entrepreneurial meth cooking conquest will be entirely satisfied by this series. The show only ran for five years, despite fans clamoring for more. Some of the cast members were recognizable actors, while others found their footing in the Hollywood realm because of these roles.
But where are they now? It’s no secret that Breaking Bad has an equally successful spinoff series called Better Call Saul, though not all of the mainstay cast have made an appearance. So, just in case fans want to see more of these actors, here’s what the cast of Breaking Bad has been up to since the show ended in 2013.
Mike Ehrmantraut – Jonathan Banks
Jonathan Banks shows up in Breaking Bad around season two as the character Mike Ehrmantraut. Mike is an intimidating former Philadelphia police officer who works as a private investigator for the criminals in town. He’s a no-nonsense type of guy who isn’t easily swayed, even by people like Gus Fring.
Banks took on the role of Mike in 2008 and continues to portray the same character in the Breaking Bad spinoff series Better Call Saul. He is also in the animated show Tangled: The Series, and he even has a voice acting gig inIncredibles 2as Rick Dicker. Most recently, Banks played Mike in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie for Netflix.
Gus Fring – Giancarlo Esposito
Gus is a premium meth distributor who launders his enterprise’s income through the local fast-food restaurant Los Pollos Hermanos. Although he seems docile at first, by the end, Gus’s instincts show his true, terrifying character.
An acclaimed character actor for decades, playing Gus is what finally made Esposito a household name. He’s currently reprising the role on Better Call Saul, and has guest starred as Moff Gideon on Disney+’s Star Wars streaming series The Mandalorian. Esposito always seems to have multiple projects in the works, recently appearing on the EPIX ganster series Godfather of Harlem, and voicing Lex Luthor on DC Universe’s Harley Quinn cartoon.
Saul Goodman – Bob Odenkirk
Saul Goodman became an unexpected hit as the goofy, “criminal” lawyer. He’s not an expert in his trade by any means, but he somehow manages to help operate Walter White’s meth scheme. Goodman’s character was so well-received that it resulted in the successful Better Call Saul spinoff. The new story acts as a precursor to the events leading up to Goodman’s involvement with Heisenberg.
Bob Odenkirk is the star of Better Call Saul, and gives his character true depth. Odenkirk was already a well-known actor before Breaking Bad, making cameos in shows such as How I Met Your Mother and The Office. His most recent projects include the TV series Undone and the film Little Women.
Marie Schrader – Betsy Brandt
Marie Schrader is kind of an irritating individual. She’s not afraid to speak her mind, which is probably why she’s not such a great sister to Skyler White. However, it’s no question that the character adds to Breaking Bad, and Betsy Brandt does well what with she’s given.
From 2015 to 2019, Brandt starred as Heather on the NBC comedy Life in Pieces, and was also a regular USA’s short-lived Suits spinoff Pearson in 2019. She can currently be seen recurring on CBS sitcom The Unicorn.
Hank Schrader – Dean Norris
Hank, on the other hand, has the ferocious teddy bear facade. He’s hard to get a read on, but that’s probably thanks to his job as a DEA agent. This fact presents a bevy of hurdles for Walt and Jesse who constantly have to duck and cover so that Walt’s brother-in-law doesn’t discover his secret.
Burying himself in work since the end of the show, Dean Norris’ is easily recognizable now. He’s set to reprise Hank in Better Call Saul season 5, and last year appeared in the movie adaptation of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and the Rebel Wilson theatrical comedy The Hustle. Norris also recurs on the TBS dramedy Claws.
Walter White Jr. – RJ Mitte
Walter White Jr., who changes his name to Flynn partway through the show, is your typical moody teenager, despite his cerebral palsy. He’s caught in the middle of his parent’s relationship when it turns ugly due to Walter’s criminal escapades.
RJ Mitte plays Walter Jr., having only been 15 years old when he was cast in Breaking Bad. He has cerebral palsy in real life and has taken to giving public speeches to those who suffer from the disease. This hasn’t slowed Mitte down though; after this show, he went on to star in Switched at Birth as Campbell Bingman. He has appeared in countless shows and movies since then, with over five credits in 2019 alone, and more coming in 2020.
Skyler White – Anna Gunn
Skyler becomes somewhat of a thorn in Walter’s side as the series goes on. This is understandable due to the fact that her husband Walter is running a meth shop right under her nose. The two end up separating, and she becomes a constant hurdle for Walter to overcome.
Anna Gunn picked up the role of Skyler and has continued to thrive since the ending. She went on to appear in series like Gracepoint and starred opposite Tom Hanks as his wife in the true-life story of Sully. Most recently, she appeared in HBO’s Deadwood movie.
Jesse Pinkman – Aaron Paul
Jesse Pinkman is a character in every sense of the word. He’s audacious, strange, manipulative, and, most of all, hilarious. The down-and-out drug dealer finds an unlikely friend in Walter White, who initially uses Jesse’s street knowledge to earn massive cash from their meth deals.
Aaron Paul has a bit of an acting history behind him, but Breaking Bad helped catapult his acting career. He starred in his own Hulu show called The Path from 2016 to 2018, and now has a comeback role in Westworld for 2020. He also recently starred as Jessie in Netflix’s El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.
Walter White – Bryan Cranston
Who would have ever imagined that the same man who acted as the foolish dad in Malcolm in the Middle could turn on such a terrorizing persona? Bryan Cranston is no stranger to the acting screen, but his role as Walter White is his most notorious yet.
He has almost 50 years of credits under his belt with an unrelenting amount of projects to come. He has been working steadily on shows like Sneaky Pete, Robot Chicken, and Family Guy, and is scheduled to appear in an upcoming TV series titled Your Honor. Cranston also surprised fans by cameoing as Walter White in a flashback scene during El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.
