Bryan Cranston has revealed he was only willing to reprise his role as Walter White in the Breaking Bad film El Camino under one condition: the character had to remain dead. The actor, who played the iconic science teacher turned drug lord, insisted that the series finale had a 'perfect' ending and should not be undone.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Cranston said: 'I would say that yes, if Vince Gilligan came to me and said, “Let’s do the series again. Walter White didn’t die. Let’s just say that, and then we’ll see if we can get two or three more years out of it,” that’s when I would have to say, “I don’t think we should.”' He added that the conclusion written by the show's creator was perfect and that he knew Gilligan would not want to revisit it.
In El Camino, which was released on Netflix on 11 October, Walter White appears only in flashback scenes, as the film focuses on Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul. The movie picks up immediately after the series finale, with Jesse on the run from law enforcement after escaping a white supremacist compound.
Cranston expressed his gratitude for being asked to return, saying: 'I was really grateful that he thought of me to be a part of this. At the same time, I was wondering, “How the hell is that going to work?” I guessed it only could be retrospective, in flashback, and said, “OK, whatever he has to do.”'
