Can you believe it’s been almost two decades since one of the best TV shows of all time exploded onto our screens? Yet here we are, still hooked on it like crystal meth, eager to know all there is about this iconic series.
Chemicals aren’t the only super-cool elements of Breaking Bad. Apart from the several hidden Easter Eggs on this show, there are also plenty of secret facts that many fans aren’t aware of — like how there’s a real-life Heisenberg or that Bryan Cranston was once a murder suspect…
Wanna know more? Here are 25 fun Breaking Bad facts you probably didn’t know until now.
Things you didn’t know about ‘Breaking Bad’
1. There was a Real-Life Walter White
Is Breaking Bad based on a true story? Sorta. In 2008, a wanted poster was put out for “Walter White,” an apparently good meth cook. In an interview, this so-called Walter White told Vice, “‘My name is Walter White and I’m a meth cook and for 10 years I had the best meth in Alabama. And if you wanted the best meth, you had to come this way, you had to come to me.”
To start off, White made meth to provide for his family, but it later turned into his full-time job before law enforcement caught up with him. The criminal was responsible for about 32.5 pounds of the drug, and was imprisoned for 12 years. Pretty sure we’ve heard a similar story before…
2. Heisenberg Inspired Many People
Here’s more surprising trivia about Breaking Bad. Since the show aired, there have been several copycats imitating Walter White, including 74-year-old mathematics professor, Irina Kirsty, who turned her home into a meth lab; William Duncan, a high school science teacher who sold homemade meth to students at school; and Stephen Doran, a school teacher who had stage three cancer and sold meth to make money.
3. The Blue Meth Was Rock Candy
Hopefully Walter’s blue meth didn’t look appealing to you. But, if it did, here’s why — it was actually candy. That’s right. Walter and Jesse’s signature blue meth is cotton candy-flavored blue rock candy!
The crystalized sugar was even used when characters were ‘smoking’ it. Obviously, the actors didn’t really inhale the sugar, because, yeah, that’s pretty dangerous. But Cranston did admit to eating it to stay awake on long set days.
4. A Real-Life Hesienberg Existed
Ever wondered how Walter came up with the name “Heisenberg?” His iconic street name is actually a nod to the Nobel-winning physicist, Werner Heisenberg, who developed the theory of quantum mechanics. We doubt he had the same notorious reputation as the TV character, but he was probably just as smart.
5. The Show Was Initially Rejected
We can’t imagine a world without Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, but indeed, Breaking Bad was actually turned down by HBO and TNT before being taken on by The Walking Dead channel, AMC. In fact, creator Vince Gilligan said his pitch to HBO was the “worst meeting” he’d ever experienced.
“The woman we’re pitching to could not have been less interested — not even in my story, but about whether I actually lived or died,” Gilligan said. “My agents could never even get her on the phone afterward to even say no.”
6. Walt’s Home Is Real – And Gets Pizzas Thrown On Its Roof
The Albuquerque, N.M., home that belongs to Walter White and his family is owned by a woman named Francis Padilla, who’s had the house since 1973. She said that Vince Gilligan and his team took a lot of artistic license with the interior of the house and wanted to, at one stage, cover up the pool.
While she enjoyed having the cast and crew film there for six years, she does admit to getting tired of tourists. “Most people are respectful, and we appreciate that. It’s the jerks that ruin it for everybody,” she said in 2016. In fact, fans were at one point, throwing pizza on her roof as a tribute to one of Walt’s more ludicrous moments. She has since put a fence and installed security cameras.
7. Matthew Broderick Almost Played Walter White
The role of Walter White nearly went to Matthew Broderick or John Cusack. As Cranston was famous for his dorky, quirky character in Malcolm in the Middle, the producers were unsure if he could pull off the dark role. But because Vince Gilligan had worked with him in The X-Files and knew his grittier acting side, Bryan was cast. It now seems ridiculous for any other actor to have played Walter!
8. There’s Truth Behind Walter’s Infamous Hat
This Breaking Bad fact might blow your mind! It’s become an integral part of any Heisenberg outfit and you can’t really picture Walter White without it. But believe or not, Walter’s infamous hat was only worn out of necessity. The hat was used to protect Bryan Cranston’s head from the hot New Mexico sun.
9. George R.R. Martin Says Walter Is More Evil Than His Characters
The last scene ever shot was Walter’s and Jesse’s meth-cooking flashback in Ozymandias. George R. R. Martin, the author of Game of Thrones, declared after that episode, he realized Walter was more evil than any of the villains on his show. “Walter White is a bigger monster than anyone in Westeros,” he said. For Game of Thrones fans, that’s a pretty big call!
10. Drug Dealers Recreated Walter’s Blue Meth
Since the show aired, meth-makers everywhere have tried to take advantage of the popularity of Walter’s special blue meth by adding blue food coloring or dye to their drugs. Although this means it’s more popular on the street, it makes no difference to the effect of the drug. It is however reported to be more expensive than your typical form of crystal meth…
11. Bryan Cranston has a ‘Breaking Bad’ Tattoo
Bryan Cranston and the cast and crew had a huge party after the last scene was shot. Apparently, he got so drunk that he got a tattoo on his finger honoring the show’s logo. Upon speaking of the tattoo to Seth Meyers, Cranston said, “…it’s not really for someone else. It’s for me. And when I catch it, I remember the times we had on this wonderful show.” Talk about (drunken) dedication…
12. Bryan Cranston Was Wanted for Murder
…But he didn’t do it! In the ’70s, Cranston and his brother worked as waiters for a notoriously abusive chef. The actor said of him: “No matter how nice you may have been to him, he hated you…He screamed at you… with a cleaver in his hand.”
Well, it turns out the chef was murdered coinciding with the brothers’ resignation and a cross-country road trip. Thankfully, they were only suspects for a short while, before the real criminals were found.
13. Hank and Jesse Were Almost Killed Off
You read that right. Walter’s partner-in-crime and brother-in-law were originally going to be killed off in Season 1 in an unaired Episode 9. Many accredit their staying to the 2007-2008 WGA strike, which thankfully cut the season down to seven episodes, instead.
But in 2013, Vince Gilligan said it had become obvious that the character of Jesse Pinkman was integral to the show and would no longer be killed off. In fact, he went on to become one of, if not the best Breaking Bad character ever.
14. There Are 62 Episodes for a Reason
Breaking Bad really is an incredibly smart TV show. Over the five seasons, 62 episodes were shot. This number was by no means random. No. 62 on the periodic table is ‘Samarium,’ which is an element used in the treatment of cancer patients – lung cancer patients, in particular. Mind-blown already?
15. There’s a ‘Breaking Bad’ Scholarship
This one’s a more random fact, but still interesting nonetheless! New Mexico isn’t just the location where Breaking Bad is set, it’s also the meth capital of North America. The Sage Neuroscience Centre in this state uses the show to help its citizens fight drug addiction. Entrants can share their stories and potentially win a ‘Breaking Addiction’ scholarship which allows them 12 weeks of free rehabilitation.
16. Vince Gilligan Has One Regret About the Show
…that Jesse’s teeth were too perfect. For a meth-head, Pinkman’s teeth should have been stained, cracking and falling out of his head — instead, Aaron Paul had a set of lovely pearly whites. He looked quite good for a drug addict. Gilligan said that the logistics of removing or altering teeth were too expensive and that “removing real teeth from actors is a real non-starter.”
17. ‘The Walking Dead’ Helped Make Gustavo Fring’s Death Scene
It’s not the first time Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead have been linked. Nobody can forget the scene when Walter’s arch nemesis, Gustavo Fring, walks down a hallway with half his face ripped off. This look took a lot of time to achieve and guess who created it? The make-up artists behind AMC’s The Walking Dead. Particularly, Greg Nicotero, who is The Walking Dead‘s special makeup effects supervisor.
18. Bryan Cranston Was in Tears After Jane’s Death
No one can forget Jane’s traumatizing death in Season 2. Bryan Cranston totally nailed that scene by accurately presenting Walter’s shock and emotions. Well, apparently, the actor was also affected by the hard-hitting moment, because he cried for 15 minutes after filming that very moment.
When recalling that scene, Cranston told Kelly Clarkson: “I did a scene on Breaking Bad where I was watching a woman die in the second season and being prepared for that. And then all of a sudden, her face left and the face of my real daughter showed up. I was watching my real daughter die in front of me, and it choked me…I even get a little choked up now.”
19. The ‘Breaking Bad’ Death Toll is Huge
For a show that only ran five seasons, it has a pretty high death toll. A total of 269 people died in Breaking Bad from start to finish. Season 2 in particular, was the deadliest with 176 deaths. If only this death toll didn’t include Walter White. That guy should’a lived on forever…
20. Jesse And Walt Jr. Never Met
This Breaking Bad fact will make you wonder why you never noticed it before! It’s clear throughout the series that Walt prefers to keep his ‘Heisenberg’ activity separate from his family life. This obviously proves impossible, but as much as Walt’s two lives seep into each other, one crossover never happens: Walt Jr. and Jesse never meet.
Given that one is Walt’s son and one a chosen son-like figure, the meeting definitely would have been interesting to see.
21. Bogdan Is A Chemist
Remember Bogdan? Walt’s heavily-eyebrowed car wash superior? Well, he wasn’t actually played by a regular actor. Rather, he was played by Marius Stan, a successful chemist in real life. Stan has worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and has dabbled in nuclear engineering. Okay, he’s not a meth chemist, but it’s still a wild coincidence.
22. Walt’s Lotto Numbers Have Significance
This Breaking Bad fact will prove once again how smart the show is. The numbers on Walt’s lotto ticket (N 34, 59′, 20″, W 106, 36′, 52) are not, in reality, the secret to where Walt stashed his $80 million. These co-ordinates which, in the show, lead to Hank’s demise, are actually the coordinates to Q Studios in Albuquerque where Breaking Bad is filmed.
23. Nick Fury Wanted A Cameo
Okay, more accurately, Samuel L. Jackson wanted a cameo. The beloved actor who’s spent the better part of 20 years playing Marvel’s iconic Nick Fury pitched a scene in which he would walk into Los Pollos Hermanos to order chicken.
Jackson was filming for Marvel in New Mexico, so this could ‘crossover’ have happened. But as he puts it, Jackson “never got the time” to do it.
24. Tuco Gave Aaron Paul Concussion
In Season 1, Episode 4, meth-dealing baddie Tuco beats Jesse Pinkman up. Only, he was actually beating Aaron Paul up.
Paul revealed later on that when Tuco (Raymond Cruz) threw him through a door, he, Paul, got concussed. He was nearly unconscious and Cruz, believing Paul was merely acting, kept up the beating. (Notably, Cruz ultimately noticed the problem and stopped the scene.)
25. Walt Jr.’s Donation Site Exists
In what is one of the more fun Breaking Bad facts, you’ll be happy to know that the website (www.SaveWalterWhite.com) made by Walt Jr. to collect funds for his dad’s treatment is very much real. While you obviously can’t donate to the cause, you can read Walt’s loving plea.
Even decades after its premiere, the iconic TV show never ceases to amaze fans. Did we miss any other facts about Breaking Bad? Let us know in the comments below!
Originally published in February 2018.
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