Penn Badgley as Jesse Pinkman? The You Star Came So Close to Breaking Bad
Coulda, woulda, shoulda, right? When it comes to movies and television, we all have our favorite casting what ifs (Robert de Niro as Michael in the first Godfather, Michael Madsen as Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction, Emily Blunt as Black Widow in the Marvel films, etc.). The critically acclaimed canon of a series Breaking Bad also has its fair share of what ifs, like how Hank could've lived or how Jesse's girlfriend could've survived or if Walter White just knew when to stop. Apparently, we have another interesting what if: Penn Badgley, apparently, was almost cast as Jesse Pinkman, the You star confirms.
In an interview with Buzzfeed, Badgley explained that he was "very close" to landing the role. “One I got close on was Breaking Bad,” Badgley explained. “It was between me and Aaron Paul, we tested.”
All's well that ends well, of course. Paul would go on to bag the role of the lovable crystal meth cook and dealer on the series from 2008 to 2013. The actor would go on to win three Emmys for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama series for his performance.
Paul in El Camino.
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He would eventually reprise his role in El Camino: Breaking Bad, where we see Jesse's redemption story in full-on movie revenge-core form. We can't really imagine Bryan Cranston next to anyone else at this point. The two complemented each other and would lead one of the most memorable ensembles we've had in recent television memory.
Nevertheless, Badgley would catch his big break on the Netflix series You, where he plays Joe Goldberg. We're going to see him relocate to London and start his shiny new life as a university professor in season four. Pretty exciting times.
Badgley as Pinkman, however, is still a fun thought exercise.
