Before starring as Jessica Jones in the MCU, Krysten Ritter was popularly known for her role in Bryan Cranston’s iconic TV series Breaking Bad. Not just that, the actress even reprised her role as Jane Margolis in Vince Gilligan’s Breaking Bad epilogue, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019).
Speaking about her filming experience on the 2019 sequel that followed the storyline of Aaron Paul’s Jesse, immediately after Breaking Bad, Krysten Ritter admitted to being on cloud nine about reprising her role. However, during that very interview with THR, the actress recalled her emotional Breaking Bad death scene, which she still hasn’t recovered from.
Krysten Ritter Addresses El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
Almost 6 years after the end of Breaking Bad, Vince Gilligan came up with a sequel to the show, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie in 2019. Narrating the tale of Aaron Paul’s Jesse Pinkman right after his dramatic escape from captivity in the 2008 show, the film portrayed how Jesse dealt with his past in order to make a future for himself.
Alongside Aaron Paul, there’s Krysten Ritter from the original show, who reprised her role as Jane Margolis in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie. Claiming to be on cloud nine after being asked to appear in the film, despite her tragic death in the 2008 show, Ritter spoke about her experience during a 2021 interview with THR.
“[Vince Gilligan] said that I originally wasn’t there. Because the character is dead, you have to really make it make sense. But the ending of [El Camino] was so beautiful because he sent Jesse off into the sunset with Jane riding shotgun. So I thought it was such a beautiful ending for that character.”
“It ended on a positive note. He was going to be okay, and she was there with him. So I thought it was awesome. I’m so glad that they included me, but yeah, I did hear that I wasn’t in the original draft.”
Despite not being on the original draft of the film, as Krysten Ritter made her way into El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, she spoke fondly of the film. Proud to be part of the Breaking Bad legacy, Ritter thus opened up about her ending scene in the 2008 show which left her overwhelmed, much like Cranston.
Ritter Hasn’t Gotten Over Her Breaking Bad Death Scene
Taken back to a journey to her 2008 renowned TV show Breaking Bad, Krysten Ritter confessed feeling overwhelmed to recall her experience from the set. While the movie held positive memories for her, Ritter noted having an almost traumatizing experience on the set of Bryan Cranston’s show, especially after her gut-wrenching death scene.
Recalling how it felt “extremely heavy” to put together her emotional death scene, Krysten Ritter confessed to having a visceral response to it, even after the show ended. During her character’s harrowing end, fans of Breaking Bad witnessed Jane falling prey to Bryan Cranston’s Walter White, which cemented Walter as an antagonist of the show and made fans feel sympathetic for Aaron Paul’s Jesse, who lost his lover, Jane.
“It did feel extremely heavy. It’s an on-set experience that I still have a very visceral response to and can see pretty clearly. I can see Bryan going across that line and taking a minute and sitting in the corner.”
“I also struggled because I was in this chest cast, so I couldn’t get a full breath of air. And Aaron Paul was pounding on my chest for the next one. So it was just such an intense day. It was definitely one for the books.”
Well, it wasn’t just Krysten Ritter who had a traumatizing experience following her death scene. Apparently, even Bryan Cranston was tensed and overwhelmed after the emotional scene in Breaking Bad. According to actress Betsy Brandt’s interview on The Rich Eisen Show, who played Marie Schrader in the 2008 show, Cranston was spotted crying after the scene.
“I saw him right after that. That was a tough scene. I mean, it’s funny, we would do a class picture every year. Okay, everybody would come and do a class picture and he was crying, like, because you hold it together. He wasn’t in the corner alone. Someone was hugging him. It was like – it was tough.”
The scene was certainly difficult for everyone on set, but Krysten Ritter and Bryan Cranston seemingly suffered the most. Thereafter, speaking about her association with Breaking Bad and its 2019 film sequel, Ritter went on to discuss her other projects, during her interview with THR.
Breaking Bad is available on Netflix.
