What Happened To The Cast Of Breaking Bad?

It’s strange to think that quite a few networks turned down “Breaking Bad” before it became the gargantuan hit series it did. The show largely defined what is meant by the term “the golden age of TV,” providing pre-streaming audiences with a slickly-made premium drama that represents exactly the kind of high-quality entertainment that’s often lacking in today’s oversaturated media landscape. 

What’s more, “Breaking Bad” launched or catapulted the careers of several of its actors, most notably Bryan Cranston, who played Walter White/Heisenberg — a chemistry teacher who goes on a meth-dealing odyssey to become a drug kingpin. Cranston has become nothing short of a megastar in the wake of his seminal series, but it wasn’t just the former “Malcolm in the Middle” star that received a post-“Breaking Bad” boost. Many of the actors involved with the series have seen their careers take off since the show went off the air in 2013. Not all of them have become quite the household name that Cranston has, but they’ve certainly landed more roles than they would have without the AMC series on their résumé.

If that piques your interest at all, then perhaps we can tempt you to come on an odyssey of our own — with less meth — as we take a look at what happened to the main cast members of “Breaking Bad” more than a decade after the show wrapped up.

Bryan Cranston played Walter White across all 62 episodes of “Breaking Bad,” masterfully depicting a chemistry teacher and family man’s descent into criminality following his terminal cancer diagnosis. On paper, the idea of a high school teacher becoming a drug kingpin sounds a little far-fetched. I have to admit that after watching the season 1 episode in which Walter White and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) attempt to dissolve a body in a bathtub only to have the cadaver burn through the ceiling and spill onto the floor below, I was on the verge of tapping out based solely on the absurdity of it all. But I’m glad I didn’t, not only because the series overcame the more improbable moments and proved to be one of the finest TV shows ever aired, but because I would have missed Bryan Cranston proving himself to be one of the best actors in the game, landing four Outstanding Lead Actor Emmys for his work on the show.

Since then, Hollywood has, understandably, put Cranston in pretty much anything to which he’ll say yes. After “Breaking Bad” wrapped, the actor starred in numerous films, earning himself a Best Actor Academy Award nomination for playing Dalton Trumbo in 2015’s “Trumbo.” He also starred in “Godzilla” (2014), “The Infiltrator” (2016), and “The Upside” (2017), in which he co-starred with Kevin Hart. More recently Cranston appeared in Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City” (2023). The actor has stayed close to TV throughout that time, too, producing and infrequently appearing in “Sneaky Pete” and starring in Showtime drama “Your Honor,” which recently experienced a Netflix renaissance when it hit the streamer. 

Aside from his film and TV roles, Cranston also appeared in several stage productions post-“Breaking Bad,” including a 2014 Broadway production of “All the Way” in which he played President Lyndon B. Johnson. In 2023, Cranston announced he’d be taking a well-earned break from acting in 2026 while we all wait to see if “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan can ever meet Cranston’s one condition to portray Walter White again. For now, the 68-year-old can take his break safe in the knowledge he’s established an enviable filmography in the years since “Breaking Bad.”

As Bryan Cranston’s co-star, Aaron Paul received a similar boost after appearing in all seven seasons of “Breaking Bad” — though he hasn’t quite reached the same heights as his former colleague. Still, Paul has been working consistently since “Breaking Bad,” starring in 2014’s “Need for Speed” and “Exodus: Gods and Kings.” Like Cranston, he also found himself in a film alongside Kevin Hart with 2016’s “Central Intelligence,” in which he played the ex-partner of Dwayne Johnson’s CIA agent Bob Stone.

Paul has never strayed far from TV, either. He not only voiced Todd Chavez on “BoJack Horseman” but also executive produced the series. Paul also played Caleb Nichols in “Westworld,” and in 2023 led an episode of “Black Mirror,” in which he played an astronaut that could transfer his consciousness into human replicas on Earth. He was widely praised for his performance by critics and once again proved that his three Emmy wins for “Breaking Bad” were no fluke.

Paul has reprised the role of Jesse Pinkman twice since the series proper wrapped up. Once in the well-executed but not entirely necessary 2019 Netflix film “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie” and again in 2022 for the final season of Bob Odenkirk’s spin-off series “Better Call Saul.”

Arguably the only other actor whose post-“Breaking Bad” career can match that of Bryan Cranston’s, Bob Odenkirk has become a major star in recent years. Odenkirk’s ascendence has been propelled not only by the series but by his spin-off show, “Better Call Saul,” which saw the actor portray lawyer Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman across six seasons from 2015 to 2022. The show maintained its quality throughout, too, ending with an unbearably tense final season and cementing the series as one of the best spin-offs in TV history.

During that time, however, Odenkirk was also busy becoming a movie star. After some supporting roles in Alexander Payne’s “Nebraska” and Steven Spielberg’s “The Post,” he established himself as a bonafide action star in 2021 with “Nobody.” Playing a downtrodden family man who is forced to embrace his past as an assassin, Odenkirk surprised many by demonstrating his ability to portray a John Wick-style badass with relative ease. That same year, the actor unfortunately suffered a heart attack while filming the final season of “Better Call Saul,” but made a recovery and is now set to make his Broadway debut with a starring role in a 2025 revival of “Glengarry Glen Ross.” He’s also gearing up to star in “Nobody 2,” which is being shepherded by one of the most exciting action directors working today.

All of which is well-deserved. Odenkirk famously missed out on playing Michael Scott in the U.S. version of “The Office,” losing the part to Steve Carrell and seemingly missing his chance at mainstream popularity. But “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” rectified that, and it’s been great to see Odenkirk getting the shine he deserves in the years since. The man who started as an alt comedian alongside his “Mr. Show with Bob and David” co-star David Cross, will forever be a hero to me for simply giving the great Tim & Eric their start in Hollywood after they sent him a DVD of their work and invoiced him for the pleasure. For that alone, he deserves all the success that has come his way in recent years.

As Walter’s beleaguered wife, Anna Gunn was one of the grounding forces of “Breaking Bad,” helping the show to maintain its realism even as Walter was busy transforming into a drug lord and finding ingenious ways to get out of unlikely life-or-death scenarios. Skyler’s shock and pain at learning the extent of her husband’s criminality was palpable, and Gunn did an admirable job making us as the audience feel every gut-wrenching moment of it.

Interestingly enough, the “Breaking Bad” writers almost killed off Skyler in season 5, but the character stuck around, allowing for one of the best moments in the whole series when Walter admits that everything he’d done on the road to drug distribution supremacy was for himself and not, as he’d previously maintained, for his family.

In the years since Skyler’s prolonged torment, Gunn has continued to work in TV, playing the role of Detective Ellie Miller in the Fox series “Gracepoint” and appearing as Julia Ayres in NBC’s “Shades of Blue.” More recently, Gunn could be seen in Apple TV’s “Sugar” — a show that, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say, took one of the biggest creative swings in TV history with its sixth episode.

Alongside her TV work, Gunn has appeared in several films since 2013, playing the lead role in the 2016 financial thriller “Equity” and starring alongside Tom Hanks in Clint Eastwood’s 2017 biographical drama “Sully.” To this day, however, her biggest role remains Skyler White, which isn’t a bad legacy by any means.

Dean Norris’ Hank Schrader was part of one of the most nerve-wracking, tense moments in TV when he got into a shootout with the Salamanca Twins during season three of “Breaking Bad.” Thankfully, Hank survived, only to be gunned down by neo-Nazis in the latter half of season five — firmly establishing Hank as one of the true heroes of “Breaking Bad” as opposed to Bryan Cranston’s anti-hero.

Like his “Breaking Bad” colleagues, Norris found himself playing what would become his biggest and best-known role with his portrayal of Hank. This isn’t a bad thing, as the actor displayed a remarkable versatility depicting both Hank’s affable, everyman aura and his ruthless law enforcement instinct once he discovers Walt’s secret. Of course, by the time he appeared in “Breaking Bad,” Norris had enough experience to pull off such an affecting performance, having appeared in all manner of film and TV series since the early 80s.

Norris stayed busy after “Breaking Bad,” too, with a main role as James Rennie in CBS’ “Under the Dome” from 2013 to 2015. He also played Uncle Daddy in the TNT series “Claws” across 40 episodes and reprised the role of Hank Schrader in two episodes of “Better Call Saul” in 2020. 2024 saw the now 61-year-old play a recurring role as Randall Stabler in “Law and Order,” as well as the character of Nikita Khrushchev in Jerry Seinfeld’s baffling, very silly Pop-Tart origin story “Unfrosted.” Norris’ other post-“Breaking Bad” film roles include playing the principal in Ice Cube and Charlie Day-led comedy “Fist Fight,” police commissioner Glenn Sickleman in the 2017 drama “The Book of Henry,” and Roy Nicholls in the 2019 horror gateway drug “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.”

If you were to list the most memorable moments in “Breaking Bad,” Gus Fring’s demise would surely be a contender for the top spot. Has there ever been a more memorable on-screen death than Fring calmly walking out of a nursing home room and fastidiously adjusting his tie before revealing that half his face has been blown to hell? That singular moment, at once darkly amusing and deeply horrifying, remains a standout from the series — as does Giancarlo Esposito himself.

The now-66-year-old has benefitted as much from the “Breaking Bad” career stimulus package as any of his former colleagues, most notably with his roles as Moff Gideon on “The Mandalorian,” for which he was nominated for two Primetime Emmys, and Stan Edgar on “The Boys.” Other notable TV roles in the wake of his tenure as Gus Fring include playing Dr. Edward Ruskins in the Netflix series “Dear White People” and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in “Godfather of Harlem.”

On the big screen, Esposito has appeared in the 2016 “Jungle Book” remake, 2017’s “Okja” and 2020’s “Stargirl.” He also played the role of Teddy Knight in Ti West’s threequel “MaXXXine,” and will also appear in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis,” which is unfortunately shaping up to be a major box office flop. Now, Esposito is set to play the villain of the long-gestating “Captain America: Brave New World,” which is scheduled for a 2025 release.

As Gus Fring’s right-hand man and Saul Goodman’s investigator Mike Ehrmantraut, Jonathan Banks was a little too good at playing the cold, almost aloof hitman. Of course, Banks was no stranger to TV success, however. The actor was nominated for an Emmy for his performance as FBI Special Agent Frank McPike in “Wiseguy,” back in the early ’90s, and repeated the feat with “Breaking Bad,” earning five Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Mike. After “Breaking Bad” wrapped, Banks reprised that role in both “Better Call Saul” and “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie,” but he also demonstrated his versatility on the small screen, appearing as Professor Buzz Hickey in eleven episodes of “Community” and voicing William Murphy in Bill Burr’s animated Netflix series “F is for Family.”

Throughout that time, Banks appeared in several movie projects, including 2013’s “Identity Thief,” in which he played crime boss Paolo Gordon, and 2017’s “Mudbound,” in which he portrayed the racist patriarch of the McAllan family, Pappy McAllan. Gamers might also recognize Banks as the voice of Commissioner Jim Gordon in “Batman: Arkham Knight.”

Now 77, Banks most recently returned to premium TV when he starred alongside Noomi Rapace in Apple TV’s space drama “Constellation,” which debuted to solid reviews in 2024 but was unfortunately canceled after its first season. This surely won’t be the last role for a talent such as Banks, though.

Betsy Brandt’s Marie Schrader was Hank Schrader’s wife and Skyler’s sister, and though she began the series as a somewhat one-dimensional, self-involved character, over the course of the show she demonstrated a genuine caring spirit.

Though Brandt didn’t receive quite the same career boost as the show’s main stars, she continued to work in the years after “Breaking Bad,” playing Heather Hughes on CBS’s sitcom “Life in Pieces,” in which she appeared for all four seasons before it was canceled in 2019. She also had a recurring role as Dawn Westen in the Hulu series “Love, Victor” and was one of the main characters in the company’s “Saint X” show, in which she played Mia Thomas, the mother of a teen who sets out to find who killed her sister.

On the movie side, Brandt played Kathryn Royce in the Hulu movie “Valet,” and starred as the titular wife who won’t give up on uncovering the truth behind her husband’s disappearance in the 2016 drama “Claire in Motion.” In 2022, Brandt reprised her role as Marie Schrader, providing one of the many effective cameos in the “Better Call Saul” series finale.

Walter Hartwell White Jr. was RJ Mitte’s breakthrough role. As Walt’s son, Mitte demonstrated that cerebral palsy, which both he and his character had, was not an obstacle to having a normal life. This desire to spread awareness has stayed with the actor since “Breaking Bad,” with Mitte not only becoming a Screen Actors Guild spokesman for actors with disabilities but also being made an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy in 2015.

He’s also continued to work throughout that time, starring as a student who became paralyzed after a snowboarding accident in the ABC series “Switched at Birth” back in 2014. He competed in “The Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls” in 2017, and had a recurring role in the Starz series “Now Apocalypse.” In 2022, Mitte landed a main role in Netflix’s series “The Guardians of Justice,” playing supervillain Mind Master.

Mitte has also appeared in several films since 2013, racking up credits in the 2018 thriller “Time Share,” the 2019 comedy “Standing Up for Sunny,” and the 2021 drama “Triumph.”

There was something deeply unsettling about the measured equanimity Jesse Plemons displayed as Todd Alquist — a true sociopath who at one point shoots a child as if it were as mundane a task as swatting a fly. Much like his erstwhile colleague Jonathan Banks, Plemons was just a little too good at portraying a calmly murderous disposition, something he’d demonstrate again in the best scene in Alex Garland’s “Civil War,” in which he similarly shoots innocents with complete composure.

Playing Alquist exposed Plemons to a wider audience, and though his role in the show was smaller than some of the other actors on this list, he made a big impression, as evidenced by his post-“Breaking Bad” career. Since the show, Plemons has slowly but surely established himself as one of the most talented actors in Hollywood, landing his first Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Ed Blumquist in season two of “Fargo” back in 2015. He also starred opposite Elizabeth Olsen in HBO’s 2023 crime drama “Love and Death.”

On the big screen, Plemons reprised the role of Alquist in “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie,” and has appeared in numerous highly-acclaimed features, from 2012’s “The Master” to Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” in 2019. He worked with Scorsese for a second time on “Killers of the Flower Moon” and was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in 2021’s “The Power of the Dog.” More recently, he appeared alongside Emma Stone in Yorgos Lanthimos’ 2024 effort “Kinds of Kindness.”