Then vs Now: What 10 “Breaking Bad” Actors Are Up to These Days

It’s been nearly 10 years since Breaking Bad ended in 2013. However, the show is still as relevant as ever thanks to its prequel, Better Call Saul, which let us spend time with some of our favorite characters for a little longer. The final episode of Better Call Saul aired this year, which made us wonder what all its actors have been up to these days.

Bryan Cranston

Bryan Cranston brought the main character, Walter White, to life. Since the show ended, he has done an impressive number of projects, including Trumbo and Godzilla. Since 2020, the actor has been starring in the series, Your Honor, where he plays a judge named Michael Desiato. He also has a few movies lined up, so it’s safe to say that we’re going to be seeing Cranston on our screens for a long time.

To fans’ excitement, Cranston appeared in the final 2 episodes of Better Call Saul to reprise his Breaking Bad role.

Bob Odenkirk

Bob Odenkirk said that when he got the role of Saul Goodman, he did not expect to appear in more than 3 episodes. And yet, the actor was not only credited in 43 episodes of the original show, but he was also the star of the prequel, Better Call Saul, which ran from 2015 to 2022.

In 2021, he suffered a heart attack on the set of the show, but luckily, he recovered and was able to return back to filming in 6 weeks, which earned high praise from his colleagues. Even though his show has ended, the actor still has other projects lined up — his next show, Straight Man, is expected to air in 2023. During the Better Call Saul run, he also appeared in a number of movies and shows, such as Undone and Little Women.

Dean Norris

The actor played agent Hank Schrader on the original show and reprised his role on Better Call Saul in 2020. Outside of that, he appeared in a lot of popular shows, such as Scandal, The Big Bang Theory, and Claws. He also starred in the movie, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, in 2019, and audiences can look forward to its sequel, which is currently in pre-production.

Anna Gunn

After Breaking Bad came to an end, Anna Gunn, who played Skyler White, got the main role in the 2014 show, Gracepoint, which was a remake of the British show, Broadchurch. She also appeared in 10 episodes of the show, Shades of Blue. The actress has made a few other minor appearances in series like Criminal Minds and Prodigal Son.

In 2022, she got cast in the upcoming series, Sugar, alongside Better Call Saul star Dennis Boutsikaris (who played Rick Schweikart).

Giancarlo Esposito

He played the role of Gus Fring on Breaking Bad and reprised it on Better Call Saul, starting in 2017. From 2011 onward, when he exited the original series until now, the actor has been involved in over 50 projects, some of them consisting of voice acting. You can see him in shows like The Get Down, Once Upon a Time, and The Mandalorian. He is also expected to appear in the upcoming series, Jigsaw.

Betsy Brandt

She played Marie Schrader on Breaking Bad, and one of her character’s distinctive traits was her obsession with the color purple. When she reprised the role on one of the final episodes of Better Call Saul, all her scenes were shown in black and white, so the fans couldn’t see what color she was wearing. The actress later clarified that, surprisingly, it was not purple.

Since the show ended, the actress has played many roles, such as Sandy on Parenthood, Heather in Life in Pieces, and Dawn in Love, Victor. She will appear in upcoming projects, like The Grotto and Jefferies.

RJ Mitte

The actor best known for his role as Walter White Jr. has always been an advocate for people with disabilities, serving as a spokesperson for actors with disabilities. Since Breaking Bad ended, he starred in the series, Switched at Birth, the movie, The Recall, as well as a number of other projects. As of now, the actor has at least 5 movies and series lined up, with one of the most anticipated being Issac, in which he will star as the lead character.

Steven Michael Quezada

The comedian starred as Steven Gomez on Breaking Bad and 2 episodes of Better Call Saul. For his work on the show, he won a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2014 alongside the rest of the cast, which he proudly highlights in his Twitter bio. In recent years, he has mostly appeared in movies, such as Wish Man and Holiday for Heroes, and has performed stand-up comedy. He is set to appear in at least 5 upcoming projects.

Jonathan Banks

Veteran actor Jonathan Banks starred as Mike Ehrmantraut on Breaking Bad beginning in 2009 and then played the character again in Better Call Saul, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, and Better Call Saul: Madrigal Electromotive Security Training. Other than being heavily involved in the Breaking Bad universe, he also acted in movies like Mudbound and The Commuter.

Banks also received an honorary doctoral degree in 2016.

Aaron Paul

One of the most recognizable faces of Breaking Bad, Aaron Paul, also reprised his role as Jesse Pinkman a few times: in 2019, he starred in a Netflix movie, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, which talks about Jesse’s life after the events of the original show, and he also came back for the final episodes of Better Call Saul. From 2014 to 2020, he was the executive producer, as well as the voice actor for the Netflix series, BoJack Horseman. He also appeared in the movie, Need for Speed, one episode of Black Mirror, and most recently, he’s been starring on the show, Westworld.

He and his wife, Lauren, welcomed their daughter in 2018, and their son, in 2022. Paul said that the godfather of his son will be Bryan Cranston, who played Walter White. He calls Cranston “one of his best friends in the whole world.”

Did you watch Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul? Who are your favorite characters? Did you see the actors in other movies and shows?