A great way to go deeper into Breaking Bad's fourth season is to check out three exclusive interviews with series creator Vince Gilligan as well as a couple of interviews with various members of the Breaking Bad crew. Below is a sample of what they had to say -- click on their names to read the full interview.

• "I just think it's absolutely wonderful that so many smart people like the show and are watching it and combing through it for the most minute details. I never believed the show would even go on the air in the first place!" -- Vince Gilligan (Series Creator) in Part I of his interview

• "Anyone who is a showrunner on a TV show is a control freak to a certain extent, but the truth is you have to allow other people into your creative process. You'd be a fool not to." -- Vince Gilligan (Series Creator) in Part II of his interview

• "I want Breaking Bad to end as it began, with people engaged and confounded by it." -- Vince Gilligan (Series Creator) in Part III of his interview

• "There is no one on this show wearing a white hat or a black hat... no heroes or villains. So the hard part [when writing music for the show] is identifying and then expressing the right shades of gray." -- Dave Porter (Composer)

• "You never think things [like Heisenberg's pork pie hat] are going to become so iconic, but they really did. 
" -- Kathleen Detoro (Costume Designer)

One great way to go deeper into Breaking Bad's fourth season is to check out the exclusive interviews with the cast conducted by AMCtv.com. Below is a sample of what the actors had to say -- click on their names to read the full interview.

• "I think Walter White is the role of my lifetime. I'm enjoying the ride." -- Bryan Cranston (Walter White)

• "I have such a deep connection to Jesse Pinkman. I feel like he is in some ways a part of me.

" -- Aaron Paul (Jesse Pinkman)

• "I don't really know how to explain heads on tortoises to [my ten-year-old] yet." -- Anna Gunn (Skyler White)

Continue reading "Breaking Bad Season 4 Interviews With the Cast" »

Actor Mark Margolis plays Hector "Tio" Salamanca, on AMC's Breaking Bad. In this exclusive interview, he talks about why he was terrified of Giancarlo Esposito the first time they met  and how he came up with Tio's signature twitch.

Q: Tell me about the scene at Don Eladio's house in Episode 8, "Hermanos." It must have been somewhat of a reunion: You acted with Steven Bauer in Scarface, and Giancarlo Esposito said the three of you had been in a play together.

A: Yeah, we were all in a gorgeous production of Balm in Gilead, around 1984 at a theater in Greenwich Village. And it was directed by John Malkovitch, and had people like Gary Sinise in it and Laurie Metcalf and on and on. At that time Giancarlo Esposito was a very young actor -- I'd never seen him in my life. He played this street kid that hung out in this alleyway that my character had to pass through, and he would come at me with a real knife. He scared the s--t out of me because I couldn't tell whether this was a terrific actor, or some crazy who they put in the play.

Q: What was it like being reunited with Steven Bauer?

A: When I came out to New Mexico to do the episode they said they had a surprise for me -- it turned out to be Steven Bauer. He did some great things on set. All the lines were in Spanish but he stuck in the words when he said something about methamphetamines. He said that's the stuff that's used by "Heelbeeelies and Bikers." Instead of Spanish, he stuck in the English, which was very witty.

Q: Do you speak Spanish? Tio has a pretty believable accent.

Continue reading "Q&A - Mark Margolis (Hector "Tio" Salamanca)" »

In Part 3 of an three-part interview with Breaking Bad series creator Vince Gilligan based on fan questions, Vince talks about why Jesse wasn't killed off in Season 1, whether or not he knows how the series will end, and why the time is right to end the show.

Q: Originally Jesse was supposed to be killed off in Season 1, but thankfully, he wasn't. If he had, what trajectory did you have planned for the show? -- Sickofsickness

A: Well, thankfully I never really got that far. I feel crazy saying this now, but I initially liked the idea of killing off Jesse so that Mr. White would feel very guilty and feel very pained at what he had caused to happen. I figured that that guilt and that pain would lead to some sort of drama, but honestly, I didn't get much farther than that. I suppose probably what would have happened is that Jesse would have departed the scene and Walt would have felt the need to partner up with someone else. But my thoughts on this matter were a bit vague, and luckily we did away with the idea very quickly once we cast Aaron Paul. He's such a wonderful young actor that as soon as we saw him on the set, playing against Bryan Cranston and holding his own with an actor that good, I came to realize at that point that it was truly a dumb idea to kill off this great character.

Q: Did you have an end in mind for Breaking Bad from the point you started writing it? -- ahmedjoey10

Continue reading "Breaking Bad Series Creator Vince Gilligan Answers Viewer Questions, Part III" »

In Part 2 of a three-part interview with Breaking Bad series creator Vince Gilligan based on fan questions, Vince talks about Tio's taste in movies, how the producers find locations in Albuquerque, and the mindset of a showrunner.

Q: Since nothing ever seems to be wasted on your exceptional show, is there significance in the fact that Tio is watching Bridge On the River Kwai when Gustavo visits? -- Sandra

A: [Laughs] That's a good question. One potential answer may be that Bridge on the River Kwai is owned by the Sony Corporation and therefore we were able to use a clip of it for free. I also love Bridge on the River Kwai and any chance we get to show a few clips of a movie that good, I'll take it. Although the danger in showing a clip of a movie that good is that it reminds the viewer that they are not watching Bridge on the River Kwai. Then again I don't know if Tio can operate the remote control, so maybe it's catch as catch can. Hard to say.

Q: How do you choose locations for the show? Do you drive around looking for places? Have you ever written a scene because you found a cool location? -- Lisa Shock.

Continue reading "Breaking Bad Series Creator Vince Gilligan Answers Viewer Questions, Part II" »

AMCtv.com offered viewers the opportunity to submit questions for Breaking Bad series creator Vince Gilligan. In Part 1 of his responses, he talks about inspirations for Breaking Bad, the secret to good casting, and why he's still waiting to read everything that's been written about the show.

Q: Do you and the Breaking Bad writing staff intentionally seek inspiration from other great crime films, or does it just evolve as scripts are written? -- Alec

A: My writers and I are inspired constantly by great movies and TV shows. Not just crime movies, but westerns. We take a lot of inspiration from the "spaghetti westerns" of Sergio Leone. Once Upon a Time in the West is a particular favorite, and the first fifteen minutes of that movie is something that I have potential directors of the show watch before they start directing for us. Also, The Godfather, Parts I and II. I was thinking of The French Connection when I directed the pilot. I was emulating the look of it, or perhaps a better word is stealing from it. I love the visual sense of that movie. Film noir is a big influence: the classic noirs -- I could watch The Maltese Falcon once a month, probably -- as well as the Coen brothers contemporary ones as well.

Q: How do you feel about all of the attention the show is getting from critics and fans, and all of the speculation on the storyline found on numerous Internet sites? -- TrueNorth

A: I just think it's absolutely wonderful that so many smart people like the show and are watching it and combing through it for the most minute details. I never believed the show would even go on the air in the first place! So the fact that we're now four years in and they're still paying this close attention to it, just astounds me. I think it's great sport to wonder about future twists and turns of one's favorite show, and I'm glad they're doing that for Breaking Bad.

Continue reading "Breaking Bad Series Creator Vince Gilligan Answers Viewer Questions" »

AMC has interviewed Breaking Bad composer Dave Porter, not once but twice previously. (Check out his previous Q&As from Season 3 and Season 1.) But this year, AMCtv.com provided the fans themselves a unique opportunity to ask questions to the man behind the music. Here are twelve answers -- addressing his methods, his inspirations, and even his favorite moments.

Q: Which music are you responsible for, exactly?

A: Generally speaking I'm responsible for composing and producing the music that is created specifically for the show. This includes the show's theme music, the music over the end credits, and many dramatic moments in between. If it isn't on our list of licensed songs, then I created it.

Q: At what point in the production process do you create the score?

A: The music is one of the last pieces of the puzzle, so I receive each episode after the picture has been edited. The version I work with looks nearly the same as what airs on AMC.

Q: How long do you work on each episode?

Continue reading "Q&A - Dave Porter (Composer)" »

Got a burning question about Breaking Bad's fourth season? The show's creator and executive producer, Vince Gilligan, wants to hear them! Leave your questions for Vince in the comments section below from now until 11:59PM | 10:59C on Sun., Oct. 2, and he'll answer as many as he can in an exclusive interview that will be posted on AMCtv.com immediately following the Season 4 Finale on Sun., Oct. 9.

Christopher Cousins plays Skyler's former boss Ted Beneke on Breaking Bad. In an exclusive interview with AMCtv.com, the actor talks about his character's loneliness, and how working on the set is like running with racehorses.

Q: Ted tries to run away and trips on a rug in Season 4 Episode 11, "Crawl Space." Was that a stunt man?

A: The guy who slid on the floor was a stunt man. I had spinal surgery right around Christmas, so really all I could do was trip. I ran and kind of fell forward, but that whole thing where he hit the ground and slipped wasn't me -- I was only four months out of major surgery, so I had to be very careful.

Q: Is there a Hollywood strategy to falling comfortably?

A: When I did [the TV series] Terriers I did all that stuff except for the actual car hitting. You pad up and you're trained to take your fall with the hands. It depends though, each fall has a different kind of technique.

Q: Ted has had some incredibly tense scenes with Skyler this season. Did you two practice creating tension off camera?

Continue reading "Q&A - Christopher Cousins (Ted Beneke)" »

In an exclusive interview with AMCtv.com, Giancarlo Esposito, who plays criminal mastermind Gus Fring on Breaking Bad, talks about doing his own stunts, making fried chicken on set, and "dead cold killer" eyes.

Q: Talk a little bit about the scene in Season 4, Episode 10 at Don Eladio's manor where Gus poisons everybody, including himself. Is that villa really in Mexico?

A: That scene was shot up in Albuquerque, up in the hills it looks just like Mexico. And it was a beautiful palatial estate, as you can see on film.

Q: Did you really retch in the bathroom?

A: Yes, I was really retching in that bathroom. I almost made myself sick just sticking my finger down my throat, but I had to do it in a very calm and stealth way that Gus would do it.

Q: There's a scene from Season 4, Episode 9 where Gus walks out into the line of fire. That wasn't a stunt man, was it? We see you the whole time.

A: Well I loved that moment, because actors love to be the hero at one time or another. And that was all me, no stunt man. I walked into those bullets: those were squibs put into the ground that were quite strong actually. I had a line to walk and I did get some gun residue from the earth kicking up the ground into my eyes and into my glasses, but in true Gustavo fashion, I didn't flinch.

Q: Do you ever feel like Gus carries over into your life off set?

Continue reading "Q&A - Giancarlo Esposito (Gus Fring)" »