Breaking Bad extremely playful on set, with Aaron Paul describing him as "a kid trapped in a man's body". Gilligan originally intended for Aaron Paul's character, Jesse Pinkman, to be killed at the end of "Breaking Bad"s first season in a botched drug deal as a plot device to plague Walter White with guilt. However, Gilligan said by the second episode of the season, he was so impressed with Paul's performance that "it became pretty clear early on that would be a huge, colossal mistake, to kill off Jesse". Donna Nelson, a professor of organic chemistry at the University of Oklahoma, checked
Walter White (Breaking Bad) evolution from mild-mannered school teacher and family man to ruthless criminal mastermind and murderer is the show's central focus. Although AMC officials hesitated to cast Cranston due to his previous comedic role on "Malcolm in the Middle", Gilligan cast him based on the actor's past performance in the "X-Files" episode "Drive", which Gilligan wrote. Cranston contributed greatly to the creation of his character, including Walt's backstory, physical appearance, and personality traits. Both the Walter White character and Bryan Cranston's performance have received critical acclaim, with White frequently being mentioned as one of the greatest and most iconic television characters of