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Breaking Badwas a career-defining project for both its stars, Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. Both actors convincingly portrayed the ups and downs of their characters, Walter White and Jesse Pinkman. However, fans may be surprised to learn that several actors competed for these roles, including Tom Hanks’ son, Colin Hanks, andYouactor, Penn Badgley.
Colin Hanks debuted in his father’s directorial debut,That Thing You Do!. Hanks went on to portray several roles in films and television, such asKing Kong,Band of Brothers,Fargo, andJumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
Also Read:Giancarlo Esposito Blackmailed Breaking Bad Series Creator Vince Gilligan Into Giving Gus Fring a More Prominent Role in the Epic Drama
Colin Hanks Auditioned For The Role Of Jesse Pinkman InBreaking Bad
At the time of theBreaking Badcasting,Colin Hankshad quite a list of movie and TV roles to his credit.Tom Hanks‘ name was not enough for his eldest son to land the role in one of the greatest TV shows ever made. Hanks Jr. auditioned for the role in front of series creatorVince Gilliganand casting director Dawn Steinberg, but he did not land the role. Nevertheless, his movie and TV career continues to thrive.
Penn Badgleyalso came incredibly close to beatingAaron Paulto the role. The actor, known for his roles inYouandGossip Girl, revealed thatBreaking Badwas one of the best scripts he had ever read. Badgley stated toBuzzfeedthat the role of Jesse Pinkman was the“one that got away.”Another actor who auditioned for the role was theVenomactor, Reid Scott.
The one thing that stood between Aaron Paul and Jesse Pinkman was his good-guy image. While he certainly caught Gilligan’s eyes as a standout performer, the series creator had to fight with the studio to cast him. The studio wasn’t initially convinced that Paul could pull off a meth dealer convincingly. However, when he was finally cast, he delivered one of the finest TV performances, even winning three Emmy awards.
Also Read:“Tighty-whities on a grown man is funny”: Bryan Cranston Almost Refused To Film Iconic Pilot Scene in Breaking Bad Due To a Sitcom
Hollywood Has Many More ‘Nepo Babies’ Like Colin Hanks
While Tom Hanks’ influence didn’t land Colin Hanks a role inBreaking Bad, many other star parents have succeeded in introducing their children to the film industry.Dakota Johnsonhas proven her worth in the industry and even landed a leading role with Marvel, thanks to her parents Don Johnson andMelanie Griffith. Another actor introduced by his star parents wasJaden Smith.
‘Nepo babies’ is the modern term used to refer to the star kids and it was coined by a Twitter user when discussingLeslie Mann&Judd Apatow’s daughterMaude Apatow‘s role inEuphoria. Since then ‘nepo babies’ have become trending on TikTok with users pointing out several other celebrity kids. These star kids, however, cannot survive based on their parents’ names alone.
In more recent times, there have been a number of breakout actors with film star parents who have wowed the audience with their performances. These include Vanessa Paradis &Johnny Depp’s daughterLily-Rose Depp, Andie MacDowell’s daughter Margaret Qualley,Meg Ryan& Dennis Quaid’s sonJack Quaid, andUma Thurman&Ethan Hawke’s daughterMaya Hawke.
Also Read:“The one that got away”: The Breaking Bad Role Penn Badgley Regrets Losing, Could’ve Changed His Career Forever
Breaking Badis now available for streaming on Netflix.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3018
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
