Betsy Brandt, as a cast member of one of the most popular, brilliant, and suspenseful shows ever made (ok, I’m a fan), was of course upset when she realized it was all over, as upset as we’ll be on Sunday when the final credits roll. But she can take comfort in the fact that she’s got “The Michael J. Fox Show” to look forward to, and it’s not half as stomach-churning.
“The show doesn’t make me physically ill, whereas I really thought I might throw up on “Breaking Bad”,” she said. “I thought, ‘Oh my God, my chest hurts. I don’t feel well, I don’t feel well.’ On “Breaking Bad” we laugh a lot when the cameras aren’t rolling, and on this show we laugh a lot when the cameras aren’t rolling and then I get to laugh when they are rolling too.”
Brandt also talked a bit about shooting her final scene with Walt, played by Bryan Cranston, and says that she couldn’t take it all in while she was in character. Once the director yelled cut, however, it was a different story.
“I wasn’t thinking ‘Oh this is the end,’” she said. “I was thinking about the moment. But then after it was over I just thought, ‘Oh my God. That’s it.’ And then Bryan Cranston was there and he was standing out of my sight line off to the side just staring at me and holding his AK-47 with like his Heisenberg killer look. It was very, very funny.”
Brandt didn’t give any hints as to what’s going to happen in Sunday night’s episode, but anyone who’s been paying attention knows it’s not going to end well for everyone. She says if she had things her way, everyone would win.
“My ending would probably be completely Pollyanna so it’s good I don’t write the show because I want them all to win. I want them all to survive and win,” she said.
The show, which has run for five glorious years, took home an Emmy for Best Drama this year; the actors all had several nominations between them, but Anna Gunn–who plays the much-hated Skylar–was the only one to take home a trophy. As happy as she was for Gunn, Brandt says she thought for sure the boys had it in the bag.
“I thought for sure, for sure, we had Best Supporting Actor locked up between Aaron and Jonathan. I was giddy about Jonathan being nominated this year; I can’t say enough good things about him. So I was stunned we didn’t get that. And then when Bryan didn’t win, I turned to Bob Odenkirk and said, “I’m dead inside.” I felt nothing. I just felt like it wasn’t going to go our way again, and every year I want to see Vince Gilligan make that speech. So when they said Breaking Bad, I was so surprised [starts to cry]. I was just so happy for my TV family, and I’m emotional about it because I know the show is airing for the last time on Sunday. I felt like this was our year to win and if we didn’t this year, we probably wouldn’t. I just so wanted that for Breaking Bad because I’m so proud of this show and Vince is one of the kindest people in the world so I really wanted that moment for him,” she said.
I think most of us can commiserate. Tune in to AMC this Sunday at 10 p.m. to watch all that you love be carried away.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
