Aaron Paul has played some of the most tragic TV characters over the past two decades, but I think I’ve figured out why he continues to play such complex personalities. Having begun his acting career in the late 90s, Aaron Paul became a household name after joining one of the most popular TV shows of all time. His role as Jesse Pinkman in the Breaking Bad universe helped launch a widely successful career and allowed him to be a part of numerous unique projects, but many of his characters have the same haunting thing in common.
Regardless of whether he’s playing a hero or a villain, Paul’s most memorable characters all share a similar trait – tragedy. Despite contributing to the poisonous drug trade and harming other people’s lives, Jesse Pinkman was Breaking Bad‘s biggest underdog, and a victim of Walt’s manipulation. It doesn’t excuse his immoral actions, but Jesse’s life was destroyed by the events of the series, starting a trend that has followed the actor throughout his career. Aaron Paul’s performance in Invincible season 3 was the latest show to give him a devastating character, and the reason for this pattern has become clearer.
4 Major TV Shows Have Emotionally Destroyed A Character Played By Aaron Paul
Paul Has Played Traumatic Characters In Breaking Bad, Black Mirror, Westworld, & Invincible
While Breaking Bad is undeniably Aaron Paul’s most traumatic role, Invincible, Westworld, and Black Mirror have all emotionally destroyed the actor’s respective characters. At the start of Breaking Bad, Jesse Pinkman was far from perfect, but despite his troubles regarding drugs and education, he still had an optimistic future. Unfortunately, being Walter White’s meth partner completely took that hope away from him and turned his life upside-down, causing him to undergo a series of tragic events that changed the character forever.
He was forced to kill Gale, lost Jane to a drug overdose, and helplessly watched Todd shoot Andrea in front of her son, all while suffering plenty of torture and abuse of his own. While he did manage to survive the finale, it was a brutal journey for the deuteragonist, but it wasn’t Paul’s only tragic character. Black Mirror also saw his character Cliff go through emotional turmoil, as after selflessly allowing his grieving space partner to use his replica, things spiraled out of control, resulting in David murdering Cliff’s family using the very replica Cliff begrudgingly lent him.
|
Aaron Paul Shows |
Tomatometer Score |
Popcommeter Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Breaking Bad |
96% |
97% |
|
Black Mirror |
83% |
80% |
|
Westworld |
80% |
75% |
|
Invincible |
99% |
91% |
It was a horrific twist that once again put one of Paul’s genuinely kind-hearted characters through undeserved trauma. Likewise, Aaron Paul’s Powerplex became one of Invincible‘s most tragic villains, as he failed to get justice for his sister and niece’s deaths. After finally confronting the hero he held responsible, Powerplex ended up killing his own family by accident while seeking vengeance. Even Westworld puts Paul’s protagonist through the wringer, with Caleb overcoming a series of obstacles and challenges all to achieve a slightly bittersweet ending, highlighting the frequent emotional torment Aaron Paul’s TV characters go through.
Aaron Paul Is A Master At Playing Characters You WANT To Get A Happy Ending
The Actor Expertly Makes You Feel Sympathy For His Complex Characters
Paul playing so many tragic characters isn’t a coincidence, as he is an expert at portraying underdogs that you want to succeed. His role in Breaking Bad proved that, in a world full of criminals and immoral people, Jesse was one of the truly good souls who wanted to do good, which the actor’s performance helped consolidate. The fact that Jesse wasn’t one of Breaking Bad‘s smartest criminals or a master manipulator made him all the more endearing, and he wore his heart on his sleeve while making the audience connect with him, a skill Paul has managed to perfect.
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Given what Cliff and Caleb went through in their respective franchises, most fans were desperate to see them get a happy ending, something their good nature practically entitled them to. Even Powerplex earns some sympathy despite being a villain, since he has lost so much and has genuinely valid points. He may be flawed, but Powerplex only went to such extremes because he felt like it was a last resort. Paul’s ability to portray trauma and deliver emotional performances makes his characters the ultimate underdogs, and regardless of their past, viewers end up rooting for them more often than not.
If You Want To Feel Better About Aaron Paul Always Being Emotionally Destroyed, Just Watch El Camino
The Movie Finally Gives Paul’s Most Iconic Character An Optimistic Ending
Despite Aaron Paul’s character frequently getting the short end of the stick, El Camino did at least provide Jesse Pinkman with an uplifting ending. Even after suffering emotional torment, Cliff receives a horrifying fate in Black Mirror, while Caleb’s Westworld conclusion emits mixed feelings. The jury is still out on Powerplex, but out of all Paul’s most tragic characters, Jesse had the best final scene, as he was finally provided a fresh start in El Camino. Jesse was still tested throughout the movie and struggled at various times, but he overcame his past and officially moved on.
Having seen so many of his characters go through hell, it was a relief to see Aaron Paul finally catch a break in El Camino, and it provided the perfect end to Jesse’s story.
The mental scars that his Breaking Bad journey provided won’t ever leave him; however, getting a new identity and heading to Alaska is the sort of optimistic climax that he deserves. Having seen so many of his characters go through hell, it was a relief to see Aaron Paul finally catch a break in El Camino, and it provided the perfect end to Jesse’s story. The film still has the intensity and suspense fans have come to expect with Paul’s projects, but for fans desperate to see the actor get a rare victory, El Camino is worth the watch.
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