In this exclusive interview with Breaking Bad Greece, the one and only Gennifer Hutchison (writer on AMC's "Breaking Bad" & "Better Call Saul") who has written probably the most iconic line of Breaking Bad (that one) and many great episodes of both shows discusses Better Call Saul, what it's like working with Bryan Cranston, her reactions to internet criticism and much more!
Q : How did you come up with that bleak opening scene of BCS? Do you plan to continue doing that as season openers or at least on the upcoming seasons?GH : I think Vince and Peter had the idea of the black-and-white teaser very early. I think they liked the idea that Saul really did end up in a Cinnabon after Breaking Bad. And I'm sure we'd love to do more of those teasers, but I can't really say if we will or not.
Q : BrB didn't have opening credits. How did you come up with the BCS opening credits for each episode? What did they represent? Maybe a subtle image of what is about to come? Or am i reading way too much into this?
GH : Vince and Peter worked really closely with one of our assistant editors, Curtis Thurber, to come up with that title sequence. I was not really a part of that whole process, but I do love them. I think they're kind of weird and disconcerting... which I think helps sell the offbeat tone of the show.
Q : Breaking Bad was a visually stunning show. The same applies to BCS too. One of the many reasons of the Breaking Bad's beauty was ABQ and the way it was shot. So, it's easy to assume that ABQ was deeply connected with it. Did you have any conversations about how to make ABQ look unique for BCS too?
GH : Thank you. Albuquerque is a great backdrop for both shows. The sky there is incredible, and we've been very lucky that we get to take full advantage of the city. Since it's the setting for the show, rather than just standing in for another city, we can really show Albuquerque as Albuquerque. There were definitely conversations about how to make BCS visually interesting but different than Breaking Bad. I know Vince and Peter and our Director of Photography, Arthur Albert came up with a look book that they gave our directors. It was not a rule book, but it was intended to be inspiration. They also talked about using more slow zooms than on BrBa and having the camera locked down as opposed to hand held, like on BrBa. Again, these weren't unbreakable rules, just ideas of how to distinguish the show from Breaking Bad.
Q : Vince Gilligan stayed away from Internet during his BrB days. But what about you? Do you take in mind (even a bit) critisicm when writing an episode, or you don't look at it at all?
GH : I am on the internet, but I try not to read too many negative reviews or comments. I've been lucky because most of what people are saying is very positive. But, as a writer, it can be really hard to hear negative criticism. Constructive criticism can be great, but sometimes people are just mean to be mean. Again, I haven't seen a lot of that, but I definitely don't go looking for it. We're people, and it's really hard when people seem to forget that and make their critiques personal. Luckily, as I said, our fans are wonderful and really respectful. The outpouring of love for the show, the fanart, etc. have been amazing! However, I'm pretty neurotic, so even if a review is 99% positive, I tend to only see that 1% of negativity. It's just part of being a writer, I think. As for whether or now I keep it in mind, that's harder to answer. I think we have to stay as true to our own voice as possible. Critiques can be helpful, but you don't want to lose your nerve as a writer. As much as you want everyone to love everything you're doing, it's impossible.
Q : One of the things i loved about s1 was the "Slippin' Jimmy" parts. Mel Rodriguez was such a great casting choice. I know that anything can happen in a TV show but with Marco dying in the finale it seems that this storyline has closed. But i am not ready to give up on them. Have you ever thought of doing mini-episodes (just like the Breaking Bad ones) with them as partners? It would be a little spin-off inside a spin-off, meta and a lot of fun at the same time.
GH : I'm not sure. I know we all loved Mel and thought he was great and would love to work with him again. As for minisodes, I think that comes down to budget and time!
Q : Vince Gilligan expressed his willingness for Walter White's appearance on the show. I know that you can't talk in depth about that. But, (i am surprised with myself by saying this) i don't think that's a good idea. I mean it's nice for Tuco or even Fransesca & Saul's 'A' team to come back, but is a whole different story bringing back Walter. Aren't you afraid that from the moment you do that BCS would be forever "damned" as Breaking Bad's sidekick and people won't recognize its importance?
GH : We're very cognizant of not making BCS into "Breaking Bad's Greatest Hits". If we bring a character back, we're trying to make sure it's very organic to the story. It has to make sense. Bringing Walt back would be tricky, so I think we would only do it if it felt right and enhanced the story. We're not trying to cram all of BrBa into BCS. We want BCS to stand on its own.
Q : Speaking of Bryan Cranston. His electrifying portrait of Walter White was (still is) unlike anything else on TV. Probably the best actor out there. He also seems so down to the earth. What was it like working with him?
GH : Bryan was awesome to work with. He's an amazing actor and a really great guy. He was always very friendly with the crew as well. I had a lot of fun working with him.
Q : I was recently watching season 1 of Twin Peaks and couldn't help but notice that despite its greatness, time had surpassed it. How challenging is it to try and make Better Call Saul timeless, given that is set on 2002?
GH : Interesting question. I think we try to keep any references in the show fairly timeless. We don't really spend a lot of time referring to the hot button issues of 2002. We're at an advantage because it's a period show so we know, in hindsight, what had staying power and what's going to feel really dated. We just try hard to make sure we don't have stuff that didn't exist in 2002. But we don't go out of our way to draw attention to the older cell phones or anything like that. The period is the backdrop for, not the point of the show.
Q: Vince Gilligan once said that he doesn't want BrB to be the peak of his career. What about you? Would you mind being remembered as the writer who has written probably the most iconic line of the show?
GH : I will always be grateful for Breaking Bad. It's the show that launched my career. And I love that so many people really love that line, and those episodes. If I never do anything else, that's not a bad thing to be remembered for. But of course I'd love to do more. I'd love to have my own show one day. As a writer, the biggest reward is having people love and connect with your work. I don't want that to end. It's something I'll always be striving for.
Q : The "rule" on the BrB writers' room was WWWD ("what walter would do"), because every action he made affected the other characters as well. Could you say the same thing about BCS too? Because not every action of Saul affects (for example) Mike.
GH : Well, the rule is basically that we want to stay in the character's head and make sure that everything he does makes sense given him. So you don't want to have Jimmy do something that he would never actually do. That's how we approached Walt and how we approach Jimmy/Saul as well as Mike, Kim, Chuck, Hamlin... We try to stay grounded in all our characters. How that affects the people around them is part of it for sure. But the most important thing is staying true to them and their journey.
Q : You had plenty of talks about what a Saul spin-off would have looked like. You know what i think it would be a cool idea? Turning BCS into a show such as Fargo & True Detective with each season focusing on a different timeline of Saul's life. Saul is such an intriguing character that he can supports on its own such a show, with Mike being the only recurring character for each season. As a writer, what is your opinion about it?
GH : That's a fun idea! I feel like you could do that with a lot of shows actually.
Q : I think that despite their differences Saul deeply respects Chuck and on some level Chuck does too. One of the last scenes of the finale also suggested that. My question is, are we going to see them as partners or adversaries on the upcoming season?
GH : I think, as brothers, there is a deep love between them. I don't think that goes away even when you are fighting or in opposition. I think there is always a push-pull between working together and butting heads when you're family. As for where it goes, I can't really say, but it is a relationship I find very interesting.
Q : To be honest I didn't expect Saul to have a love interest on BCS. (i hate that term but I don't know how else I can put it.) But Kim helped the show with her presence to bring different shades of Saul that we weren't aware of before. The more human ones I think. What is your take on her character?
GH : I love the character of Kim. Like Chuck, I think she helps ground Jimmy. When we met Saul on Breaking Bad, we never really saw that he had people he cared about. Being able to have Kim allows us to show what Jimmy cares about. He has something to lose, which is what makes a character interesting. If they have nothing to lose, they have nothing to strive for. Plus, Rhea is an amazing actress and great person!
Q : Better Call Saul is one the most original shows I have ever seen. I love the way it avoids clichés. Have you ever thought about changing a scene that fits story wise but had a predictable or cliché ending?
GH : We do try to surprise people and take stories in a direction that people may not be able to guess. So, yes, it is important to us to do things that are interesting and not as expected. This comes up all the time when we're breaking an episode.
Q : FX's Fargo was a show that tackled (on some level at least) some of the same issues of Breaking Bad. I am talking about turning a good man to "pure evil". What did you think of their approach?
GH : I am woefully behind on Fargo, so I can't really say. However, I do think that there are similarities in tone. That show is both funny and really dark, which is something I think BCS does as well. I like shows that are different like that.
Q : Breaking Bad had mediocre ratings during its first 4 seasons. Have you ever thought something like "damn, why aren’t more people tuning in, what are we doing wrong"? On the other hand BCS was a tremendous hit since its premiere! Do you find the irony in that too?
GH : You always want lots of people to watch and enjoy your show. I think we were always really grateful for the audience we had and for Sony and AMC believing in the show and keeping it on the air. And we're all very excited that so many people are tuning into BCS. I think, overall, we're just happy that anyone has found these shows and loves them!
Q : I know that since you break an episode, you each write on little cards and then you pinch it into a storyboard, and every writer has about 2 weeks to write a roughly 50 page script of the episode. What other secrets from the breaking and writing process can you share with us?
GH : I don't know if I have any secrets really. Everyone has a different process once they're on script. I tend to write a first draft as quickly as possible, even if it's terrible. Then I revise it until it's where I want it to be. I know some of the writers work scene by scene, making each one perfect before they move on to the next. Hmmm, what else? Vince has the best handwriting of all of us!
Q : What did you learn from the first season that would help you to make season 2 even better?
GH : We really figured out what the show was in Season 1. We learned how much we love Jimmy. And I think we learned how interesting his life can be pre-Saul. That's been very helpful for us as Season 2 goes on.
Q : BCS is set on 2002. How much time has passed in the 1st season? Do you have a particular number of months that you want to spend on each season or that depends wholly on the characters' journey?
GH : I don't recall exactly how long Season 1 covers, but it's less than a year. We never go into a season saying how long we want it to stretch chronologically. We just let the characters and story take us where they want to go.
Q : Did you watch the BrB scenes of Mike & Saul in order to make things as accurate as possible? (Few examples: the pimento scene & the Kevin Costner one)
GH : Yes, we often rewatch BrBa scenes to get context. Also, our writers' assistant Heather Marion and writers' PA Ariel Levine have made binders for us that have all of the information we know about Saul and Mike from Breaking Bad written down for us.
Q : I know that you are not allowed to say much about season 2, but can you at least give a little tease of what is about to come for Saul?
GH : I think people have an idea of where they think Jimmy is going next, but I think they'll be surprised by what happens in Season 2. That's about all I can say!
Follow Gennifer Hutchison on Twitter : @GennHutchison
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