Vince Gilligan Never Expected Breaking Bad's Pizza Throwing Scene To Become Such A Big Deal
If you ever met the charming and clever TV creative Vince Gilligan, you never would have guessed that he's the dark mind behind the ruthless Heisenberg (Bryan Cranston) and greedy Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk). The charismatic showrunner also contributed to an abundance of creepy episodes of "The X-Files," as well as the unconventional superhero film "Hancock," starring Will Smith. His outstanding ability to blend comedy and drama seamlessly led to the overwhelming success of his suspenseful landmark series "Breaking Bad" and its spin-off, "Better Call Saul."
By casting Bryan Cranston as the transformative Walter White, Gilligan highlighted that essential blend of drama and comedy. The former TV dad of "Malcolm in the Middle" fame was an exceptional choice for the man he intends to change from "Mr. Chips to Scarface" — which Gilligan called his standout antagonist in NPR. Unsurprisingly, with Cranston in the lead, the former chemistry teacher-turned-meth-making crime boss has a slew of funny moments, especially as he tries to continue acting as an upstanding family man.
This humorous element adds a necessary break in tension during the series' darkest moments like violent crime or unsettling family conflict. An exceptional example of this is when Walt tries to smooth over his recent separation from his wife, Skyler (Anna Gunn), with an enormous pizza. Gilligan, who wrote the scene, told Reddit in an Ask Me Anything (AMA) how he never thought it would be so loved, or even replicated, by fans.
Gilligan was surprised by the instantaneous fan response
Walt's shallow attempt to repair his family with a giant pizza is quickly shot down by Skyler prompting his overly dramatic reaction. He frustratingly flings the pizza, which lands perfectly on the roof in an iconic sequence fans unanimously love. In Vince Gilligan's AMA on Reddit, u/DaBuhl asked, "Did you ever anticipate that the pizza-throwing scene would be copied as much as it was?" Gilligan responded, saying he never expected the response the scene would get from fans.
"No, I never anticipated that the pizza-throwing scene would be one of the 'non-submergible' moments of Breaking Bad," Gilligan wrote. "None of us did. It seemed like a fun thing to include in the episode at the time, but none of the writers of the series thought it would take on a life of its own. Thank you for asking that question, because it once again gives me the opportunity to say: for any of the folks who wanted to throw pizza on the roof of the White house, it's very unfair to the sweet lady that lives there."
Despite Gilligan's lack of expectations for the scene, the scene has become iconic and has, indeed, inspired fans to throw pizzas on the roof of the real house from the series (via Time). As a result of the pizza throwing and general trespassing, the owners of the house eventually put up a fence to block any would-be troublemakers (via The Chicago Tribune).