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Penn Badgley reveals he was almost Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad

It's hard to imagine Aaron Paul not playing the character, but he did have competition.
Alex Hopley Editor UK 20 February 2023

Penn Badgley, the star of You, revealed that he nearly played Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad, saying he "got close" to playing the role.

Speaking with Buzzfeed about roles he didn't get, Badgely said the role of Jesse Pinkman was between him and Aaron Paul. "We tested," he stated. "Actually, that was the best television script I'd read at that point. That was the one that got away."

Instead of playing Jesse Pinkman, Badgely went on to star in Gossip Girl from 2007 to 2012. Currently, he's most well-known for playing Joe Goldberg in You, which is enjoing its fourth season over on Netflix.

Do you think Penn Badgely would've made a good Jesse Pinkman?

Editor UK Alex Hopley covered the video game industry for Gamereactor, from new announcements and launches to the business behind them. He also wrote on tech, film and entertainment, and his coverage wasn't tied to any one region.
Full profile Gamereactor author since 2023 · 9,411 published articles
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