Writer Vince Gilligan has received accolades for his work on hit US show Breaking Bad but he has revealed to Entertainment Weekly that the one thing he would change is main character Jesse Pinkman’s dental condition. In a recent interview, the show’s creator admitted that he felt that actor Aaron Paul’s teeth were too perfect in the context of the characters journey; the 34-year-old plays drug addict Pinkman, who teams up with his former chemistry teacher to create methamphetamine.
Gilligan said that he wanted Jesse’s teeth to be ‘a little more realistic’, in relation to his personal situation; he added that the character ‘smoked a lot of meth, and that smoke eats the enamel right off the teeth.’ The writer also spoke about the number of physical altercations Jesse found himself in, saying ‘The poor kid got beat up two or three times a season, and his teeth were still absolutely perfect.’
However, Gilligan later back-tracked somewhat, saying that it might have spoiled things for the audience if Aaron Paul was fitted with a denture to give the impression that his teeth were rotten and damaged. He told the US publication ‘…on the other hand, Aaron is such a good-looking guy that maybe that counts as poetic license that we kept his teeth looking nice.’
Gilligan is currently working on Breaking Bad spin off Better Call Saul, which is thought to be a prequel to the original show.
