Ever watched Breaking Bad? You’d remember Bryan Cranston, the guy who won lots of Emmy awards for his outstanding role as Walter White, right? Maybe you know him as Heisenberg, the supposedly harmless chemistry teacher who turned into a drug kingpin.
Walter’s Character Arc
Walter’s character was as complex as it was captivating. One minute, he’s a gentle teacher battling cancer, the next, he’s into all sorts of illegal activities to keep his drug empire going. His role was similar to other monumental antiheroes like Don Draper from Mad Men or Tony Soprano from The Sopranos.
One of the most shocking things Heisenberg did was poison a child named Brock Cantillo in season 4. It was astonishing and led fans to ask the question: how did Walter White manage to poison this kid?
Brock’s Backstory
Before diving into that, here is some backstory for those of you who need refreshing up. Brock’s mother, Andrea Cantillo, was an ex-addict who dated Jesse Pinkman, Walter’s partner-in-crime. Jesse got super attached to Brock and his mom. But, Jesse thought it was the cigarette laced with ricin, a deadly poison, that he intended to use to take out Gus Fring, the big bad boss, that accidentally poisoned Brock.
The Juice Box Poisoning
To solve the mystery, we have to go back to Breaking Bad’s creator, Vince Gilligan, who during a Comic-Con panel discussion, spilled the beans. Even though the timeline seemed tight, the writers ensured the plot sounded realistic. According to Gilligan, Walter crushed the lily of the valley plant, a poisonous plant, and sneaked it into Brock’s juice box which the innocent kid drank at school.
Wrestling with The Truth
The plot thickened in the penultimate episode of the same season. Jesse, suspecting Walter’s behind Brock’s poisoning, confronted him. With his life on the line, Walter did what he does best: lie convincingly. Whether it was his acting skills or sincerity, we’ll never know, but Walter persuaded Jesse that he wasn’t involved in poisoning Brock.
The moment of surprise and revelation didn’t come until the next episode. The camera zoomed in on a lily of the valley plant in Walter’s backyard, telling us all his secret. To make things more dramatic, Bryan Cranston, who played Walter, was in the dark about his character’s action at that point.
Cranston’s Genuine Response
Cranston admitted that his reaction on reading the script was surprise. The actor’s unawareness created an even more realistic performance. Even though Jesse eventually found out the truth and blamed him for not saving his girlfriend Jane, it was fascinating to see how Cranston used his lack of knowledge to portray Walter’s innocence effectively.
Now that you know the backstory behind one of Breaking Bad’s most shocking twists, it’s time to see it in action. If you haven’t yet watched this groundbreaking series or want to relive the thrill, all episodes are currently streaming on Netflix. So go ahead, make some popcorn, and embark on an emotional roller coaster with Walter and Jesse.Check the full story on https://projectcasting.com/blog/news/behind-the-scenes-how-walter-white-poisoned-brock-cantillo-in-breaking-bad