The choice to raise two sculptures of “Breaking Bad” characters Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) at the Albuquerque Convention Center in New Mexico is creating a ruckus among a portion of the state’s Republican figures. The sculptures were uncovered July 30 at a function went to by Cranston, Paul, “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan and Albuquerque city hall leader Tim Keller.
Gilligan said at the sculptures’ divulging that respecting “two fictional, infamous meth dealers” wouldn’t be commended by everybody in New Mexico, adding, “In all seriousness, no doubt some folks are going to say, ‘Wow, just what our city needed.’ And I get that. I see two of the finest actors America has ever produced. I see them, in character, as two larger-than-life tragic figures, cautionary tales.”
It just so happened that Gilligan was correct. Albuquerque-based conservative live radio host Eddy Aragon and Republican state delegate Rod Montoya are two well-known people denouncing the 500-pound sculptures.
“I’m glad New Mexico got the business, but really?” Montoya said. “We’re going down the road of literally glorifying meth makers?”
“It’s not the type of recognition we want for the city of Albuquerque, or for our state,” Aragon added, taking note of that “what you saw on ‘Breaking Bad’ should be a documentary, honestly. I think, really, that is the reality in New Mexico. We try to say it’s fictional, but that is the reality… we’ve joked that ‘Breaking Bad’ should be on PBS. That is, unfortunately, the reality.”
#BreakingBad creator Vince Gillian predicted that erecting statues of Walter White/Jesse Pinkman in New Mexico would cause blowback. He was right.
Republican state rep. Rod Montoya says: “We’re going down the road of literally glorifying meth makers?”https://t.co/hnpciuQEqJ
— Zack Sharf (@ZSharf) August 17, 2022
Aragon took a shot at the state for erecting the “Breaking Bad” sculptures after it chose to bring down a sculpture of Spanish conqueror Juan de Oñate, who was the primary Spanish legislative head of New Mexico.
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Honestly, I think it’d be cool to go visit the statues. You could just stop by and take some pictures while on a trip to see the white sands, forest, caverns, or something. Breaking Bad was and is an awesome show. If you haven’t seen it – I highly recommend it and it can be streamed on Netflix (if you still have Netflix after the stuff they’ve done.)
Albuquerque chairman Tim Keller said that it was proper to raise “Breaking Bad” sculptures given the positive monetary effect the show has had on the city throughout the long term. He added, “While the stories might be fictional, jobs are real every single day. The city is also a character. We see ourselves in so many ways, good and bad.”
The story of Breaking Bad is an American crime show which was recorded in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a came up short on, overqualified, and disheartened secondary school science educator who is battling stage-three cancer. White slowly becomes consumed with a life full of crime and teams up with a former student of his, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), to create and convey meth to get his family’s monetary future covered before he passes on while exploring the dangers of the criminal hidden world.