The City of Albuquerque on July 29 will dedicate statues of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, the main characters of AMC’s iconic “Breaking Bad” television drama.
The bronzes will be installed at the Albuquerque Convention Center at 401 Second St., just a few blocks from Route 66, reported the Albuquerque Journal and other media outlets. Actors Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul portrayed the crime drama’s characters for five seasons.
“Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan commissioned the statues from sculptor Trevor Grove and is donating them to the city.
Cranston told the Journal that he and Paul were going to be involved in the unveiling of the statues. It was then he pitched the idea to get involved with the Albuquerque Isotopes. The pair will be at Isotopes Park on July 30 together raising money for two New Mexico-based charities and to promote their joint-venture Dos Hombres Mezcal – a drink that will be available to buy during Isotopes games starting in mid-July.
“When I had the idea to say, well, we’re coming to do this unveiling of these statues,” Cranston says. “It’s humbling and fun to think about that.”
Albuquerque — along with a number of scenes along Route 66 — played a vital role in giving the “Breaking Bad” series a unique look. Gilligan said Albuquerque and the surrounding area of New Mexico almost were like major characters in the series.
The show’s enduring popularity spawned a lot of tourism in the Duke City, including guided tours to the filming locations.
Adam the Woo put together this exhaustive account of “Breaking Bad” locations:
Albuquerque also is the setting for “Better Call Saul,” a prequel spinoff about White and Pinkman’s attorney.
In a follow-up story by the Journal, Cranston and Paul revealed they are reprising their characters during the final episodes of “Better Call Saul.”
(Image of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman of “Breaking Bad” from DJANDYW.COM via Flickr)