When you think of Aaron Paul and Jesse Pinkman it’s like two faces of the same coin, Aaron Paul ‘is’ Jesse Pinkman. Can you even imagine another guy playing that role? Can Paul and Pinkman really be compared?
Lets separate fact from fiction, the differences between the two couldn’t be wider, or are they? Let’s put it to the test for a bit of fun.
Paul and Pinkman: Childhood
Aaron Paul – from interviews we understand Paul’s childhood involved some moving around, with his dad’s work as a minister. It seems a happy one, his parents are still very much together so it was stable.
Paul has mentioned he would need to learn the scriptures and bible passages, so there was some discipline. Money wasn’t always there, but all in all its very clear that he came from a good strong family unit.
Jesse Pinkman – little is know about his childhood, but like Paul his parents were still together by the time we met him. When we look at his family home there seems to be money there. His younger brother, Jake goes off on worldwide school trips, seems to go to an ‘better’ school.
We can assume Jesse had a comfortable family life as a child that seemed rooted in ABQ, before he went off the rails.
Paul and Pinkman: Teens
Aaron Paul – by his teens Aaron knew exactly what he wanted to do, he had his dream to act and has said at one point was working 4 jobs to save up for his future. He graduated high school a year early, in pursuit of his goal.
Aaron has even said before he arrived in LA he never drank or smoked, or did any of the usual teenage exploits whilst in Idaho growing up – so focused on getting to LA. He arrived in LA aged 17, and pictorial evidence shows he eventually found the party scene at some point in his late teens!
Jesse Pinkman – by contrast, the teens was very different for Jesse Pinkman. This was the time in which he started smoking, doing drugs, and got kicked out of his family home. Jesse also watched his aunt suffer then die from cancer.
Whilst he did graduate from high school, it’s implied it was by the skin of his teeth and any prospects he had were quickly forgotten, as he fell in with the wrong crowds. He claims he did go to collage or did some business courses, but it’s not clear if this was just something he claimed to look smart, or actually did the full course.
Paul and Pinkman: Twenties
Aaron Paul – for most of his early twenties Aaron was a struggling actor, learning his craft and picking up guest TV roles and some movies.
Aaron Paul was often pictured in an array of amazing 2000’s fashions, and seemed to enjoy the party lifestyle in his twenties but it’s clear from his career that he was completely focused on his life goal of making his name as an actor.
He got his break mid-20’s as a recuring guest star on ‘Big Love’, and then his hard work finally paid off just at a time when he landed a starring role in ‘Breaking Bad’. Playing a character that earned his numerous awards and accolades, and cemented a that career in Hollywood he always wanted.
Jesse Pinkman – his troubled teens continued into his twenties and there’s no evidence that Jesse ever really had any luck, or even ambition beyond making some mad stacks and chasing MILFs. Sports science and comic art were possibilities he considered, but never actively pursued.
He had run ins with the law, and certainly hung around people who needed ‘criminal lawyers’ to keep them out of prison, whilst other people he knew were already inside. Jesse seemed to evade any actual arrests himself, but he was building a reputation under his moniker ‘Cap’n Cook’ in the darker corners of ABQ.
Meeting his old chemistry teacher completely changed his life but by his mid-late twenties Jesse Pinkman had completely disappeared, but not before finding himself wanted by the DEA.
Where Are They Now?
Aaron Paul – about to turn 45**, and now happily married for over 10 years, with two children. Realising his childhood dream he now boasts a great many acting credits with more to come!
Winning 3 Emmys for ‘Breaking Bad’, and now also owning two businesses, life seems pretty good for a kid who dreamed big.
Jesse Pinkman – if he’s still alive, Jesse is about to turn 40 years old**. He’s not been seen or heard off since 2010.
Very little is known about the circumstances beyond his association with ‘Heisenberg’. The biggest question mark is the fact it’s still not clear if he’s a criminal or a victim.
Conclusion
So when it comes to Paul and Pinkman, there was never really any doubt that they really are two very different faces of the same coin. It’s also fair to say that whilst many will claim Aaron Paul will always be Jesse Pinkman to them, the two couldn’t be more different from the other.
The real conclusion we should take from this is we will always be eternally grateful that Aaron Paul ‘found’ Jesse Pinkman, and brought him to life, and it was Pinkman’s struggle that gave Paul his dream come true moment – that’s kind of poetic right? (purely an accident… this wasn’t supposed to get that deep lol!)
To read more about Jesse Pinkman, visit his zone!
** Correct at time of article being written – August 2024.
