Aaron Paul reveals Netflix pays him ZERO in residuals from his award-winning Breaking Bad role – as he joins the rally against streaming giants
- The actor, 44, played Jesse Pinkman in the hit series alongside Bryan Cranston
- Aaron Paul says its ‘insane’ that he doesn’t get residual pay from Netflix
- He picketed outside Sony Pictures in California alongside his former co-stars
- READ MORE: Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul cast reunite on the picket line
Aaron Paul has made the shocking revelation that he hasn’t earned a single dollar in residuals from his role in Breaking Bad – despite the show’s ongoing success.
The actor, 44, who played Jesse Pinkman, the student turned drug-making business partner of Bryan Cranston’s Walter White, disclosed the damning news while picketing outside Sony Pictures in California alongside his former co-stars amid the ongoing Hollywood strike.
‘I don’t get a piece from Netflix on Breaking Bad to be totally honest and that’s insane to me,’ Paul said.
‘Shows live forever on these streamers and it goes through waves. I saw just the other day that Breaking Bad was trending on Netflix…’
Aaron Paul joined the picket line outside Sony Pictures studios in California on August 29
The 44-year-old actor played Jesse Pinkman alongside Bryan Cranston’s Walter White in the hit show
Paul continued to ET Canada: ‘It’s such common sense and I think a lot of these streamers, they know they’ve been getting away with not paying people fair wage and now it’s time to pony up.’
The Jesse Pinkman star marched in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA, which has been on strike since July 14 in solidarity with the Writers’ Guild, which has been striking since May.
Together, the unions are fighting for necessary action over residual pay and the increasing use of AI in production.
Breaking Bad debuted in January 2008 and was the second original series ever to debut on AMC, behind the critically acclaimed Mad Men.
The hit drama, which ran for five seasons, followed Walter White as a 50-year-old science teacher who gets sucked into the world of drugs.
According to reports, Paul made an eye-watering $150,000 per episode while his co-star and lead protagonist Cranston took home $225,000.
The success of Breaking Bad spawned the creation of the equally beloved spin-off Better Call Saul, starring Bob Odenkirk as the shady lawyer Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman.
Better Call Saul aired for another six seasons on AMC, between 2015 and 2022, which showed how a mild-mannered lawyer named Jimmy McGill transformed into an outlaw and friend of the cartel.
Paul revealed that he hasn’t earned a single dollar in residuals from his role in Breaking Bad
The star, pictured with Bryan Cranston, reckons that now it’s time to ‘pony up’ against the streaming giants
Paul picked up the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at the 2014 awards for his role as Jesse
Breaking Bad won 16 Emmy Awards including back-to-back Outstanding Drama Series wins for its final two seasons in 2013 and 2014.
Paul himself picked up the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at the 2014 awards, beating the likes of Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage, Downton Abbey’s Jim Carter, and Ray Donovan’s Jon Voight.
Paul’s fans have been left aghast over his bombshell, with many disgraced over the injustice.
‘Breaking Bad is an EXCELLENT show, the actors deserve every dime they worked for,’ wrote one on Twitter, while another posted: ‘This is so unacceptable. How is it even possible?’
Paul isn’t the only star to have called out Netflix in recent weeks over its lack of paying actors residuals.
In July, Orange Is the New Black’s Diane Guerrero revealed she made so little money while starring in the hit Netflix series that she was forced to continue working at a bar to make ends meet.
The 36-year-old actress, who played Maritza Ramos, said the money she was earning from the show didn’t give her the financial freedom to give up her night gig.
Meanwhile, Kimiko Glenn, who played inmate Brook Soso, shared a foreign-royalty statement containing a measly $27.30.
Orange Is the New Black actress Diane Guerrero revealed she made so little money while starring in the hit series that she was forced to continue working at a bar to make ends meet
Kimiko (seen in a 2014 episode) took to social media to reveal how little she made in royalties
After the streamer posted a clip of her in an episode about a man with a bazooka shell stuck in his chest, she reposted it and wrote, ‘Also me when @netflix Doesn’t pay actors residuals’
Ellen Pompeo recently blasted the streamer after it posted a meme featuring her Grey’s Anatomy character referencing a season two episode.
‘Me when there’s a [bomb emoji] in the chest cavity,’ Netflix wrote at the time, alluding to the over-the-top storyline of the episode.
‘Also me when @netflix Doesn’t pay actors residuals,’ she wrote atop the image in her own post, which was shared to her Instagram Stories.
‘Holla let’s talk,’ she added.
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