30 things you probably didn't know about 'Breaking Bad'

It seems like yesterday, but it was on September 29, 2013, that the audience said goodbye to Walter White from 'Breaking Bad.' After all these years, the show is still talked about and streamed. Many discover the show at a later date, and new tidbits of information about it continue to surprise us. Let's have a look!

Picture: AMC

Vince Gilligan, the creator of the show, paid a lot of attention to details. For example, in the intro, we can read the chemical formula for methamphetamine, C10H15N, and the number 149.24, which is its molecular weight.

Picture: AMC

Of course, while filming, there was no real meth… The blue substance that appears in the show is rock candy. Once it was used, it could be added to coffee. (If you dared!)

Picture: AMC

It seems logical to think that Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston didn't have any chemistry knowledge, and they didn't, but Bogdan Wolynetz, the owner of the Albuquerque carwash, did. It was the first acting experience for Marius Stan who had a Ph.D. in Science.

Picture: AMC

Vince Gilligan was a fan of the actor ever since they met professionally in 'The X Files.' They had worked together… in just one episode! Gilligan had to fight with AMC, because the station didn't want Cranston for the role after he had appeared in the sitcom 'Malcolm in the Middle,'

Vince Gilligan was determined to have Bryan Cranston as Walter White, but AMC had other plans. They offered the role to John Cusack and Matthew Broderick. Luckily, both rejected it.

Jesse Pinkman was supposed to die in episode 1x09, but the screenwriters' strike in 2007 put a hold on filming and left the series with only 7 episodes. In that period, everyone was able to see the real potential of the character.

Picture: AMC

Remember the iconic scene in which Walter throws a pizza and it lands on the roof? It was done in just one take. Cranston nailed it on his first try. Many fans are still going to that house to throw a pizza on the roof.

Picture: AMC

Each episode of 'Breaking Bad' meant a cost of 3 million dollars to AMC —a lot considering the time the show was filmed— but it certainly was well-invested money.

Picture: AMC

Seeing how naturally the characters talk and move, one may think that some of those natural expressions could be improvised. But nothing was farther from the truth. Everything was written in the script: not even 1% of the show was improvised.

Picture: AMC

The scene where Gus Fringe cold-bloodedly slates one of his assistants' throat with a cutter, covering everything with blood, had to be repeated 26 times. It was difficult but fundamental for the show's plot. It had to be perfect, and it was.

Picture: AMC

Julia Minesci, who played an escort in the show, was one of the most believable characters. So much so, that one time in her free time, a viewer approached her believing she was a real escort and asking for her services.

Picture: @jminesci / Instagram

Bryan Cranston's deep voice is key to his character. In fact, under the name Lee Stone, he was an acclaimed anime dubber in series like 'Royal Space Force,' 'Armitage III,' and 'Macross Plus'.

Picture: AMC

It's difficult to imagine Heisenberg without his iconic black hat. However, originally, it wasn't going to be part of the character's costume. Bryan Cranston wore the hat between takes to avoid burning his shaved head, and that's when Vince Gilligan saw it and decided to introduce it in the scenes.

Picture: AMC

Because of copyright and image use, there couldn't be any real branded toys in the show. So, what did they do? The team created their own stuffed animal which became a TV icon.

Picture: AMC / Instagram

Dean Norris asked Vince Gilligan to kill Hank, his character, at the beginning of the last season. Why? He had already signed to play Big Jim in the show 'Under the Dome'. Luckily, the shooting of that series was delayed, and Hank could have his finale in 'Breaking Bad.'

Samuel L. Jackson was such a fan of the show that he asked to be in it… Dressed as Nick Fury! He wanted to do a little cameo as a client of the restaurant 'Los Pollos Hermanos'. But the answer was 'no.'

'Breaking Bad' had 62 episodes and that is not a random number. 62 is the atomic number in the periodic table of Samarium —an isotope used to treat lung cancer. As we said, the show really paid attention to details.

Picture: AMC

Strikingly, the last episode of the show is not called Samarium, but FeLiNa: Fe (Iron), Li (Lithium), and Na (Sodium), which are elements present in the blood, in the production of meth, and in tears. So, basically, the name of the last episode can be translated as 'blood, meth, and tears.' Fascinating.

Picture: AMC

The house of Walter White is a tourist attraction in Albuquerque. At the peak of the series' success, Mrs. Padilla, the owner of the house, saw nearly 400 cars a day, slowly passing by her home, with people who wanted to take a picture of it.

Picture: AMC

Do you remember the coordinates where Walter White hid the money? They were +34º 59' 20.00'' -106º 36' 52.00. These coordinates led to… the parking of the Albuquerque Studios!

Picture: AMC

Walter White's first job was a TV commercial… for a Hemorrhoid cream! His career could only go up.

Although Skyler was the wise voice in Walter White's life, her character was one of the most hated in TV history. All credits go to Anna Gunn, who developed this wonderful character.

Picture: AMC

HBO rejected 'Breaking Bad' and would come to regret it. But they were not the only ones... Showtime, FX Network, and TNT also said 'no' to Walter White. Only AMC saw it clearly and accepted the project immediately.

Picture: AMC

The third season's villain was supposed to be Hector Salamanca (image), but when Vince Gilligan saw the potential and chemistry Gus Fringe had with Walter and Jesse, everything changed. He immediately became the greatest villain of the show.

Picture: AMC

Sharing a channel and resources with 'The Walking Dead' was a blessing for the series, especially when they had to tackle one of the most spectacular deaths of the show. Gus Fringe was completely 'mutilated' by the SFX team of the zombie show.

In a scene fight with Tuco Salamanca, actor Raymond Cruz, accidentally hit Aaron Paul for real, causing him to fall unconscious to the floor. In the end, everything was okay, but what a gasp!

Picture: AMC

Thousands of people have called Albuquerque services to ask for the restaurant 'Los Pollos Hermanos'. It doesn't exist. In fact, the place where the chicken chain was supposed to be is a Twister's restaurant.

Picture: AMC

In the first season, we could often see Walter White in his underwear. It was the actor himself who suggested that White should wear the kind of underwear to give him a more pathetic look. The idea was that the character would first hit rock bottom and then gradually rise.

Anthony Hopkins, a twice-Oscar-winning actor, was so impressed by the show and Bryan Cranston's role that he sent a handwritten letter to the actor to congratulate him for his wonderful performance during the five seasons. Is there a bigger honor than a congrats letter from Hannibal Lecter?

During the filming of the show, Anna Gunn suffered from a mysterious illness that was treated with cortisone. This treatment explained the weight changes that the actress went through over the different seasons. People speculated that it could be lupus, but that was never confirmed.