Charles Baker as Skinny Pete in Breaking Bad
I had the pleasure of speaking with Charles Baker, the actor who brilliantly portrays Skinny Pete in Breaking Bad, about his experiences on the show and the highly anticipated final episodes. Charles’s passion for his role as Skinny Pete and his journey in bringing this character to life was evident throughout our conversation. The question on everyone’s mind: how will Breaking Bad conclude? Like many fans, I hope the writers leave room for possibilities and avoid eliminating beloved characters in the style of Gus Fring’s explosive exit. That scene remains iconic, a benchmark for dramatic television deaths. My conversation with Charles was genuinely enjoyable, and I encourage you to watch for him in NBC’s The Blacklist, the film Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, and To the Wonder. And most importantly, don’t miss the final episodes of Breaking Bad, airing Sunday nights at 9/8c on AMC.
Lena: Were you at Comic-Con when Bryan Cranston famously walked around in a Walter White mask?
Charles Baker: Unfortunately, no, I missed out on Comic-Con. But I definitely heard all about it.
Lena: The Walter White mask was incredible. [It’s worth checking out Landon Meier’s work; his masks are unbelievably detailed and lifelike.]
Charles Baker: The artistry is truly amazing. I was stunned by how realistic that mask looked.
Lena: It was fantastic that Bryan could walk around the convention floor completely unrecognized.
Charles Baker: It reminded me of something I did on Halloween a few years back, early in the Breaking Bad days. I dressed up as Skinny Pete and took my daughter trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. It worked the same way – nobody even suspected it was me playing Skinny Pete. They just saw me as some random, slightly intimidating guy taking his kid out for Halloween. It was actually a little strange.
Lena: That’s hilarious! No one even came close to guessing who you were?
Charles Baker: I don’t think anyone even considered I was trying to be Skinny Pete. Maybe it’s a little depressing, actually! [Laughing]
Lena: [Laughing] Not at all! You’re one of the most memorable characters on the show. Skinny Pete is a fan favorite!
Charles Baker: Oh, thank you so much.
Lena: Throughout Breaking Bad, we’ve seen different facets of Skinny Pete. We’ve seen him attempt to get clean, only to relapse. In season three, Skinny Pete, along with Jesse (Aaron Paul) and Badger (Matt Jones), attended Narcotics Anonymous meetings to sell meth to recovering addicts. Can you talk about filming those controversial scenes?
Charles Baker: That was definitely some risky territory for the show to explore. Interestingly, I’ve heard from people in actual NA and AA groups that this kind of thing, unfortunately, is a real problem. Apparently, groups sometimes have to address the issue of people trying to sell to those in recovery. When those scenes first aired, some people I knew in recovery programs were initially upset about the portrayal. A few called me, and I told them, “First of all, it’s a TV show, and second, just keep watching because the storyline might surprise you.” Luckily, in the show, Skinny Pete and the guys weren’t very successful selling drugs at the meetings, and it actually had the opposite effect. Skinny Pete ended up taking step five in the program! [Laughing] After that, many of those same friends came back and said they thought it was awesome. One friend told me he was watching the show with his recovery group, and when Skinny Pete mentioned step five, everyone cheered, “Yeah, see, it works!” I thought that was a really cool reaction.
Lena: The last time we saw Skinny Pete, he was buying equipment with Badger for Jesse and Walter’s new meth lab operation, using a fumigation tent. The writers of Breaking Bad are truly geniuses. Will you ever look at a fumigation tent the same way again?
Charles Baker: Never! [Laughing] I see them around where I live occasionally, and my wife and I always joke about it, “Hey honey, looks like someone’s cooking up some meth!” [Laughing] I feel a bit bad because now I’m automatically suspicious of every house being fumigated, thanks to the show.
Lena: Looking back at all the seasons of Breaking Bad, what moment or storyline has shocked you the most or really made you think?
Charles Baker: The “Fly” episode definitely sparked a lot of debate. Some people considered it a masterpiece, while others found it incredibly boring. I personally loved it and thought it was brilliant. It was so layered and symbolic, requiring a deeper understanding. It really opened my eyes to what television could achieve if done right. It was a challenging episode, so dynamic and nuanced. They used the fly as a metaphor for everything else going on in Walt’s head. It’s hard to even put into words. The fact they could convey such a complex story and idea within a single episode was just fantastic.
Lena: As Breaking Bad approaches its finale, what have been some of the highlights for you personally?
Charles Baker: Just being part of Breaking Bad has been a highlight in itself. In the second episode I did, when Skinny Pete returned, I was no longer just a background character. I had a scene with Bryan Cranston, just the two of us in a room. Getting to know Aaron Paul has also been incredible. I didn’t know him well when the show started, and it’s been amazing to watch him grow and become the phenomenal actor he is today. He was undoubtedly talented from the beginning, but he’s really blossomed. I’m a huge fan of pretty much everyone in the cast. [Laughing] It’s funny how they managed to bring in so many of my favorite actors: Bob Odenkirk, Raymond Cruz, Giancarlo Esposito – who is, in my opinion, an actor’s actor. Just working alongside these people, meeting them, talking with them, and gaining any insight from them is beyond words. It’s hard to express how much it means.
Lena: The way they killed off Gus (Giancarlo Esposito) was insane! So incredibly well done.
Charles Baker: Yeah, if you’re going to go out, especially on Breaking Bad, you’ve got to go out with a bang. And Gus definitely went out with a bang. [Laughing]
Lena: Skinny Pete has a knack for reappearing each season. Will we see more of Skinny Pete and Badger in these final episodes of Breaking Bad?
Charles Baker: I really can’t say, mostly because I’m not allowed to! We filmed some scenes out of order, and some of it was pretty cryptic to me. Honestly, I’m such a big fan of Breaking Bad myself that I want to experience the ending as a viewer, as it unfolds. I didn’t want it spoiled for me, so I intentionally didn’t ask too many questions about what was happening. They were being incredibly secretive about the ending, and even among the crew, there were all sorts of jokes and theories about how it would all conclude. I never even found out the real ending until I saw it air.
Lena: Well, I hope we get to see you in more than just one episode. [Laughing]
Charles Baker: Me too! [Laughing]
Lena: Are we going to see more of Skinny Pete’s musical talent in these final episodes?
Charles Baker: I wouldn’t expect it. I think that piano scene was a special one-off, more of a treat. As much as I might have wanted to explore that further, there’s just too much story to wrap up in these final episodes. With only eight episodes left, they have to focus on the main narrative and skip the musical interludes.
Lena: Most people were surprised to learn that you’re actually a trained musician.
Charles Baker: It was fun, and the internet really reacted strongly after that episode because of the piano scene. I was thrilled and flattered by the response because I’ve played piano much longer than I’ve been acting. I’d never really performed publicly for an audience before, so that Breaking Bad scene was the first and largest audience I’ve ever played for. It was cool to suddenly be recognized as a pianist, and not just “that skinny dude who got lucky and played a drug addict.”
Lena: Can you share any funny behind-the-scenes moments from the set of Breaking Bad?
Charles Baker: I was so in awe of being there and so focused on doing a good job that I mostly kept it pretty serious. But anytime you got to spend time with Bryan Cranston and Bob Odenkirk, it was always a laugh riot. Dean Norris is also a very funny guy off-camera. He’s funny on-screen too, but off-camera he says a lot of things you definitely couldn’t say on camera! He’s a lot of fun to be around. [Laughing] One of my favorite moments was meeting Jonathan Banks. His way of introducing himself to me was in the makeup trailer. He was sitting next to me, looked over, and said, “Charlie, if you screw this up, I’m going to punch you in the heart.” I took that as a warm welcome from Jonathan Banks. He’s another one of my heroes. That was a really memorable moment for me.
Lena: Breaking Bad left off with a cliffhanger, essentially the most productive toilet reading session ever. I can’t wait to see how they are going to conclude the series.
Charles Baker: I’m also incredibly curious to see how it all ends.
Lena: How do you feel the series has progressed overall?
Charles Baker: Beautifully, really. It’s been amazing to see how they took this character, Walt, who was initially quite likeable, and transformed him into a truly terrible human being. And yet, the audience is still rooting for him, almost like he’s a hero. I don’t think that’s ever really been done quite like that before. Witnessing that character arc unfold throughout the show has been fascinating. It’s a compelling study of character and character development. The audience has been able to justify his actions and sympathize with his motivations, even as he descends further. Not many viewers have truly given up on him and said, “He’s gone too far, I’m done.” People are still hoping he somehow makes it and are still pulling for him and sympathizing with him. I think that’s a really remarkable achievement of the show.
Lena: You have several exciting projects coming up. You’re also going to be in NBC’s new show, The Blacklist.
Charles Baker: Yes, and To the Wonder [starring Ben Affleck, Rachael McAdams, Javier Bardem, and Olga Kurylenko] has just been released on DVD. I have a smaller role in it, but it’s a pivotal one. Ain’t Them Bodies Saints [with Rooney Mara, Ben Foster, and Casey Affleck] is getting a theatrical release on August 16th. And The Blacklist, starring James Spader, premieres on NBC on September 23rd. That’s going to be a fantastic show. James Spader is, of course, magnificent, and the rest of the cast is equally strong. Just working alongside them is incredible. In The Blacklist, I play his driver and confidant.
Lena: So, it’s more than just a guest appearance?
Charles Baker: I’m not entirely sure how long I’ll be in that role. Hopefully, they’ll bring me back for a lot of episodes. Right now, I’m in the pilot episode. My character is intended to be somewhat of a recurring presence, but it’s still to be determined. I took on the role with the understanding that it could become recurring. We haven’t discussed it further yet, so we’ll see what happens.
Related Posts:
## ‘The Night Manager’ preview
## ‘Better Call Saul’ previews
[
