The Breaking Bad GQ+A: Production Designer Mark Freeborn Details the Transformation of Walter White's House

Table Of Content

• Alternative theory concerning death
• Real-life Stranger Things houses & how much they’re worth
• The Albuquerque house featured in the series
• Vivek Ramaswamy’s Ohio House: A Tour of the Biotech Billionaire’s House
• Walter White Address: An Inside Look at Breaking Bad’s Iconic Home
• We are the ones who knock — on Walter White’s fictional door in Breaking Bad
• Exploring Walter White’s Iconic Albuquerque House
• Breaking Bad: The Complete Series Blu-ray Barrel Box Set

Besides just in the crawlspace beneath the water heater, the drug kingpin hides his money in the baby’s room, behind insulation in the garage, in space saver bags in the master bedroom, and in a vacuum cleaner. While replacing the water heater, Walt discovers hidden rot beneath his home. This is obviously a metaphor for the true character lying beneath Walt’s good-guy, high school chemistry teacher persona. You could argue that Walter White became a power-obsessed drug dealer because he needed money. Thanks in part to being cut out of the multi-billion dollar company he helped create, Walt suffered from a chronic inferiority complex.

Alternative theory concerning death

The exterior of Walt’s house is an actual rented home in Albuquerque, separate from the stage set of the interior. In trying to make the house look desolate, the crew had to make sure not to harm the actual property—particularly the pool, which was pristine. "The most questionable thing we did was we had to drain the pool, age it, and then allow a bunch of skateboarders to have their way with it," says Freeborn with a chuckle.

Real-life Stranger Things houses & how much they’re worth

Hank, who had been searching for Jesse, spots his car at the house and kills Tuco in a gunfight. He explains his disappearance by claiming that he had gone into a fugue state as a result of his cancer medication and simply wandered off. Ordering Todd to bring Jesse in order to show Walt exactly what has become of him, Walt picks up his car keys while they wait. As a broken and defeated Jesse is brought in, Jack asks Walt if he looks like a partner to him. Mockingly calling Jesse "50/50 partner" and "buddy," Walt sorrowfully notices the sorry state Jesse is now in, concluding that he did not willingly start cooking meth for Jack. Walt tackles Jesse to the ground, and uses himself as a human shield just as the M60 activates.

The Albuquerque house featured in the series

It includes the central Executive Residence flanked by the East Wing and West Wing. In 1814, during the War of 1812, the mansion was set on fire by the British Army in the Burning of Washington. Some of the soldiers who burned it were former slaves who had run away to fight with the British.

Joanne Quintana tells KOB-TV that she loses count of the number of weekly visitors to the house that her mother owns. She said the tourists have caused disruptions that have made them fearful to leave the property unattended. The owners are installing a 6-foot (2 meter) wrought iron fence on the front of the house used in the series, starring Bryan Cranston. The move comes after the owners have complained of countless fans wanting snapshots and selfies of the house.

Walter White Address: An Inside Look at Breaking Bad’s Iconic Home

Walter and Jesse secure Krazy-8 to a structural post in Jesse's basement with a U-lock around his neck, and Walter struggles with the decision on whether to kill him. After Krazy-8 promises not to retaliate, Walter starts to unlock the lock to let Krazy-8 go but sees him reach for a broken piece of plate to stab Walter with as soon as he is freed. The experience shakes Walter, and he tells Jesse he will not cook meth anymore. As Walt delves deeper into the criminal underworld he increasingly sees people as expendable pawns, who he either manipulates to further his interests or eliminates. Nothing can stand in the way of his growing empire, and being in the position of power numbs his empathy for other human beings.

We are the ones who knock — on Walter White’s fictional door in Breaking Bad

Furthermore, Walt has an alpha-male brother-in-law, Hank, who has a flashy job as a DEA agent and is infinitely more impressive to Walt Jr. than his own father. Following Walt's death and Jesse's escape from the compound, Jesse, Skinny Pete and Badger see and hear several news reports about the aftermath of the massacre. In one report, Walt's poisoning of Lydia is mentioned, with her now hospitalized, under questioning for her ties with Walt, and not being expected to survive, becoming Walt's final murder victim. The same report mentions that Walt was found dead by the police in aftermath of the gang massacre which claimed the lives of nine people (all eight members of Jack's gang and Walt himself). In the news reports, Walter White's Drug Empire is called the largest meth manufacturing operation in US history. After endless amounts of tourists have stopped by the house over the years, the homeowners were forced to construct a fence around the property to keep unwanted trespassers at bay.

"Probably 70% of the people on the crew don’t have the privilege of reading a new script in advance. So they had no idea," Freeborn recalls. Eventually, he’s forced to tell Skyler he’s really a drug dealer involved with dangerous criminals. She kicks him out of the house even though Walt remains in denial that his family is falling apart. One of the most memorable is the episode from Season Three in which Walt – upset that his wife Skyler wouldn’t let him dine with the family – tossed a pizza onto the roof. “Breaking Bad” told the story of Albuquerque high-school chemistry teacher Walter White – played by Bryan Cranston – who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. To secure his family’s financial future before he died, White partnered with a former student – Jesse Pinkman – to build a crystal-methamphetamine empire.

Skyler notes how terrible Walt looks, which he does not deny but assures her that he feels good. Questioning why he came back, Walt tells Skyler that it is over and that he needs a proper goodbye in contrast to their last phone call. Asking if he is going to turn himself in, Walt assures her that the police would indeed be coming for him. Not reassured, Skyler asks if the people who broke into their house would come after them if he is in custody. Walt adamantly tells his wife that after that night, they would not be coming back, which prompts even more questioning from Skyler, who inquires what would happen. Walt hands Skyler a lottery ticket with the GPS coordinates to where Hank and Steven's bodies are located and reveals that the men who took their money from there are the same men who murdered them.

'Walter White' running for House of Reps seat - WQOW TV News 18

'Walter White' running for House of Reps seat.

Posted: Sat, 15 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

To avoid the tedious collection of pseudoephedrine required for production, he devised an alternative chemical process utilizing methylamine, giving his product a distinctive blue color. The product, known by the street name "Blue Sky," came to dominate the local drug market, leading to confrontations with rival drug dealers. Although Walt and Jesse began as amateur small-time meth cooks, manufacturing the drug out of an RV in the deserts of New Mexico, they soon climbed up the criminal hierarchy. Because of his drug-related activities, Walt eventually found himself at odds with law enforcement (namely his unwitting brother-in-law, DEA agent Hank Schrader), Gustavo Fring and the Cartel, putting him and his family's lives at risk. Walter White, portrayed by Bryan Cranston, was a high school chemistry teacher who turned to a life of crime to secure his family’s financial future after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.

The filming location is actually the Tohajiilee Indian Reservation and it can be found just west of Albuquerque. The show was both set and filmed in none other than Albuquerque New Mexico. There were a number of Breaking Bad locations shown throughout the series that are actual places in town. Even in the years since the show has come to an end, tourists come from all over the globe to experience Walter White’s world firsthand. So while driving up to the house for a close-up look at where Walter White lived with his family might be out of the question, we’re here to fill in the blanks and give you the deets on the now-famous TV home. The show’s popularity is also boosted by its successful spin-off Better Call Saul, which revolves around Walter and Jesse’s ‘criminal’ lawyer Saul Goodman.

"Looking at the kitchen, we’re presuming the place has been vandalized and elements have been removed," says Freeborn. "Vandals tend to grab a piece of copper wire out of an outlet box in the wall and just pull it," he explains. "And what happens is, it rips the drywall like it’s been cut with a knife or cut with a bad saw, and leaves these incredible scars. But we didn’t have the time to do any of that." Today, Breaking Bad fans visit the real-life location and throw pizzas at the house, even though showrunner Vince Gilligan urged them to knock it off. That business, known as A-1 Car Wash (“Have an A-1 day!” was a frequent line in the show) is a five-minute drive from the White residence. It’s now called Mister Car Wash, part of a Tucson-based chain that owns more than 300 car washes in 21 states.

Cranston won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, three of them being consecutive. He is the first man to win a Critics' Choice, Golden Globe, Primetime Emmy, and Screen Actors Guild Award for his performance. After Saul's undercover life as Gene was exposed by Jeff's mother Marion and he was caught by police, he is extradited back to Albuquerque and held at the Metropolitan Detention Center. As he is being led through a corridor, he sees Marie Schrader in an adjoining room.

Impressed by the boldness of "Heisenberg", Tuco reluctantly agrees to pay for his meth upon delivery in the future. After their first cook in the RV, Jesse brings a sample of the extremely pure meth to distributor Domingo "Krazy-8" Molina (Max Arciniega) and then brings Krazy-8 and the now-released Emilio to see the cook site. Emilio recognizes Walter as accompanying the DEA during the bust and believes he is an informant. Krazy-8 forces Walter to show them how he cooked such pure meth or risk being killed. Walter pretends to start a cook but instead produces toxic phosphine gas which kills Emilio and incapacitates Krazy-8.

You must be living under a rock if you don't know about the simple chemistry teacher turned blue crystal meth producing kingpin. If you do remember him there is not even the slightest chance that you missed the humble little abode of Walter White in Northeast Heights, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Through the course of the series, this house bore witness to a host of pivotal moments that would tear any ordinary family apart. Both the character and Cranston's performance have received critical acclaim, with Walter frequently being mentioned as one of the greatest and most iconic television characters of all time.

At this point, the house is a piece of TV history and you should be able to enjoy viewing the house as long as you do so respectfully. Since you are in a private neighborhood, the key would be to make your visit as quick and non-intrusive as possible. Some travelers may wonder if it is “wrong” to visit the Walter White house. My suggestion is then to leave as soon as you get your photos because there’s a good chance that she gets notifications whenever someone is detected across the street.