What Happened To Breaking Bad’s Skyler White Actress Anna Gunn?

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Without a doubt, ‘Breaking Bad’ should not just be included in any esteemed list of great TV shows; it should rank among the very best. This captivating series revolves around Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher who appeared to be ordinary but faced a life-threatening cancer diagnosis and realized he wouldn’t be able to afford essential treatments. In a chain of extraordinary events, he transformed into a drug producer and distributor with the assistance of his ex-student, Jesse Pinkman.

On the popular show, a significant point of contention was how Walter’s additional business endeavor impacted his marriage with Skyler (played by Anna Gunn). As this side gig escalated into a full-time occupation, Skyler found herself unwillingly drawn in. The cast, including Anna Gunn, received praise for their performances, and she even won two Primetime Emmy awards, along with numerous other recognitions. Although “Breaking Bad” was the platform that granted Gunn her largest audience to date, it wasn’t her first major role. That title goes to her portrayal of a character based on real-life American pioneer Martha Bullock during her two seasons in the main cast of the HBO western drama series “Deadwood.

After the conclusion of Skyler’s character arc in “Breaking Bad,” Bryan Cranston (the actor) hasn’t stayed away from television or cinema. Instead, he has consistently been present on both platforms, and despite the enduring popularity of “Breaking Bad” as his most recognized work, he remains active and relevant in current productions.

The initial fan hatred against Skyler has been rebutted in recent years

In the series “Breaking Bad”, Skyler White found herself in a series of challenging situations. Initially, she had to grapple with her husband’s cancer diagnosis, and later, she was forced to confront the reality that he was not just a drug dealer, but a ruthless, dominant, and highly-threatened drug lord. Despite appearing as a sympathetic character initially, Skyler became one of the most despised characters on “Breaking Bad” and across television in general.

In 2022, Vince Gilligan, the creator of “Breaking Bad”, expressed his thoughts on why viewers developed negative feelings towards Skyler. He admitted that he now sees how the show was biased, as it primarily told the story from Walter’s perspective, making viewers resent Skyler to the same degree as Walter had grown to. Furthermore, Gilligan and Gunn felt disturbed by the way fans responded to Skyler, particularly because many fans expressed harshness towards Anna Gunn, the actress who portrayed her, without distinguishing between the performer and the character.

During a Q&A session, Anna Gunn powerfully defended her character Skyler against a critical fan comment by highlighting the numerous challenges Skyler faced and describing Walt as a progressively terrible husband and father. This well-articulated defense from Gunn was met with applause from the audience, and it now symbolizes a shift in perspectives regarding Skyler’s portrayal. In recent times, there has been an increasing number of opinion pieces criticizing the previous backlash against Skyler, addressing the deep-rooted misogyny and the misplaced admiration for morally questionable but financially successful characters that is prevalent among some TV and movie enthusiasts.

Anna Gunn continues to be a prolific film and TV actor

It’s been pointed out that following “Breaking Bad”, Anna Gunn’s career seems to have taken a different trajectory. While it’s true she hasn’t landed another role as groundbreaking or critically acclaimed as Skyler, it’s important to note that not many shows achieve the level of success “Breaking Bad” did. Once people started looking at Gunn’s work outside of Skyler and her career wasn’t constantly compared to “Breaking Bad”, it has become clear that she’s still thriving in the acting world, consistently taking on high-quality film and television projects.

2019 was an exciting year for me as I got the chance to step back into one of my most iconic small-screen roles, portraying Martha Bullock once more in HBO’s “Deadwood: The Movie.” This project has a whopping 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it my highest-rated project to date – the series “Breaking Bad” holds an impressive 96%, but just misses the mark. I’m also thrilled to be part of the Apple TV+ noir series “Sugar,” which premiered in 2024, and have been fortunate enough to reprise my role there as well.

Primarily, Gunn has been associated with smaller independent films on the large screen. However, she made a significant impact in the 2016 film “Sully,” directed by Clint Eastwood. This biopic was both critically acclaimed and commercially successful.

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2025-05-26 17:30