Did Bryan Cranston Really Eat The Food On Breaking Bad?

You may not think of food when mentally conjuring up old scenes of "Breaking Bad." Actors probably don't either, especially since they tend not to eat on set, according to Bryan Cranston in an interview on CONAN. While many on-screen professionals opt to use a spit bucket between takes, Cranston rarely shies away from delving into the food presented in the scene. "I always eat the food that's on a set, even when I'm not supposed to, Cranston said during the interview. "That's always been a pet peeve of mine to see a scene at Thanksgiving dinner or something and people are kind of pushing around the food and no one's really eating."

Cranston's reasoning is simple — actually swallowing your food looks more authentic. "Breaking Bad' ended up as one of the most detail-driven, authentically written programs ever, partially thanks to its seemingly mundane food representations (via The New Yorker). Food plays a major role in the series and the show uses breakfast as a key thread that ties the plot together.

In the very first scene of "Breaking Bad," breakfast helps establish the scene. Bryan Cranston's character, Walter White, celebrates his 50th birthday and his wife makes him a plate of scrambled eggs and spells out his age in veggie bacon, painting a picture of marital bliss, per YouTube. Bacon and eggs show up again on White's 51st birthday. White's wife has laundered meth money for a year and countless folks have disappeared due to White's alter-ego's actions. In this YouTube scene, viewers see White's wife practically throw the plate down and furiously rip the bacon into a messy 51. While you don't actually see Cranston eating his birthday breakfast, you can hear him chomping as the camera pans away and the scene ends.

In the final season, viewers see White at Denny's, staring into yet another plate of bacon and eggs while forlornly arranging the strips into his current age (via YouTube). Cranston's character leaves his plate before taking a bite, taking the breakfast thread to a clear ending. Food's major role ties "Breaking Bad" together and Cranston never avoids chowing down when a scene calls for it.