There is no shortage of dramatic moments in the hit AMC seriesBreaking Bad, but for many viewers, the fate of Jane in the second season especially stands out. Played byKrysten Ritter, Jane is someone who makes the mistake of getting involved with Walter White (Bryan Cranston) through her romance with his meth-cooking partner, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). Things seem to come to a head when Jane blackmails Walter, threatening to expose him if he doesn’t give Jesse his share of their cash and cut him loose.
Meanwhile, Jane struggles with heroin addiction and manages to get Jesse hooked as well. Walt heads to their home hoping to talk things out with his partner just to find the two of them passed out after shooting up. While trying to wake Jesse, Walt knocks Jane over onto her back, and she starts choking on her own vomit moments later. Initially, Walt rushes to help, but decides to instead stand back and let Jane die, feeling that this was the better option based on what she’d been threatening. While Walt shows great emotion and regret in the scene, it also marks the moment of no return for Walt, who would only devolve into a more despicable person from there.
Speaking with Michael Rosenbaum on theInside of Youpodcast, Ritter opened up on what it was like to be a part of such a powerful scene. She admits she had “no f***ing idea” that the scene would turn out so well when she was shooting it, but she can still remember watching for the very first time along with the reaction that it elicited from everyone in the room. As Ritter explains:
“Well, that was the big episode that I was in, and my character had a lot to do. The network started to talk about the performance and people were getting excited about it. So, we were invited to watch it in a room. My managers, my agent at the time was Brent Morley. I’ll never forget it. We watched it, and all of us were on our feet. Like, hands over mouths fing energy. We were shocked. We were just shocked and so moved by it. That was like the coolest fing thing ever. I was like, ‘Oh my god.'”
Ritter then notes how it’s most often difficult to enjoy her work as a fan watching it, but herBreaking Baddeath scene was different because it was just that powerful, and she just feels “lucky” to have been involved.
“First my agent stood at his feet. I just felt him stand up. And then kind of all of us. You know when you watch yourself, you have a different experience of it, because I’m like, ‘Oh, in this moment, what was actually happening was this.’ So, you’re watching it, but then you are able to just sit back and enjoy it too. I was just so proud to be in something cool, right? Doesn’t always happen… It’s magic. It’s crazy. I feel lucky to have been a part of something so amazing and so well done. They caught lightning in a bottle.”
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Krysten Ritter Is Proud of That Scene, But Still Has Trouble Watching Herself
Ritter and Rosenbaum discuss the enduring legacyBreaking Badhas. Ritter mentions she’s even thinking about watching through the series again after having this chat, though she also admits she may skip over her own scenes a bit, as she can’t help but be critical of herself as an actress.
“F*** yeah, I’ll watch it again. I might fast-forward my scenes a little bit. You know, because I’m like, ‘Oh, what am I doing? Idiot!’ [I was] young. But I love the show. I mean, I feel like I could probably start watching it again tomorrow.”
