Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul said it was a “dream come true” to film a sequel to the revered crime series.
The US actor starred as Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad’s original five seasons, playing the former student-turned-partner-in-crime to Bryan Cranston’s drug lord Walter White.
The series, which aired its final episode in 2013, is regularly listed as one of the greatest TV shows ever and August’s announcement of a sequel in the form of a standalone film was met with delight by fans.
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie will focus on Jesse, and Paul said he had “missed” the character that made him a worldwide star.
Speaking at the film’s premiere in Los Angeles, he told the PA news agency: “(It was a) dream come true. I thought I’d said goodbye to this guy so long ago, I thought I’d said goodbye to so many of those crew members, at least as a business relationship.
“It was so nice to revisit with them and reconnect with them and also zip on this skin once again.
“I’ve missed this guy. It was nice to be with him again.”
Breaking Bad, a neo-western crime drama set in the deserts of Albuquerque, New Mexico, told the story of Cranston’s chemistry teacher Walter White, who, after a cancer diagnosis, starts selling crystal meth to secure his family’s future.
However, he is soon sucked deeper and deeper into a life of crime.
Paul’s intense portrayal of delinquent student Jesse earned him widespread critical acclaim, including three Emmy Awards.
However, he said had no problems moving on from the character.
“He’s been gone for some time,” he said.
“While we were shooting the show he was very much with me, he would visit me in my dreams. I would dream as him, which was very odd. But once I’d said goodbye to him, he was gone.”
El Camino is one of Netflix’s biggest releases of the year and its premiere in Los Angeles was a huge event as the streaming giant prepares to battle for supremacy with Disney and Apple, who will release their rival services later this year.
Despite the fevered interest around the film, Paul said he had no trouble keeping tight-lipped over the plot, only telling his wife, parents and close friends what he was working on.
“It was so easy for me,” he said. “I love surprising people, I love lying to people. People ask me what I’m doing, I’m like ‘I’m just doing this small little passion project’.”
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, will arrive on Netflix on October 11.
