A big part of the job of being a showrunner is, in my way of thinking, being a good communicator because there's really no other way to have hope for getting what you want, at the end of the day.
I never thought anyone would come up to me and say, 'I like 'Better Call Saul' better than 'Breaking Bad.'' If you had asked me before we started, 'Would that bother you if someone said that?' First of all, I would have said, 'That's never gonna happen. And yeah, it probably would bother me.' It doesn't bother me a bit. It tickles me. I love it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses surprise and delight over the appreciation for 'Better Call Saul' compared to 'Breaking Bad'. It highlights the unpredictable nature of creative work and audience reception.
In this quote, Vince Gilligan shares his initial disbelief that someone could prefer 'Better Call Saul' over the iconic 'Breaking Bad', which he created. However, he expresses a joyful acceptance of this reality, illustrating the unpredictable ways in which art can resonate with audiences, and celebrating the success of his work without jealousy. The sentiment reflects a deeper understanding of the creative process and the joy found in the unexpected affection for one’s creations.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a panel discussion on creative works, you might quote Vince Gilligan to illustrate how artists respond to audience feedback.
More from Vince Gilligan
All quotes →You don't make a movie by yourself; you certainly don't make a TV show by yourself. You invest people in their work. You make people feel comfortable in their jobs; you keep people talking.
A typical TV show is always about protecting the franchise - it's all about stretching it out as long as you can take it. And it's about taking the characters in any given hour as far as you can take them, but then resetting them more or less back to zero so at the beginning of the next week, so they're still the character you know and love.
The sad truth is, there's more Walter White in me than I'd care to admit, because if I truly was as kind as people think I am, I wouldn't be able to write Walter White.
For many decades - and this was reinforced by the broadcast networks' standards-and-practices department - bad guys on TV had to get their comeuppance, and good guys had to be brave and true and unconflicted. Those were the laws of the business.
I'm very glad people love 'Breaking Bad,' but the harder character to write is the good character that's as interesting and as engaging as the bad guy.
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The informing idea of what you want to say and do, that's what will take you from film school to professional - the idea. That's what is original to you.
The short story is an imploding universe. It has all the boil of energy inside it. A novel has shrapnel going all over the place. You can have a mistake in a novel. A short story has to be perfect.
The history of architecture is the history of the struggle for light.
I wake up in the morning and my mind starts making sentences, and I have to get rid of them fast - talk them or write them down.
Everything we know about Hamilton, we knew when he was alive, because he told us.
Real fashion change comes from real changes in real life. Everything else is just decoration.