Penn Badgley Almost Starred in Breaking Bad

Penn Badgley thought the Breaking Bad role was the one that got away.

Penn Badgley may have been making waves again in the industry as the TV series You continues to be phenomenal, but the actor revealed his deep regrets after not bagging a Breaking Bad role years ago. Badgley confessed that he was in the running to star as Jesse Pinkman along with Aaron Paul.

The actor might have been still able to find success in Hollywood if he hasn’t starred on CW’s drama series Gossip Girl since he was almost cast in Breaking Bad. Buzzfeed held a puppy interview featuring Penn Badgley and when they asked him what role did he auditioned for but didn’t get, he answered as reported by Indiewire, “One I got so close on was Breaking Bad. It was between me and Aaron Paul. We tested. And actually that was the best television script I’d read, at that point. That was the one that got away.”

His role for Gossip Girl might have gotten in the way as the airing of the two series was so close apart. Penn Badgley booked the lead role on Gossip Girl that debuted in September 2007, then months later, Breaking Bad then premiered in January 2008. Badgley’s Gossip Girl co-star Chace Crawford revealed that while the actor was really eager to earn the spot in Breaking Bad, the role for Dan Humphrey was just handed over to him without even auditioning for the role.

RELATED: Penn Badgley on Avoiding Racy Scenes in You: ‘That Aspect of Hollywood Has Been Very Disturbing’

Even Aaron Paul Thought Penn Badgley Will Land Jesse Pinkman

Aaron Paul ultimately landed the role of Jesse Pinkman and has earned multiple awards from it including three Primetime Emmy Awards in the category Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for years 2010, 2012, 2014. Suffice to say, the role made his career in Hollywood.

Aaron Paul admitted that he thought Penn Badgley would get the role since he was looking the part during the screen testing. Paul told Entertainment Weekly “Right when he walked in, I was like, ‘Oh my God, that guy looks like a meth addict. In a good way! He was just in the role. I was like, ‘This guy is going to steal it from me. But after the test, it took about two weeks to finally let me know”

Thankfully, things worked well for both Aaron Paul and Penn Badgley as they both landed roles that made them a household name in the industry.