Jonathan Banks (2015)

Thank you for the jinxing, Constance.--Gordon

I kid, I kid. Thanks for the vote of confidence!!--Gordon

Hmm. I think all our "easter eggs" tend to be finding a small touch that will hearken back to something that the audience has already seen. So, the deeper we get with Jimmy, the more we can call back to BCS, vs BrBa. But we think of it as one world, so it's hard to differentiate for us.--Gordon

In the heat of the moment, yes. Also, I'm the worst, so there's that.

I think Bob Odenkirk would then have been free to pursue his political inclinations, and would have risen to become Supreme Autocrat of All Earth--long may he reign! So really, I think we may have dodged a bullet.--Gordon

First day. I worked with Aaron Paul on my first day. I am pretty jaded. I have been around a long time. But i looked at that kid and I said "This is an actor". -Jonathan

Oh man, we'd love to work with him. We have hopes and dreams for how that could happen in a satisfying way, but beyond that I can't really say much!--Gordon

I think that both of them similar in that they do not over direct. With both of them 90% of the time I have to agree with with their direction. They are both artists in the subtle touches. - Jonathan

They're both fantastic directors, first off. They really start with the idea that the script is what they want to support, and attack it from there. I think they have a slightly different style--Colin works fast and furious, and Adam is more chill--but they're both consummate pros and fantastic shotmakers.--Gordon

Almost the same! And they are dear friends. There is so many stories and there is a lot of life lived in that crew...I love them. - Jonathan.

Sheer luck. I got lucky getting on BrBa as a PA, and lucked my way up the assistant chain. Basically, by the end they staffed me because not doing so would've been like shooting a puppy for them. I think basically, I got the gig because they couldn't handle seeing my sad face if they didn't do it.--Gordon

It's NOT an impersonation. Let's start with that. I truly care about this character and I try not to let the future impact what I do in the present. -Jonathan

I always try to make people cry. I walk up to them and say mean things. It's just a thing I do. That said, we do have some heartstrings gripped in our grubby little writer hands, and we are hoping to tug them!--Gordon

No. I love it. -Jonathan

I got my first pay check in 1967 playing Dr. Jon in Tennessee Williams' "Summer and Smoke", so that makes 48. -Jonathan

Dear suaveitguy, I would usually give a smart ass answer because it is my nature but I love film-making. I love the camera. It will pick up every nuance. So my answer to you is that I try to be very honest and trust my cinematographer. -Jonathan

I read somewhere that "nervous/anxious" and "excited" live millimeters away from each other in the brain, and it's easy for them to cross over or get confused. So, either I'm very very excited, or very very nervous.--Gordon

Sometimes. More often, we'll talk about something being "colorful" and then nail down the specific color when we're prepping the episode. That said, it certainly has and does come up--the blue of the blue meth came up in scripts a lot in BrBa.--Gordon

Mine is Gordon's monologue about my son. -Jonathan

Yeah. Same for me. That was just chanelling so much feeling to try to find the right words. My god, watching Jonathan film it was quite a thing. I doubt I'll be lucky enough to see anything like that moment coming to life again in my career again.--Gordon

The one where the President orders that all lawyers be... but I've said too much.--Gordon

No hesitation to join--so stupidly lucky to get the chance! I didn't really know what the show would look like at the start, and it was really cool to see it come into shape.--Gordon

Not one bit. Absolutely not. If anything I was excited. It was a no-brainer and I was in to it immediately. -Jonathan

We kept coming back to the question: how did this guy--who we think of as honorable, and we knew came from a Law Enforcement background--get to this place? And, once we decided he was working as a parking lot attendant, how did he fall so low? We generated all these pieces as we were breaking the first four episodes of the season, and then it became clear we wanted to do them all at a run. Then it became just trying to figure out how to structure that story--how much did we need to see? How could we best break people's hearts? And we knew Jonathan could break our hearts, so we wanted to figure out the best stuff to give him toward that end.--Gordon

Great question! Thank you, Eva. Gordon Smith wrote me a love letter. He gave me a great opportunity as an actor. It all dates back to when we were on Breaking Bad. http://bit.ly/1RJm0by -Jonathan

Quite often people expect Mike and I see there disappointment when I open my mouth and they think "That's not Mike!"-Jonathan

So completely not random. Vince and Peter agonize about those choices and Dennis Milliken (our transpo coordinator) go through so many options for pretty much every vehicle you see. I don't know if it's a dream car, but man Teslas are pretty. And my current jam is probably The Answer by Savages.--Gordon

So exciting. It's like that moment in Frankenstein when the doctor yells out "It's Alive!!!!"--Gordon

Post-filming, I usually just slink off set, get on a plane and go back to Burbank. Pre-filming, probably some dry heaves.--Gordon

Yes, I sacrifice a small woodland creature and read the entrails to see how the season will go. -Jonathan

Soon, I think! The DVD/Blu-Ray is out today!--Gordon

Oh man, so many. Astro Zombies on Central keeps me sane while I'm there, feeding my comics habit. And I swear by Flying Star. I eat there as much as humanly possible. I also love hiking the petroglyphs if I ever have the time.--Gordon

I absolutely love it there. One of my favorite Italian restaurants in the world has to be Torino's. And of course I love the Isotopes. - Jonathan

Die, thank you. I don't think so. I am in for the ride for the writer's concern. I can't remember anything that I objected to. I always kind of knew that Mike would get smoked. -Jonathan

Hmm. That's a tough one. Have you, perhaps, tried speaking to their postal supervisor? The people at the USPS really want to be responsive and serve the public, so maybe it would be as simple as having a conversation with them and working it out!--Gordon

It's tough. The most important thing is to keep writing while you look for an entry. There's no "right" way in--some folks write a pilot and it gets attention right out of the gate. Other folks, myself included, need to find an entree by working themselves up. I think trying to talk to people who are working in the industry or want to can help a lot: I've gotten virtually every gig I've ever had through friends and acquaintances who knew me and were willing to vouch for me. So a broad network can help get a foot in the door!--Gordon

Never been there, but probably the burger.--Gordon

We've had a lot of quote-unquote comedy actors through the years in dramatic roles--Bill Burr and Joe DeRosa for example--and they've all been great. Bryan Cranston was primarily known for comedy before BrBa! I think it goes to show that the tools are the same, no matter what. It has been fun to watch Bob flexing those muscles, though!--Gordon

I really like ABQ. It's got a personality and feel that is unique. One thing I think is super cool are all the public light displays--on the Big Eye, or at the underpass heading into downtown. It makes the city feel alive in a real way!--Gordon

Y'know, they are all surprising and great. It's the kind of thing where if it looks exactly as you had in your head when writing, then it's probably dead somehow. But when you see it and it's new and strange and still feels emotionally right, it's super cool.--Gordon

He goes fishing on weekends with Pryce and Caldera. -Jonathan

The bad guy that I would really like to play is Brian de Bois-Guilbert. He is a reprehensible villain who falls in love with a women who was about to be burned at the stake. He ultimately gives his life for her. - Jonathan

Aw. That's kind of you to say. I honestly did not expect to win. There was just no way. And, it would have felt... unearned for me. All I did was hold my breath and applaud until the cameras left and I was safe. Then I let out a huge sigh of relief.--Gordon

Hmmm. I have immense respect for them both. I honestly could not make a choice there. Maybe lean towards Tracy. -Jonathan

Oh man. There is such good stuff out there. My list of stuff that just fills me with awe is long (everyone should be watching Please Like Me). I wish I had had a chance, back in the day, to work on either The X-Files or Twin Peaks.--Gordon

Honeymooners. Jackie Gleason -Jonathan

The short answer is "no". There have been a lot of violent men who had big hearts. And that is not to say or condone what they do or have done.-Jonathan

Probably my granddaughter. No, I think the answer is that I don't know because I am so locked into Mike.-Jonathan

Tough question. So many things. Comedy works best when there's a turn, something surprising, so sometimes you can get a laugh just by seeming to go toward something, and then landing in inappropriate territory. We watch the sketch from Life is Short where Liam Neeson wants to do comedy in the room, and everything in there should not be funny, but holy hell is that funny.--Gordon

R2-D2. Isn't everyone's?--Gordon

Is it fluffy? Then I'd go with "Fluffy."--Gordon

I mean, the lightning shutdown while we were shooting Five-O was very very memorable. Beautiful and stressful!--Gordon

I was lucky lucky lucky. And yes, it didn't hurt to know and work closely with the producers/showrunners. By the time BCS came along, the knew me and liked me well enough so they could take a risk on me.--Gordon

We knew Mr. Banks could kill it, so that part was easy--we just had to make sure the material was up to his caliber. And thank you for the kind words!--Gordon

That's nearly impossible for me to say. I love music--it's pretty much my only true hobby. So any three would be like killing my darlings. That said, I'll pick three random ones I love: The Complete Mozart Piano Sonatas (I can't look up the pianist right now, but I have one I listen to a lot), The Monitor by Titus Andronicus, and maybe... um... In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel.--Gordon