Penn Badgley Recalls Auditioning for Aaron Paul's Breaking Bad Role: 'The One That Got Away'
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Penn Badgley almost got a taste of "Blue Sky."
The You star, 36, reflected on "a bunch" of roles he auditioned for but never got, including the character of Jesse Pinkman in AMC's Breaking Bad, as he played with puppies during an interview with Buzzfeed.
"One I got close on was Breaking Bad," recounted Badgley. "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."
RELATED: Aaron Paul Says PopCorners Super Bowl Ad Is the Last Time They'll Revisit Breaking Bad — Watch
The role ultimately went to Paul, 43, who played the aspiring crystal meth entrepreneur alongside Bryan Cranston's Walter White for the entirety of the drama's five-season run from 2008 to 2013.
He won three Emmy Awards and received three other nominations for his performance as Paul, as well as a Golden Globe nomination.
Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC
Cranston, 66, and Paul reprised their roles for the 2019 Netflix epilogue movie El Camino and last year's sixth and final season of the spin-off Better Call Saul. They also revisited the characters for a PopCorners ad "Breaking Good" during this month's Super Bowl LVII.
RELATED: Penn Badgley Teases How 'Aspects' to Latest Season of You 'Feel New' for the Netflix Series
Paul previously spoke to PEOPLE about returning to the Breaking Bad universe for the commercial. "It's so easy to kind of zip on that skin again. It's just like revisiting a very familiar friend," he said.
Cranston added: "We had so much fun shooting it. Just getting back into those characters and seeing all the familiar faces. We fit like a glove."
RELATED VIDEO: Aaron Paul Reveals Which Breaking Bad Characters He Wants to See If There's Another Movie
Although it was a fun reunion, fans shouldn't get their hopes up for more Walter and Jesse in the future. "I feel like this is sort of where we all kind of hang our hats, at least with the Breaking Bad universe," said Paul. "And what a fun way to go out."
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Badgley can currently be seen in part 1 of You season 4, now streaming on Netflix. Part 2 premieres March 9.
