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.
Similar quotes
Here I am with you & yet not for a single moment do I forget that there's an unfinished novel waiting for me.
I don't torture myself. And I do the work because of the pleasure involved. I'm satisfying a compulsion I find nigh-on irresistible. It's not necessarily because of the work itself. I just feel the need for a period of regeneration afterwards. Like leaving a field fallow when you've grazed too much on it. I feel depleted.
I paint the way someone bites his fingernails; for me, painting is a bad habit because I don't know nor can I do anything else.
As to the number of novels I've abandoned... I shudder to think. I have thrown away five completed novels, and that's a gruesome enough figure. But not necessarily a waste of effort.
There's nothing more important in making movies than the screenplay.
If I'm honest I have to tell you I still read fairy-tales and I like them best of all.