Executive producers Peter Gould and Melissa Bernstein reveal secrets and stories behind the Breaking Bad prequel’s key locations.
“You have these incredible vistas behind almost any place that you pick.
There’s very few locations that we have that don’t have the Sandias behind them.
Michele K. Short/AMC
The other reason is there’s a diversity of architecture.
There’s a wide selection of different kinds of locationsand especially locations that have interesting or unusual texture.”
“It’s really been the gift that keeps on giving,” she praises.
Michele K. Short/AMC
We are actually seeing new places every time.
And the people there are so on our side.
They are really happy we’re there and let us know they’re happy."
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“We see more of the kitchen and the inner workings.”
“Lot of people taking selfies there,” notes Gould.
“The funny thing is, as hard as we tried, nothing quite landed.
Warrick Page/AMC
There’s something kind of magical about those two chicken brothers standing against each other in that cartoon.”
Even if its flaws enticed.
“A pylon went crooked at some point,” shares Bernstein.
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“We loved, actually, how it went askew.
“But I was very sad when he quit the booth at the beginning of season 4.”
Cinnabon’s assistance didn’t stop there.
Nicole Wilder/AMC
They helped to train Bob how to make a Cinnabon,” says Gould.
“I’ve actually had a milkshake that Bob made at that Cinnabon.”
How didSaul’s producers come to select this particular Cinnabon?
Ursula Coyote/AMC
“We looked at a lot of different Cinnabons,” notes Gould.
“A lot are just open-air counters.
This one has more of a world of its own inside.”
AMC
But that wasn’t the only obstacle.
TheSaulteam also proceeds carefully for another reason.
“I’ve been told that there’s a ghost,” shares Gould.
“It might in fact be haunted and haunted tours do go through this courthouse.
I will say [the ghost] is friendly because I’ve had nothing but fun shooting there.”
For how much longer the fun will continue there remains uncertain.
“So we are on pins and needles.”
(Its real name is El Moreno, and it’s located in Albuquerque’s South Valley).
“We wanted a very homey, warm little Mexican restaurant,” explains Gould.
“And we loved the space.
We changed the exterior colors; we tend to be finicky about what colors things are painted.”
“The HHM conference room and Kim’s office are at Sun Health.
We can walk between them and shoot them on the same day, but they actually have different owners.
Our location manager, Christian Diaz De Bedoya, has to engage with both parties separately.”
“It gives you a lot of space to play with.
The interesting thing about both locations is that they look out onto the real world, which is wonderful.
You get to see the activity going on outside the windows.
Quips Bernstein: “It’s not great for continuity.”
“The manager was all onboard with having the number be public,” says Bernstein.
Why did this spa prove to be the A-1 choice for the producers?
“It already had this fantastic mural of Mediterranean scenes,” says Gould.
“It has the row of massage chairs, and we know fromBreaking Badthat Saul loves massage chairs.
It’s camera-perfect, just walking in.”
(As is the apartment that Jimmy and Kim live in.]
And it was no small feat building that office.
Or, in a way, that’s exactly what it was.
“It is thetiniestset in the world.
We bring directors there and they think it’s a practical joke.”
They know better than to ask for cucumber water, which is for customers only.
