The 'Breaking Bad' Super Bowl Reunion Ad Is Here & Star Raymond Cruz Says It Was 'Surreal'
Breaking Bad stars Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul and Raymond Cruz return for a new PopCorners Super Bowl ad inspired by the show, and it's hard to believe it's been 15 years since these three first launched the hit series.
Narcity caught up with Cruz ahead of the commercial's debut to talk about his Breaking Bad journey, his time on Better Call Saul and his unexpected Super Bowl-related comeback.
The new ad, which dropped Monday ahead of the big game, sees Jesse Pinkman (Paul) and Walter White (Cranston) teaming up to sell PopCorners to drug lord Tuco Salamanca (Cruz), in a hilarious riff off of the show.
"What are these?" Tuco asks in the commercial.
"We call them PopCorners," says Jesse.
"Say their name," adds Walt.
For Cruz, the whole thing was a fun way to wrap up his third stint with the franchise, which included appearances in the original show and its prequel, Better Call Saul.
"The journey is surreal," he told Narcity. "When I finished Breaking Bad, I never thought that I would ever reinvestigate the character. And then Better Call Saul comes along and it takes place prior to Breaking Bad [...] and now for PepsiCo to put us in the first ever PopCorners Super Bowl ad."
Tuco is one of several villains in the Breaking Bad universe, but Cruz thinks he's one of the most memorable for one reason.
"You can never read Tuco. You have no idea what is going to happen or how he's going to react," Cruz said. "He's such a livewire and he's looking through everything [...] You don't know what's going to set him off. You could be the nicest person, and that just might tick him off."
Cruz says the PopCorners crew went to great lengths to recreate the vibe of Breaking Bad, including shooting in the New Mexico desert and bringing back the beat-up old RV that Walter and Jesse used to cook meth.
He added that he wore the same outfit that he wore in several episodes of the show, and Cranston even brought back Walter White's iconic Heinsenberg hat.
With the hat in play, we had to ask: Did Cruz get a chance to try it on?
"No, no," he said, adding that you don't touch the hat. "That's Heisenberg!" he said. "Hands off the hat!"
Cruz added that "everyone is protective" of that hat, and that only added to the feeling of stepping back in time to the days of Breaking Bad at its peak.
"You felt like you had never left the set," he said.
We also couldn't resist asking Cruz to pick a favorite show. Did he like Breaking Bad better, or was Better Call Saul his No. 1 show?
"It would have to be Breaking Bad," he said.
You can watch the PopCorners commercial now, or tune into the Super Bowl on February 12 to watch it along with everyone else.
Aaron Paul serving passionfruit margaritas at Bottled Blonde.
Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston behind Bottled Blonde Miami's bar.
Bryan Cranston making drinks behind the bar.
Aaron Paul with a fan at Fontainebleau in Miami Beach.