Breaking Bad Exclusive: How'd They Pull Off That Scene?
Giancarlo Esposito
Breaking Bad's Season 4 finale literally went out with a bang, but achieving the climactic moment was no small feat.
"This explosion was a marriage of many different areas of expertise, both in physical special effects and in makeup and in digital visual effects," creator Vince Gilligan says in the exclusive video clip from the Season 4 DVD and Blu-ray box set below. "Just the sheer work that goes into this is just astounding."
Breaking Bad postmortem: Giancarlo Esposito reacts to Season 4's explosive finale
The explosion to which he's referring, of course, was masterfully orchestrated by Walter White (Bryan Cranston), who after a season-long chess match with meth kingpin Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), lured Gus to his arch-nemesis' nursing home room, where he'd planted a bomb that killed both men.
However, Gus went out in classic style. He walked out of the room, seemingly unscathed, before a camera pan revealed half of his face had been blown off. "I never imagined such a fantastic death," Esposito says. "But then again, I never imagined all the various artisans who came together to make it work for television. It's made history now. How amazing to be able to capture that moment and have it live on forever."
AMC sets Breaking Bad return date
How did the show's crew pull off the two-faced reveal? Click play below to find out!
Breaking Bad's Season 4 DVD and Blu-ray is available in stores Tuesday, June 5. Season 5 of the AMC drama premieres Sunday, July 15 at 10/9c.