Skyler White (a fictional character in Breaking Bad) received sexist abuse, but according to Breaking Bad author Vince Gilligan, the character “did nothing to deserve that.”
The program, which ended in 2013, followed Walter White as he went from a chemistry teacher who had cancer to a clever drug lord. However, it is understandable that his wife Skyler did not accept his decision to become a meth dealer.
As the series went on, some fans developed a particularly negative attitude toward Skyler, to the extent that in 2013, actor Anna Gunn published an opinion piece titled “I Have A Character Issue” in a magazine.
“My character, to judge from the popularity of web sites and Facebook pages devoted to hating her, has become a flash point for many people’s feelings about strong, non submissive, ill-treated women.”
The creator went on in many interviews to say he was disappointed about all the backlash received. It was only natural for the character to have such reactions as well as mentioning that Anna Gun’s acting skills were amazing and he was proud that she took on that role.
If anything he was amazed so many people saw Walter as a “good guy” and would often question what made him so great.
“He was constantly griping about how the world shortchanged him, how his brilliance was never given its due. When you take all of that into consideration, you wind up saying, ‘Why was I rooting for this guy?’” Said Vince.
And in response to all the hate, Skyler was getting the actress had something to add to it:
“It was a combination of sexism, ideas about gender roles, and then honestly, it was the brilliance of the construct of the show. People did find a hero in Walt, but they wanted so much to connect with him so viscerally that to see the person who often was his antagonist – therefore the show’s antagonist in a way – they felt like she was in the way of him doing whatever he wanted to do, and that he should be allowed to do what he wanted to do.” Anna Gunn added.
The Breaking Bad spinoff Season six of Better Call Saul, it’s last, just ended.
