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Breaking Badpremiered in 2008, running for five seasons till 2013. The American TV show soon became one of the best crime drama shows ever written, with fans idolizing the characters. The premise follows Walter White, a high-school chemistry teacher who joins the life of crime to secure his family’s financial future.
Fans of the show loved all of its morally grey characters, but there was one notable exception. Skyler White played by Anna Gunn was famously hated by the viewers, and this soon translated into real life for the actress. She recalled receiving death threats and online hate for her on-screen character’s actions, a move she credits to sexism.
From reel character to real consequences
Breaking Badended with its final season in 2013, but fans of the show still swear by its brilliant action sequences and intriguing plot. The series also gave its viewers some badass characters, the protagonist Walter White for example.Bryan Cranstonperformed the complex character incredibly well, making fans idolize him.
Aaron Paul’s Jesse Pinkman also had his fair share of fans, despite his questionable moral compass. However, one character did not have the honor of impressing the fans. Walter’s wife, Skyler White is perhaps one of the most hated TV characters ever.
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I feel like I came to understand what it was, which was just the undercurrent of extreme sexism. The idea of gender roles being so deeply ingrained — it was shocking to me.
Anna Gunnrecalled her experience of receiving the negative end of the stick, on the hit TV show. The actress spoke toThe Standard,claiming the bias against her character was deeply rooted in sexist ideals.
It was really wonderful to me to be called upon in that way, because I felt I was being of service to the people I loved and admired as well.
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The actress was so overwhelmed by all the hate mail that she took it upon herself to address them. In 2013 she wrote aNew York Times op-ed, standing up for her complex character and justifying her stance. The actress also used her experience to help out other women who faced the same public persecution for their roles.
What was the reason behind the Skyler White hate-train?
The formerSeinfeldactress portrayed the role of an overexerted housewife inBreaking Bad.Skyler White was not only burdened by the weight of her husband’s criminal ways but also tried hard to shield her children from the same.
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Fans hated her character for being much more complex, calling her a hypocrite for her tilted morals. They hated her for not being more supportive of her husband’s illegal business, claiming she was not ‘loyal’ enough.
However, things went too far when the hate comments turned to the actress blaming her for her onscreen character’s actions. Skyler was promptly seen as the opposite of the ‘supporting wife’ trope, turning her into some sort of a villain.
There was this college student who had just watched an episode where Skyler makes Walt take Walt Jr’s car back, and she was very upset about that. So she tweeted: ‘Can somebody tell me where I can find Anna Gunn so I can kill her?
Gunn mentioned receiving death threats in the interview withThe Standard.Fans of the show were so intent on white-washing Walter’s misdeeds that they made his wife into a scapegoat, going as far as to target the actress.
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However, many fans did revaluate their opinion as the series came to an end with Walter becoming more unhinged. Sadly the actress had to bear the brunt of immature fans who spent all their time idolizing the bad guy.
Breaking Badis currently available to watch on Netflix.
Shruti Pathak
Articles Published :286
An entertainment writer with a passion for storytelling that transcends genres, Shruti Pathak is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in English. She is also a devoted poetry enthusiast, exploring the beauty of language and emotion through verse. Obsessed with the show Friends, a self-proclaimed swiftie, and inspired by classical literature these are just some characteristics that describe the novice writer. Newly joining FandomWire as an intern writer, she hopes to share her thoughts while sharpening her writing skills on various entertainment topics.
