Biography of Aaron Paul
Aaron Paul is an American actor. Having started his career in 1999, he appeared in several dozen major projects (among them: “Beverly Hills, 90210”, “The X-Files”, “King of the Parties”, “Big Love”), but mostly in episodic roles. The series “Breaking Bad” changed everything, where Aaron Paul played the role of one of the two main characters - a young drug addict Jesse Pinkman, who helps chemistry teacher Walter White cook blue amphetamine. In 2019, the actor became the star of a full-length spin-off of this series.
Actor Aaron Paul
short biography
Aaron Paul, whose photo you can see below, was born on August 27, 1979 in Emmett, Idaho.
He was the youngest of 4 children in the family. It is worth noting that his birth was quite unusual, because it occurred prematurely in his parents’ bathroom. Has English, German and Scottish roots. He attended high school in Boise, Idaho, graduating in 1998. After graduation, he moved with his mother to Los Angeles, with $6,000 in his pocket. Before gaining fame, he appeared in an episode of the game show “The New Price Is Right,” where he earned $132. In May 2013, he married Lauren Parsekian (in 2012, Aaron Paul, whose photo with his wife can be seen below, proposed to her). He became famous thanks to the TV series Breaking Bad, where he played the role of Jesse Pinkman. We will talk in more detail about his acting career below.
Childhood
Aaron was born in Idaho, in the town of Emmet. His full name at birth is Aaron Paul Sturtevant. The boy became the fifth child in the large and very religious family of the Baptist minister Robert and his wife Darla.
Aaron Paul as a child
The boy's dream of becoming an actor appeared in high school. In order to quickly begin to implement it, he graduated from the last two classes of school in a year as an external student. But before that, I practiced a lot in a theater group at the church.
Aaron Paul in his youth
In Los Angeles in 1996, a competition of young talents was held, where Aaron went. The young man turned out to be the winner and immediately signed the first contract in his life - he got a manager who took over his artistic career. The first sign was filming an advertisement for Corn Pops chips. Young Aaron Paul in a Corn Pops commercial
Childhood and youth
Aaron Paul Sturtevant was born on August 27, 1979 in the American town of Emmett. By that time, in addition to him, the family of Robert and Darla Sturtevant had four children. The father of the family was a Baptist priest, so Aaron took part in plays at church holidays from childhood.
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Aaron Paul as a child (above left)
The boy studied at Central High School in Boise and by the 8th grade he was determined to become an actor. To get closer to his dream, Aaron enrolled in a drama club and since then has not missed a single school performance. During his years of study, the young man also managed to try himself as a radio host at a local station.
Aaron Paul Sturtevant graduated from school as an external student - one year ahead of schedule. In 1996, having received a certificate of secondary education, the future actor moved to Los Angeles. There, the young man took part in a talent competition, in which he became the winner, and signed his first contract. Over the next few years, the young man participated in various television projects - from filming Corn Pops commercials to appearing in a video for the musical group Korn.
Carier start
Aaron Paul's career began with filming commercials for Juicy Fruit and Coca-Cola marmalade. He later landed roles in music videos for the bands Korn (the song Thoughtless) and Everlast (White Trash Beautiful). In the first video, he reincarnated as an outcast schoolboy experiencing internal hell, which he expresses in his drawings. In the second, the 24-year-old actor played a redneck from the American outback. Aaron Paul in the Korn video Aaron made his film debut in 1999 with the episodic role of Chad in the popular teen series Beverly Hills, 90210.
Aaron Paul in the series "Beverly Hills, 90210"
Over the next three years, the actor appeared in many high-profile projects. Among them were “The X-Files” (episode “Lord of the Flies”), “NYPD Blue,” “CSI,” and “ER.” He also starred in the well-known feature films “Planet Ka-Pax” with Kevin Spacey and “King of the Parties” with Ryan Reynolds. His appearances were memorable, but... for some reason, directors didn't consider him to play deeper characters.
Still from the series “The X-Files”
Luck smiled on Aaron in 2007 - the creators of the HBO series about polygamous Mormons “Big Love” cast him in the role of Scott Quitman. His character was also classified as episodic, but still appeared in the series as many as 14 times.
Aaron Paul in the series "Big Love"
"Breaking Bad"
Luck smiled on the actor in 2008, when he was invited to play the lead role in the TV series Breaking Bad, directed by Vince Gilligan.
The project, which became Aaron's finest hour, lasts five seasons. The actor plays a young man named Pinkman, a student of Walter White, a chemistry teacher. The role of Walter went to Bryan Cranston. According to the film, a chemistry teacher has cancer, his eldest son is soon to go to college, and his second child is about to be born, while his family has practically no means of livelihood.
Walter invites his student, played by Aaron, to help him organize the production of amphetamine. Their work is hampered by the husband of Walter’s wife’s sister, who guessed that his son-in-law had “gotten all bad” before his death. Viewers loved the series for its realism and rich storytelling. The film shows the work of drug cooks with amazing meticulousness. The film's ratings turned out to be serious.
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad Thanks to the performances of the actors, including Aaron Paul, this film was well received by critics. The series itself and Aaron were more than once about.
After filming this series, the actor finally gained popularity, and with it a lot of interesting offers. Thus, the metal band Korn featured Aaron in the Thoughtless video. Its plot is that an unpopular guy in the class comes to the prom to take revenge on the offenders who mercilessly punched him during his school years. His secret identity is discovered, and he throws a memorable “celebration” for all his classmates.
In 2009, the actor again appeared in a music video. This time it was the video White Trash Beautiful, shot by the group Everlast. Aaron played a truck driver who lives with his girlfriend in a rickety house. Somehow, having quarreled with her, he, drunk, gets into an accident while driving.
Also in 2009, the thriller “The Last House on the Left,” directed by Dennis Iliadis, was released. The film is about a family who went out of town on vacation; their daughter was attacked by fugitive criminals and brutally dealt with. Further, the criminals were already fleeing, fearing reprisals from their distraught parents. Aaron played a cruel and sadistic man named Francis.
Aaron Paul and his hidden talent (Russian subtitles) The actor’s career also included filming in commercials. These are commercials for Coca-Cola Vanilla, Juicy Fruit and Corn Pops. The actor appeared as a guest on several television shows.
The actor has repeatedly played in such a beloved genre of American viewers - in television series. This is not only “Breaking Bad”, but also “CSI”, “The Defender”, “Criminal Minds”, “ER”.
“I found myself in a situation where I had to look for a new job”
On March 13, the film “Need for Speed: Need for Speed,” based on the racing computer and video games of the series of the same name, was released in Russia. The main role in this film was played by Aaron Paul. The actor is best known to a wide audience as Jesse Pinkman, one of the main characters in the television series Breaking Bad, which ended its run on AMC in September 2013.
In connection with the premiere of the new film, Aaron Paul spoke with Lenta.ru about the peculiarities of filming a racing film and his own charisma.
During filming, did you often have to drive yourself? Or did stuntmen do almost everything for you?
It's hard to believe, but I spent 80 percent of the entire filming period behind the wheel. That is, of course, I would really like to say: “Everything you see on the screen is all me: driving luxury fast cars and pirouettes on them thanks to the dexterity of these hands and these legs.” But no, not a damn thing like that - all the tricks that were at least somewhat complex were performed by stuntmen, and I just rolled back and forth in a straight line with a smart look. It’s clear that we would never be allowed to drive when the cars are driving at wild speed, and even so close to each other. For such cases, we had specially equipped cars with shockproof cages on the roof. In each such cage, an experienced racer sat with a steering wheel and controlled the vehicle. A cage with an operator was attached to the board in approximately the same way. That is, they drive for us, film us, and we just sit in the cab and pretend to ferociously turn the steering wheel.
It must be difficult to sit in a car driven by another person, concentrate and say to yourself something like “Okay, now I need to make a sharp turn” or “Oh shit, danger!”
To be honest, it all happened somehow by itself; it didn’t require much concentration. In the end, you are driving, you are in a car, and you immediately forget that someone else is driving it. You only remember when you instinctively press the brakes, but nothing happens. That's when your pattern breaks, and for a couple of seconds your face expresses wild horror, because it seems to you that the brakes have failed. But then you return to the real world, and the scene has to be re-shot, because horror is not the emotion that should be on your character’s face at that moment.
There is an interesting dialogue in the film about your blue eyes...
And the funny thing is that they are not blue at all, but green.
...Do you think your appearance has had a big impact on your career?
It’s hard to say yet, because this is my first role where I play at least some kind of tough guy - not a moron, not a drug addict, but almost like Steve McQueen. Appearance as such hardly plays a big role here, but charisma is really important. I didn’t even suspect that I had it - I discovered it with surprise, looked at it for a long time and couldn’t believe my green eyes.
I just read somewhere that you were almost left without a role in the series “Breaking Bad” due to the fact that you were then considered too attractive.
Well, downright attractive! Look, AMC and Sony actually thought I was too neat and proper for the role of a complete junkie. Series creator Vince Gilligan fundamentally disagreed with this. I don’t know what he saw in me, but he fought for me from day one. At some point, Sony representatives said: “Vince, calm down already, this guy is not getting the role.” To which Vince replied: “If he doesn’t get the part, then I won’t do this series.” And just like that, thanks to Gilligan's selfless blackmail, I became Jesse Pinkman.
How difficult was it to find a role so soon after finishing the series that made you a big star?
“Breaking Bad” dragged on for many years, and it cannot be said that thanks to it I woke up famous one morning - the process was long, gradual. Therefore, immediately after the end of the series, nothing changed in the quantity and quality of the roles offered to me. Another question is that while working on the last three or four seasons, I constantly starred in modest indie films - it was a kind of hobby, work for the soul, because my main job was in a completely different place. And so the series ended, and I found myself in a situation where I had to look for a new job. In other words, the main thing was not to miss the moment when you could still jump on the bandwagon and find yourself in the studio system. I came across several scripts at once, so it’s impossible to say that there wasn’t much choice. But in the case of “Need for Speed,” I must admit, I was afraid to even open the folder. It seemed to me that this should be something completely terrible, but I overcame myself, read the script and was very surprised. I was surprised by the living characters and the humane story. And then we met with director Scott Waugh, he told me how he planned to make the film, and I was even more interested.
Still from the film “Need for Speed: Need for Speed”
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Why did he impress you so much?
He's crazy. No, I'm not kidding, he was seriously going to abandon special effects and green screens and film all the stunts in conditions that were as close to reality as possible! And this is a very serious and bold step in our time, especially when it comes to racing films. Scott wanted Need for Speed to be similar to the classic films that gave rise to the genre: for example, he constantly pointed to Bullitt and Vanishing Point as examples. Well, that is, words starting with the letter “F” ( Paul implies the original name of the series “Fast and Furious”, “Fast & Furious”, note from Lenta.ru
) no one said on the site.
There's another film coming out soon with your participation, The Long Fall, in which you again play opposite Imogen Poots, the actress who starred in Need for Speed.
Yes, we are inseparable. A new on-screen duo is being formed before your eyes - don’t miss it! We were actually filming The Long Fall in London last year, and in the middle of working on the film, I got an offer to do Need for Speed. And when Scott and I started discussing casting, I learned that Imogen was being considered as one of the leading candidates for the female lead. “Oh,” I say, “I know this girl!” We had lunch with her today. And yesterday too. And the last few months have been filming our joint project.” And then I started praising her... I couldn’t stop for a long time, I burst into tears like a nightingale! Imogen is an amazing person and an amazing actress, I adore her. The opportunity to have her next to you every time on set is priceless.
Finally, admit it - will we really never see Jesse Pinkman again?
(Smiles mysteriously.)
It's hard to say for sure, but I highly doubt this was his last screen appearance. In general, if you really want to see Jesse Pinkman, he is available on DVD.
You are clearly hiding something.
Perhaps, but I intend to continue to hide it, so you will find out all the news about Jesse when the time comes.
Aaron Paul today
Aaron has already appeared in more than forty films during his acting career.
Despite such a large number of roles, this did not exhaust him at all. Moreover, hard work gives him a surge of new strength and gives rise to new creative plans. He does not stop there, he continues to improve his acting skills. Mastering cinema, the actor strives to achieve even greater success. In 2013, the actor worked in two big films: “The Long Fall” with the participation of Pierce Brosnan and the film drama “Four”, which starred Jeff Daniels.
Aaron took part in the film adaptation of a video game called Need for Speed. The picture was called “Need for Speed.” This film is somewhat reminiscent of “The Fast and the Furious” - there is no plot as such in the racing game, it shows underground racing in expensive cars and confrontation between different gangs. The film is expected to appear in Russia in early spring 2014.
Viewers will see the story of a street racer who wants revenge for being unjustly sent to prison. Michael Keaton, Dominic Cooper and Imogen Poots starred in the film alongside Aaron.
Personal life of Aaron Paul
Aaron Paul with his wife Lauren Parsikian
On January 1, 2012, while on vacation in Paris, the actor and his lover Lauren Parsikian announced their engagement. They met in the Coachella Valley during a music and arts festival. A year later, the young people saw each other there again and began dating. The wedding took place in May 2013. They now live in California in Santa Monica.
The actor has crossed the age of 33, which is considered a turning point for every man. He has new roles and a lot of work ahead.
Giving an interview to Maxim magazine, he stated that he wants to be cremated after his death, because he is not sure of his faith, he cannot decide for himself whether there is hell and heaven. And this despite the fact that he is from a priest’s family!
