Anyone who watched Breaking Bad will distinctly remember the fan-favorite scene in which Walter White threw an entire pizza on the roof of his house. Unfortunately, for the homeowners of the house used for the exterior shots of the White family residence, the pizza scene has stirred up a lot of harassment. Here’s an explanation of the memorable moment, and how it resulted in an ongoing out of control prank.
The pizza scene occurred in the episode “Caballo Sin Nombre,” during Breaking Bad season 3. Walt (Bryan Cranston) was still on very bad terms with his wife, Skyler (Anna Gunn). He worried about adapting to his new situation and how it was affecting their teenage son, Walt Jr. (R.J. Mitte). In the episode, Walt bought a large cheese pizza and brought it to the family home, but Skyler refused to let him in. In an act of frustration, Walt swung the box in the air and the fully intact pizza landed on the roof.
The pizza-slinging scene instantly became a popular meme. It also set off a debate among fans whether or not the pizza depicted in the scene was sliced or unsliced. The show’s creator, Vince Gilligan, later confirmed that they used an unsliced pie so that it would stay together when Walt threw it - something Cranston accomplished in one take. The scene, however, became a topic of controversy which would continue well after Breaking Bad came to an end in 2013, due to fans feeling the need to throw pizza on the house featured in the series.
How The Breaking Bad Pizza Prank Got Increasingly Worse
The Albuquerque home used for the exterior filming in Breaking Bad is owned by Francis and Louis Padilla. After the series debuted, fans found the location of the house and would often visit. They were respectful, so the Padilla family had no issues with the interest. After that specific episode, however, more and more Breaking Bad fans started to show up - and many of them actually threw perfectly good pizzas on the roof of the Padilla home. In 2013, Gilligan put out a plea for viewers to stop harassing the family and throwing food on their property, but it continued getting worse.
In 2015, local Albuquerque police increased security to assist the homeowners since hundreds of people were visiting on a daily basis. Some were extremely rude, stealing items from the property or requesting the family to leave so they could take pictures. Since the problems and the pizza pranks wouldn’t let up, the family decided to put up a six-foot-tall iron fence to protect their property. This helped with the perpetrators, but the release of El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie only rejuvenated fan interest, so there has recently been an uptick in visitors. The controversy stems from a segment of fans using their obsession with Breaking Bad as a justification to do what they want. The family welcomes visitors, but they must respect boundaries and keep pizzas away from their roof.
Next: All Breaking Bad Characters Appearing In Better Call Saul Season 5
