I Wanted To Take A Character

Gilligan delivered this characterization of Breaking Bad in an interview on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, first broadcast on September 19, 2011. He used the contrast between the mild-mannered Mr. Chips from James Hilton's 1934 novel and Brian De Palma's 1983 film Scarface to pitch the concept of Walter White's transformation to AMC — a protagonist who begins sympathetic and ends as a villain. The phrase became the most cited summary of the show's premise.