Vince Gilligan might have created one of TVs most famous anti-heroes – and eventual villains – in Walter White, but he's looking for more good guys going forward.
Breaking Bad debuted back in 2008 and follows high school chemistry teacher Walt as he begins manufacturing meth to pay his medical bills after a cancer diagnosis, and he descends more and more into villainy as the show goes on.
"Walter White is one of the all time great bad guys," Gilligan said while accepting the Writers Guild Award's Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement (via Variety). "But all things being equal, I think we I'd rather be celebrated for creating someone a bit more inspiring."
He went on to say that "we are living in an era where bad guys, the real life kind, are running amok," before sharing his "proposal" for writers to "write more good guys."
"For decades, we made the villains too sexy," he said. "I really think that. When we create characters as indelible as Michael Corleone or Hannibal Lecter or Darth Vader or Tony Soprano, viewers everywhere, all around the world, they pay attention. They say, 'Man, those dudes are badass. I want to be that cool.' When that happens, fictional bad guys stop being the cautionary player that they were created to be. God help us, they become aspirational. So maybe what the world needs now are some good, old fashioned, Greatest Generation types who give more than they take. Who think that kindness, tolerance and sacrifice aren’t strictly for chumps."
But, Gilligan also clarified at the start of his speech that he's "proud" of Walter and the show.
Breaking Bad is streaming on Netflix now. You can fill out your watchlist with our guide to the best Netflix shows and best Netflix movies.
