Aaron Paul On His ‘Dual’ Roles As Actor And Businessman

Better Call Saul’s final season on AMC and AMC+ can’t come soon enough for fans of the Breaking Bad spinoff series. Returning April 18, the series will welcome two big kahunas from the original drama series reprising their roles: Bryan Cranston as Walter White and Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman, a former high school science teacher and his student, respectively, who turned into meth-making outlaws.

Cranston and Paul’s onscreen chemistry spilled over into real life in recent years as they co-founded a wholly legitimate company, Dos Hombres, introducing a brand of mezcal, a spirit distilled from the agave plant that is a cousin to tequila. In the three years since its formation, the home-grown brand has become popular in its category and has added an investor last year in Constellation Brands Ventures, which bought a minority stake in the company, hoping to capitalize on the popularity of the beverage and its 414,000 Instagram followers.

The two popular Hollywood actors are committed to the enterprise. Indeed, Paul is taking a sabbatical from acting for the rest of this year to devote his time to Dos Hombres as well as his wife, Lauren, and their growing family. (The couple greeted their second child this spring.)

Paul, however, has banked some projects, so fans won’t be disappointed. Not only can they catch him on Better Call Saul, they can see him reprising his role as Caleb Nichols on HBO’s popular sci-fi/western series Westworld later this year. He also stars opposite Karen Gillan (Guardians Of The Galaxy) in Texas-born filmmaker Riley Stern’s sci-fi/black comedy Dual.

Having premiered at Sundance earlier this year, Dual follows Sarah (played by Gillan), a woman diagnosed with a terminal disease who agrees to have a clone made of her only to discover that she’s fully recovered, and must now fight her double to the death in a duel. She hires a trainer (Paul) to prepare her for the upcoming lethal battle, which is set to take place in an arena and broadcast live on television. As Trent, Paul is an odd but affordable fight trainer, who combines combat skills with dance moves to prepare his “student” for the fight.

On the eve of Dual’s release in theaters by RLJE Films, Paul spoke about a wide range of subjects, including just how far he’d go to get a passport.

Angela Dawson: As I was watching you in Dual, I wrote down “low-rent Mr. Miyagi” (from The Karate Kid) about your character, since he’s the cheapest trainer Sarah can find.

Aaron Paul: Low rent? Alright. He’s definitely the cheapest but not really the worst. He gets the job done.

Dawson: Riley Stearns, the writer-director has a distinctive filmmaking style. Dual reminded me stylistically of his The Art Of Self-Defense from a few years ago. Did you know Riley before signing on to this?

Paul: I’ve known him for some time now and have been a huge fan of his work so when this script landed on my desk, I couldn’t wait to sit down and talk to him about it. He came over to my house and we caught up. I hadn’t seen him in a couple of years so it was good to see him and talk to him about this project.

When he made the offer, it was a spontaneous “yes” from me. I was very eager to see how he dances around on a set because I love him in real life so I knew he would create a beautiful environment on-set, which he did.

Dawson: Since this sci-fi film delves into cloning and some of the consequences of having a double, do you wish you could have a clone?

Paul: (He laughs.) I think it could get a little messy. I just had another baby—my second child—and I feel so blessed, but you’re instantly reminded that you don’t ever sleep. You really don’t. So, it might be nice. But I also look back at the sleepless nights that I had with my daughter, with such fondness. I love it; I love the struggle of it all. So, I would say no to a clone.

Dawson: You shot this in Finland. What was it like filming there?

Paul: It was incredible. This was the first flight I’d jumped on post-pandemic. So, that was strange. It was a struggle to get there because I’d lost my passport and so I had to fly to Hawaii to get a rush passport because that was the only place I could find an appointment in a hurry. Yeah, everything here was booked three weeks to a month in advance because of COVID. In the credits, you’ll see that my wife and my dear friend, Phil, who lives in Hawaii, and Chris Barcelona, who actually issued the rush passport, get a special thanks because it was just chaos.

But I made it to Finland, finally. I landed the day before I started shooting. It was beautiful and the people there are incredible. I’m a huge sauna guy and that’s the birthplace of sauna. So, when I checked into the hotel, a lot of the rooms have their own sauna. It’s just a very normal thing. It’s not just at the bougie hotels; it’s just a very commonplace amenity.

Dawson: You and Bryan Cranston, of course, are reprising your Breaking Bad characters on Better Call Saul, so what can you say about your return?

Paul: You’ll just have to wait and see. (He laughs.) What I will say is that fans of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul will be very pleased with what they see. I was very excited to get the phone call. I honestly didn’t know it was going to happen; I was hoping it was going to happen. I’m seeing all my other Breaking Bad family slowly popping up in Better Call Saul, and so when this call was being scheduled with Vince (Gilligan) and Peter (Gould), I knew it was happening. I was just so thrilled. I think (fans) are going to be happy.

Dawson: You and Bryan also are in business together.

Paul: Yeah, it’s a mezcal called Dos Hombres. It’s great. Bryan and I are having so much fun with it. It’s important to know that this is all self-funded from Bryan and I from the very beginning. It was only us, and once we started growing, we needed more capital. We doubled-down on our own investment and then asked some friends and family if they wanted to jump onboard, which they all did. So, it’s been a very exciting ride for all of us. We couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve built so far.

The only reason it exists is because Bryan and I truly love one another and love working together. We wanted an excuse to talk every day and we do. So, we’re very excited about what’s happened with the business so far and the road ahead.

Dawson: What’s happening with Westworld?

Paul: We completed Season 4 at the end of 2021, so that will be coming out sometime this year, which I’m very excited for people to see.

I’m taking the year off to be with my wife and children. I did this with my firstborn—I took seven straight solid months off, and spent it with my family, and I’m doing the same thing with my second child. I’m focusing on my family this year and growing Dos Hombres, which is a full-time job. Bryan and I are traveling quite a bit; hitting different accounts all year long. I’ll go back and begin shooting the next season of Westworld sometime next year.