In a recent interview, Malcolm in the Middle actor collected four Emmys for his efforts.
Walter White started Breaking Bad as a disgruntled high school chemistry teacher and ended the show as a drug kingpin; it's no surprise Breaking Bad's story has often been contextualized as Mr. Chips turns into Scarface. That seemed to be quite the apt comparison for a while, at least until some hard truths came to light in season 5, and the benefits of both hindsight and time have only further revealed the extent of Walt's flawed, irredeemable true nature. The only mystery that still lingers even now is why people were willingly rooting for a terrible man like Walt, who poisoned young Brock, and was a destroyer of worlds during the antihero's egomaniacal drug kingpin days.
Even Vince Gilligan knew his own created character was a terrible human being, but he was rooting for Walter White during Breaking Bad's run. Gilligan said in a recent New Yorker interview, "The further away I get from Breaking Bad, the less sympathy I have for Walter" and also noted that "[Walter] goes out on his own , but he leaves a trail of destruction behind him. I focus on that more than I used to." It's a testament to what a well-written, well-acted antihero can accomplish. In Breaking Bad's case, Walter White's story was so compelling, and Bryan Cranston's acting was so convincing, that this deeply flawed antihero convinced himself, the audience, and even his own creator that he was worthy of any kind of sympathy, despite the opposite being true.
Why Walter White Got So Much Sympathy (Despite Being Awful)
It's become evident most things in The Sopranos where Tony Soprano - another notorious antihero - became an inexplicably beloved character thanks in part to his therapy sessions where the gabagool-loving mob boss would become humanized by working through his feelings and his actions.
Breaking Bad benefited from a heady script that gradually revealed Walter White was irredeemable, but pairing Walter White with Bryan Cranston was just as important. Cranston injected a level of emotional appeal and depth to Walter White that naturally elicited sympathy from people. Even seemingly minor things like Cranston's gravely, trustworthy voice and his prior role as Malcolm in the Middle's Hal all contributed to Walter White being surprisingly easy to root for.
However, the truth is out. Even Vince Gilligan can finally offer an honest evaluation of his Breaking Bad antihero protagonist. Ultimately, Walter White's so-called transformation was really Tony Montana - not Mr. Chips - becoming Scarface.