‘Breaking Bad’ Star Steven Michael Quezada Talks ‘Ozymandias’

Last week’s Breaking Bad cliffhanger saw several major characters’ lives hanging in the balance, but “Ozymandias” unapologetically ended any questions of “Is he or isn’t he dead?”

[Spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen Sunday’s episode.]

“Ozymandias” saw both Hank and Steve Gomez gunned down by Jack and his men. As Walter tearfully pleaded for his brother-in-law’s life, Hank said, “You’re the smartest guy I ever met, and you’re too stupid to see: He made up his mind 10 minutes ago.”

And then the deed is done.

Steven Michael Quezada, who played fan favorite “Gomie” since the show’s 2008 pilot, said he couldn’t have asked for a better way to go out.

“I was happy to make it to there. It’s really tough to be a Mexican on Breaking Bad. To be there from the pilot to that point was cool. I went out with a gun in my hand. I didn’t get shot in the back. I didn’t get melted in acid,” Quezada said. “I didn’t get my throat slit. At least I was standing on my own two feet.”

The 50-year-old said he and Dean Norris were happy with their final scene together.

“It was the old western showdown. We were both happy that at least how that’s how it went down. But it was sad. We had six years with a really cool family,” he said. “I got really close to everyone on the show, and especially Dean. Dean knew [our characters were going to die] for a while before I knew.”

Quezada said he doesn’t know what will happen in the last two episodes. Instead of reading the scripts, he “wanted to experience it with everyone” because he is also a fan. He also said he felt bad for Jesse and that Walter has “always been a bad guy.” Gomie, however, was one of the few characters that never “broke bad.”

Quezada said:

“It’s weird, because the Mexican guy is always the bad guy [in Breaking Bad], but it ended up that a Mexican guy was the true, honest guy. He stood up for what he believed in. He stayed true to his partner. You couldn’t ask for a better way to go out.”

The episode’s title is a reference to the Percy Bysshe Shelley sonnet of the same name, which tells the story of a once proud king who loses everything. Creator Vince Gilligan emphasized the line, “Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair” on the fifth episode of Talking Bad. And in a teaser trailer for the final episodes, Bryan Cranston read the entire poem, referencing his broken empire.

There are only two episodes left until the Breaking Bad series finale. “Felina,” an anagram for finale (among other things) airs September 29.