Is "Breaking Bad's" Skyler White (Anna Gunn) the most hated woman on TV these days?
Judging from Facebook pages dedicated to loathing her, it certainly seems like it. And Gunn isn't shy about admitting it upsets her ... not just when it comes to defending Skyler -- the wife of drug lord Walter White (Bryan Cranston) -- but women as a whole.
"As an actress, I realize that viewers are entitled to have whatever feelings they want about the characters they watch," Gunn, who is in her final episodes of AMC's critically-acclaimed drama, wrote in a New York Times Op-ed."But as a human being, I’m concerned that so many people react to Skyler with such venom. Could it be that they can’t stand a woman who won’t suffer silently or 'stand by her man'? That they despise her because she won’t back down or give up? Or because she is, in fact, Walter’s equal?"
"It’s notable that viewers have expressed similar feelings about other complex TV wives," she continued. "Carmela Soprano of 'The Sopranos,' Betty Draper of 'Mad Men.' Male characters don’t seem to inspire this kind of public venting and vitriol."
Perhaps Gunn has a point. While Walt, Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) got away with murder -- at least in some cases -- their stubborn wives somehow come out looking like the bad guys.
Gunn isn't the only one who has a few concerns about the intense Skyler White hatred that has exploded all over the Internet. In an interview with the Vulture, series creator shed light on the subject as well.
"People are griping about Skyler White being too much of a killjoy to her meth-cooking, murdering husband? She’s telling him not to be a murderer and a guy who cooks drugs for kids," Gilligan said. "How could you have a problem with that?"
"Breaking Bad" airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.
