Aaron Paul stars in Season 3 of Westworld. Photo / Supplied.
There's something slightly incongruous about TV tough guy Aaron Paul showing up to our Los Angeles interview to promote Season 3 of Westworld with a bottle of Purell in hand.
He acknowledges his latest accoutrement, the sanitising gel that sits on the table between us, with a shrug. We are, of course, under siege from coronavirus and our initial pleasantries are limited to verbal interaction — without the customary hand-shaking.
Paul, 40, the latest addition to the futuristic amusement park, notes he had quite the baptism by fire when he showed up for his first day on set.
"It was insane," he laughs, gliding his fingers through his close-cropped hair. "When I arrived, everyone said, 'Welcome to war!' and I thought, 'Oh my God, what is happening?' Then I found out that all the rumours were true," he says of the show's gruelling schedule.
"Westworld is a hard show with many night shoots and long hours. But I'm a massive fan, and even now, I still have pinch-me moments when I'm on set."
One of the twistier shows out there, Westworld has, so far, flitted back and forth across multiple time periods. It's about the "hosts" - sort-of robots created to provide pleasure and excitement for park visitors seeking an escape from reality - and their emerging consciousness.
Trailers for the latest season suggest much of the action this time round will be in the real world, as host leader Dolores adjusts to the knowledge of who/what she really is and plots revenge on humanity for giving her an awful and passive start to her existence.
Showrunners Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, who created the series (based on Michael Crichton's classic 1973 film of the same name), had their eye on Paul from the start.
Nolan offers: "We spoke to Aaron years ago because we knew how talented he was, and [he] is perfect in this role of Caleb [a construction worker and petty criminal]. He comes with a different view of humanity and we needed someone who had that sympathetic quality. We felt that there was no actor more capable than Aaron of exuding that."
Paul adds: "Caleb is a man living in this futuristic society but with his own point of view and that was very exciting for me to dive into. His purpose is to change the perception of humanity for Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood)."
Aaron's not the only newcomer for Season 3 (tagline "free will isn't free"). He's joined by Lena Waithe, Vincent Cassel, Scott Mescudi, and Marshawn Lynch and there's a cameo from Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who play technicians working for the Delos corporation.
It's a clever crossover bound to thrill the legions of fans of both shows.
Nolan says: "David and Danny [Weiss] are friends of ours and we couldn't resist paying homage to a show that changed TV and inspired and created the space in which we could make our show."
While Westworld hurtles us nearly 40 years into the future, to 2058 to be exact, Paul admits he's dragging his heels when it comes to technology.
"Westworld is very much a science-fiction show and yet I think we can agree it feels like it's somewhat grounded in reality, which is terrifying. Although science fiction is my favourite genre and I love being submerged in this world, I find myself down really dark, long rabbit holes of the simulation reality theory and the dangers of technology.
"It's a blessing and a curse to have data control and data collection, but because of that, I haven't owned a computer in over 10 years," he says, rather proudly.
Paul swiftly produces his Light Phone from his wallet and shows me. "I'm considering going back to a flip phone, but in the meantime, the Light Phone makes calls, stores 10 numbers, but there's no camera, no texting or emailing." He smiles.
"Honestly I feel like I've cracked a code in a way, and I cannot begin to tell you how much better I feel. I'm 100 per cent less anxious and I've gone back to talking to my friends on the phone rather than having a 20-minute texting session. I have an honest connection, which is what we all used to have," he says.
"I used to feel suffocated in the Trump mania and now with coronavirus, so I just shut off the news. There's literally nothing I can do, other than be depressed by it. And honestly, I don't know if we're meant to know about all this sadness around the world," he says, shaking his head.
"So now I just focus on friends and family. We lift each other up and it feels like maybe we are part of a cult," he laughs. "But it feels great!"
That cult is growing exponentially in Hollywood — Chris Pine and Bill Murray are among the huge advocates for living with less technology. Murray reportedly doesn't own a phone at all.
Unsurprisingly then, Paul is raising his daughter, Story Annabelle, 2, with his wife of eight years, Lauren Parsekian, far from Hollywood. He has stayed close to home in his birthplace of Idaho and lives in a new cabin-style house on five acres showcased in Architectural Digest.
"Having a baby completely rocked my world in the best way possible," he gushes. "Having a child is just so magical. Truly, my life began the day she was born."
Too little to see how papa makes his living yet, but Story will one day get to admire Dad's body of work.
Alongside his star turn as Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad, it includes Need for Speed (2014), Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014), Eye in the Sky (2015), and Central Intelligence (2016), as well as a voice role on the animated series BoJack Horseman (2014 – 2020).
Other than revisiting Pinkman in last year's El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, the epilogue to the groundbreaking series, Paul has made a conscious effort to delve into different material. "Well, I can't just play lovable struggling drug addicts," he smiles.
But he will always be appreciative of the role which put him on the proverbial map.
"When people see me on the street, they still yell out, 'Yo, Jesse!'" he shares. "I don't think it necessarily defines me but it's the role that introduced me to many people and I don't take that for granted."
And what does Paul hope for in the next decade? "I would love to grow my family, have another baby or two, and continue to find roles that challenge and inspire me." He smiles again. "It'll be difficult to top the last decade."