Aaron Paul shrugs off age comments after Better Call Saul cameo

Aaron Paul is fully aware he looks older playing the role of Jesse Pinkman now compared to when he started out over a decade ago.

The 42-year-old actor made a triumphant return to the part in the final season of Better Call Saul - the prequel show to Breaking Bad, the series that made him a star in 2008.

He and his Breaking Bad co-star Bryan Cranston delighted fans with their cameos, playing younger versions of themselves alongside Saul star Bob Odenkirk in flashback scenes, but Aaron insisted viewers don't need to point out that he's aged.

"I haven't aged a bit, let's be honest," he laughed to The Hollywood Reporter. "There's always going to be people who poke at something. Obviously, I've aged; we've all aged. But it's fun, so let that go.

"I had the time of my life back then, and when I jumped into his skin now, I had the time of my life again. So it was interesting to just be as playful as I could possibly be with him. Pinkman was without a care in the world at that time, especially when you compare it to what lies ahead in his very near future. So it was a beautiful challenge."

His comments come after Thomas Schnauz, one of the show's producers and writers, explained to Variety why they decided against digitally de-ageing Aaron and Bryan.

He revealed that, as a whole, the team don't do a lot of de-ageing on Better Call Saul despite the series being set before Breaking Bad and featuring some of the same cast.

"There's a little bit of stuff on the guys' faces to take a few lines out here and there, but other than that, Aaron is not going to look like an 18-year-old kid or however old Jesse was during this time period," he stated.

"I do sort of dread people cutting this scene into the world of Breaking Bad and trying to match the way they look then and now, but it's not something you can worry too much about. It is what it is."