Aaron Paul is probably best known for his role as a crystal meth addict in the blockbuster series Breaking Bad. But you may also have seen him in the high-octane car action thriller Need for Speed.

In the 2014 movie, he plays a troubled speed shop owner and ex-racing driver that takes part in an illegal street race. The storyline has him embarking on a race across country in a Ford Mustang (the hero car) to avenge the death of his friend.

The movie director, Scott Waugh, chose to shoot the majority of the stunt scenes using live action cameras. Only a few of the film’s explosive street-action sequences use CGI techniques.

Paul, a car enthusiast that drives a 1965 Shelby Cobra, was keen to take on many of the stunts himself. And, in order for him to do so, he had to convince Waugh that he was up to the task.

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Aaron Paul's Stunt Driver Training

Aaron received expert training from Rick Seaman and his team of stunt veterans at the Motion Picture Driving Clinic in California. The specialist training school has a whole fleet of vehicles and a closed track for students of all abilities to practice on in a safe environment.

The team at Motion Picture Driving use a combination of light classroom study and hands-on practice to train new stunt drivers. And they gave Paul some key pointers on how to really push a car to its limits. He received tuition on how to drift a car, reverse at high-speed, do 180 degree turns, and extreme braking.

In a behind the scenes video on IGN's YouTube channel, we see him in training. He's seen smiling at the in-car camera as he attempts a series of key maneuvers, and trying to avoid running into cones in the clinic's bright yellow sedan.

After Aaron’s short course of training, Rick had this to say about the actor’s driving: "Some people are born with it, some aren’t. I can tell that Aaron is."

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Aaron Paul Enjoys The Ride And Achieves His Goal

We were keen to find out what the director, Scott Waugh, thought of Paul's driving. After the movie he had this to say:

“When I cast Aaron I was really looking for the next young Steve McQueen. I saw Aaron as being the guy. But I thought, ‘could he drive?’ I told him he needed to learn how to stunt drive, and he was game. I was nervous because most actors can't drive race cars. So I asked my stunt guy how he did after the first day of learning, and he turns to me and he said, ‘If films don't work out for Aaron, he can always become a stunt driver.' He's got the finesse, he doesn't muscle the car, he lets the car work for him. He had zero mishaps."

When you look back at the movie, Scott's gamble worked. His decision to allow Aaron Paul to do his own stunts paid off, for he was a natural behind the wheel. And the live action filming strategy definitely worked. Paul and the other drivers delivered some epic stunts that proved to be a real treat for the audience. It turned out much better than if they'd sat inside stationary cars and tried to act out all of those slick driving moves on green screen.