It took just three hours for Reddit’s r/breakingbad to raise $1,000 for charity on Thursday, thanks to a little help from some Hollywood friends.
On the hit AMC drama, Breaking Bad, Luis Moncada plays half of assassin duo The Cousins, chillingly cold-blooded, silent killers who take orders from a powerful Mexican drug cartel. The role isn’t entirely a stretch: In real life, Moncada is a reformed gangster, an ex-con who was working as a Hollywood security guard before his big break on the show.
When he was just 21—when he thought that he’d never escape the L.A. gang world—Moncada had the words “Fuck You” tattooed across his eyelids. At one time it was an angry statement to the world. Now it’s a message to the past.
Moncada has used his newfound fame to promote charities, especially those that fight to pull kids away from the seductive lure of gang life. He’s also a fan and active contributor at Reddit’s r/breakingbad, where he’s hosted a couple of live interviews (AMAs, or “ask me anything”).
Those worlds collided late Thursday in a fun, frenzied fundraising session for A Place Called Home, a South Central, L.A. safehaven for at-risk kids.
The idea for the fundraiser—dubbed “Breaking Good”—came from Moncada and Jarod C., who goes by edify on Reddit. The plan was to rope together a few Breaking Bad actors—in this case Charles Baker (Skinny Pete) and Rodney Rush (Combo)—to join Moncada for a triple-powered AMA.
The drive launched at 4pm ET. At 7pm, after Baker, Rush, and Moncada had fielded questions for three hours, they’d already reached their goal and bagged $1,000 for charity. The number now stands at $2,600.
“I’m so honored to be a part of this amazing Cause,” Moncada wrote in the Reddit thread. “Educating people and helping our kids about the reality of Gang life has been very dear to my heart for a very long time.”
Photo via AMC/Breaking Bad