“Better Call Saul” star Bob Odenkirk was not too sure about starring in the “Breaking bad” sequel despite his fame as Saul Goodman in the series.
Odenkirk was more of a comedian before he played a shady lawyer on the AMC show. He also previously wrote for comedy shows like “Saturday Night Live” and several non-comedy shows.
The actor detailed his reservations about being a part of “Better Call Saul” to Entertainment Weekly during an interview.
Bob Odenkirk Opens Up About Being Hesitant To Star In “Better Call Saul”
Odenkirk’s role as a supporting character in “Breaking bad” was loved by many fans. However, he was involved in several other shows before his involvement with the spin-off series.
He got the lawyer role when the show’s creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould noticed his HBO series “Mr. Show with Bob and David” and became fans of ‘Mr. Show.’
With the success of “Breaking bad,“ Odenkirk was later allowed to be a lead star in the follow-up show “Better Call Saul.” However exciting, he had a few doubts about starring in the show.
The American actor believed it was risky, and he wanted the producers to do it for their reasons, not because of his opinion. This made him withdraw whenever he was asked about the show. He continued:
“I think Vince might have thought it was kind of weird to suggest to an actor, ‘What if I create a show for you?’ and have that actor look at him and go, ‘I dunno. It’s your free time. Do what you want with your time.’”
Initially, the talented writer was not a fan of the ‘Saul Goodman’ character and wondered how the producers would make the character amiable.
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The show’s producers made it work as they made the shady lawyer a naturally likable character without changing the personality, which made the star actor eventually like the character.
Odenkirk revealed in an interview with The Off-Camera Show that Bryan Cranston, his former co-star, advised him regarding his role in the spin-off series.
The comedian wanted to know how Cranston could handle being a leading actor. The “Breaking bad” star replied that he always made sure he always got to set and revised his lines.
Filming the season finale of “Better Call Saul” was not an easy feat for Odenkirk as he experienced a meltdown while he was on set.
The details were revealed in an interview with The Guardian. The lead actor was pretty emotional and did not fully grasp the series’ conclusion.
He told the media outlet that he could not do a particular scene; however, he did not reveal the details of the scene that triggered the breakdown.
Filming the season came to an end this month after several COVID-related delays. It has been predicted to have more violence and would return on April 18.
The Award-Winning Actor Experiences Heart Attack But Has No Recollection Of The Incident
Odenkirk suffered a minor heart attack last July, and he shed light on the near-death experience in an interview with The New York Times.
The Blast shared that during the filming of “Better Call Saul,” the 59-year-old collapsed and told the news outlet he had no recollection of the incident.
After shooting a scene all day, Odenkirk decided to hang out with co-stars Patrick Fabian and Rhea Seehorn instead of heading back to his trailer. Seehorn then noticed he started turning bluish-gray immediately.
The production’s medics were notified of the situation, and they conducted CPR on him, which did not work till the third attempt, after which they attached him to a defibrillator.
The show’s co-stars were able to structure the details of the incident to Odenkirk, whose memory was muddled at the time.
Since 2018, the skilled director has had plaque buildup on his heart but refused to undergo treatment. The eventual heart attack was not expected but resulted from the disintegration of pieces of the plaque.
At the time of the heart attack, Odenkirk was taken to a hospital close to the production set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where medical experts removed the plaque from his heart.
As he recovered from his condition, family and friends stayed by him. He later expressed his gratitude to AMC, SONY, the show’s health safety supervisor Rosa Estrada, and the doctors who fixed the blockage without surgery.
