Bob Odenkirk Didn’t Realize ‘Better Call Saul’ Was a Big Deal Until He Saw a Billboard in LA
Bob Odenkirk has been a prominent name in entertainment for decades, having worked as a writer on Saturday Night Live and as a producer for several popular comedies. These days, he’s a star in front of the camera, with the leading role in the critically acclaimed AMC series Better Call Saul. A spinoff of Breaking Bad, widely considered one of the greatest TV shows ever made, Better Call Saul is in its sixth and final season.
With a staggering 39 Emmy Award nominations, Better Call Saul is undoubtedly a hit. However, Odenkirk revealed in a recent podcast that he had no idea the impact the series would make until after he finished filming the first season.
Bob Odenkirk made waves on ‘Breaking Bad’
Viewers first met the character Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad when Walter White turned to the shady lawyer for help getting out of a precarious situation.
As played by Bob Odenkirk, Saul quickly became a fan favorite, appearing as a recurring character throughout the series. However, in the beginning, Odenkirk was unsure how the whole thing would work out.
He told Dax Shepard in a recent Armchair Expert episode that he hadn’t even watched Breaking Bad when he was cast. At the time Odenkirk landed the role, the show hadn’t yet garnered the viewership it would eventually receive.
“It was not remotely a hit. No talk of a hit,” Odenkirk told Shepard. “Critics loved it. People who knew it loved it — and that was a small group of people.
“Bottom line. I hadn’t watched the show. I watched it on the plane. I watched 10 minutes of it,” Odenkirk revealed. “I was like, ‘OK, I get it.’ Even [Breaking Bad creator] Vince [Gilligan] saying, ‘Do you think there’s a sequel in this or another show?’ I would just say, ‘What? I don’t know. If you think so.’ I don’t sit around and think about it.”
When did Bob Odenkirk realize ‘Better Call Saul’ would be huge?
Finally, Odenkirk had a moment of shocking realization. He told Shepard, “But as far as pursuing the job, getting the job — it didn’t even occur to me what a big thing it was until they put the billboard up.”
Odenkirk described how he was shopping at his local Trader Joe’s when he noticed “this massive billboard of me up. And I’m like, ‘Ohhh nooo.’ That’s the first time it occurred to me. Everyone is gonna at least sample this thing. They all love Breaking Bad.”
For Odenkirk, the character of Saul has completely changed the course of his career, with millions of fans worldwide turning to the series for escapism and entertainment.
Odenkirk had ‘all kinds of stress issues’ after filming ‘Better Call Saul’ Season 1
Odenkirk, who rose to fame as a writer for sketch comedy shows, never saw himself having the career trajectory he has experienced.
After telling Shepard that he never saw himself as a lead in a dramatic TV series, Odenkirk revealed, “Even when I went and shot the first season of Saul — it’s a little hard to express this. There’s something about my point of view in this — and I don’t think I’ve nailed it down completely — but it was so hard to shoot that first season.”
He added, “I worked my ass off. I had so much dialogue. I lost my voice. I had all kinds of stress issues. When the season was done, all I did was walk my dog for four months.”
Because the star was “numb” from the intensity of the experience, it makes sense Odenkirk wasn’t aware of the enormous impact Better Call Saul would have in the world of television entertainment.
