Bob Odenkirk played the role of Saul Goodman in Vince Gilligan’s Breaking Bad. However, he has no idea how he became Gilligan and co-creator Peter Gould’s favorite to play the role of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman’s attorney. Odenkirk reprised his role in Gilligan’s prequel series, Better Call Saul.
Interestingly, Gilligan saw Odenkirk in his HBO sketch series, Mr. Show with Bob and David, and was impressed with his performance. Odenkirk is also a renowned writer, having written for shows like Saturday Night Live and The Ben Stiller Show.
Bob Odenkirk Didn’t Ask Vince Gilligan About His Casting Decision in Breaking Bad
Bob Odenkirk first appeared in the episode, titled Better Call Saul, in the second season of Breaking Bad. He went on to play the role in six seasons of the prequel show. Odenkirk recently appeared in WIRED’s Autocomplete Interview where he answered the most searched questions about his character.
One of the questions he got to answer in the interview was: “How did Bob Odenkirk get cast in Breaking Bad?”. Odenkirk shared that he never found out the answer to that question since he never dared to ask the creators, Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. He feared that if he had asked the question when he was cast, he would’ve been kicked from the show.
However, Odenkirk knew that both Gilligan and Gould were fans of Mr. Show with Bob and David, the HBO sketch series he co-created and co-starred with comic David Cross. The creators found him to be the perfect guy to play the part of the conman-turned-lawyer. The Nobody actor shared with WIRED‘s interview:
A real good question and when I hesitated to ask, because I didn’t want to get kicked out of Breaking Bad. I didn’t want them to rethink their choice. And Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould who wrote the character of Saul Goodman into the first script that he was in Breaking Bad were both fans of Mr. Show and both thought I was the guy to play the part. I don’t know why.
Vince Gilligan first considered a spin-off featuring the character of Saul Goodman in Better Call Saul. However, Saul’s role in Breaking Bad was extended beyond the initial plans. Better Call Saul‘s development began during the production of the original series’ final season in 2013.
Bob Odenkirk Has The Highest Regard For His Breaking Bad Creator
During the WIRED interview, Odenkirk also shared that Gilligan was the smartest guy in the room during the production of the series, even though he pretended not to be. Odenkirk shared that Gilligan secretly knew that he was working really hard on the project but never showed it to anyone. He was polite in his conversation with people on set and never was rude to anyone.
Odenkirk added that Gilligan did whatever he felt like doing in Breaking Bad and it turned out to be the right thing every single time. Odenkirk shared (via WIRED):
Vince Gilligan is the smartest guy in the room, but he pretends not to be. He’s got this performance that he does. You could call it the aw shucks guy. He secretly knows that he’s working really, really hard and he’s also smart as shit. So he listens to people, very, very politely. He’s never ever rude. And then he does what he’s gonna do and it’s the right thing every damn time.
Odenkirk was nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor for his role in Better Call Saul. He had earlier received the Emmy for writing for SNL and The Ben Stiller Show.
Both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are now available for streaming on AMC+.
