Bob Odenkirk’s unscrupulous lawyer and con artist Saul Goodman in the blockbuster series Breaking Bad, was an interesting role that got its own spin-off series with the actor as the protagonist. Better Call Saul which worked as a prequel to the Bryan Cranston series, was one of the most popular and critically acclaimed shows that put the actor front and center.
While this character defined Odenkirk’s career, the actor changed track and took on a true blue action role in 2021’s Nobody in which he plays a family man who returns to his former life of crime after a harrowing incident. To play this part, The Post star revealed that he had very specific conditions about how his character should be envisioned, which included avoiding standard stereotypes associated with the physicality of action heroes.
Bob Odenkirk Wanted His Nobody Character To Steer Clear Of Cliches
In 2021, Better Caul Saul star Bob Odenkirk showcased a very different side to himself in Nobody directed by Ilya Naishuller. In the film, Odenkirk plays a mild-mannered family man who is forced to go back to his former profession of being an assassin after his house is brutally broken into by thieves associated with a deadly crime lord.
The action thriller saw the celebrity in a swashbuckling avatar that earned him praise from critics and audiences across the world. According to latest information reported in Collider, a sequel is on the way and will begin filming in the Fall of 2024, with the casting process underway at the moment.
Speaking of how he prepared for the role of Hutch Mansell, a man with a violent past and history, The Cable Guy actor revealed that he was very aware of how his protagonist was projected in the narrative. Speaking of the stereotypes associated with action stars that include a muscled physique and an indestructible quality to their persona, Odenkirk was clear that this image must be changed.
This was also necessary because the actor believed that the role which also required him to be a doting father and family man, must be relatable to people on a physical and emotional plane as well. To achieve this, Odenkirk decided that he would train in such a way that he would do his own action scenes with a level of authenticity that would echo the nuances of his character. Speaking to The Guardian about this process, he said,
I didn’t want to look like a superhero. I’ve had friends who do these superhero movies, and they do that kind of weight training, and it’s all about their biceps and all that s**t. I said: ‘I want to do my own fighting, but I also want to look like a dad.’
Ultimately, the celebrity’s insistence on how the role should play out, worked wonders for the film and his character as it showed the vulnerabilities that are also present in courage. With Nobody 2 already in the works. Odenkirk fans will be eager to see what’s in store for Hutch Mansell next.
This Film Literally ‘Hit’ Close To Home For Bob Odenkirk
Sometimes, fiction and reality intertwine in strange ways, and Bob Odenkirk was on the receiving end of the phenomenon, albeit in an unfavorable setting. The actor who played a former assassin trying to protect his family from a deadly foe after a break-in by thieves, actually experienced the same terrifying incident not once, but twice in real life.
In an interview with The Guardian, Odenkirk elaborated on the harrowing experiences leading to his house being broken into on two separate occasions. While his character Hutch Mansell responded with violence by ruthlessly smashing his perpetrators, the actor revealed that reality made him realize that he was nowhere near the hero he wanted to be.
There is a feeling, a residue that stuck with me very strongly, of what else could I have done? I wish I’d done more. If you look back with any perspective at all, you say, ‘Well, you did the right thing. You didn’t blow up the danger or make the interaction more damaging than it needed to be.’ But you can’t help but think, what else could I have done?
Needless to say, the Breaking Bad star channeled these terrifying experiences to bring out the heroic aspects of his character in Nobody that made him relatable to audiences.
Nobody can be rented on Amazon Prime.
