Better Call Saul actor Bob Odenkirk opens up about leaving the show and his character. He played criminal lawyer Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad Season 2 which aired in 2009, and few could have predicted that he would become one of the most beloved characters. Because of this, he got his own solo spin-off Better Call Saul with solid six seasons.
The show was critically-acclaimed and regarded as one of the best all-time shows alongside Breaking Bad. Leaving the series was difficult for Odenkirk, and while he has a new project coming along, the actor is still wallowing for the part of his life that ended.
Bob Odenkirk On Bidding Goodbye To Saul Goodman
The role of Saul Goodman is so versatile that it gave Bob Odenkirk the chance to present a multi-dimensional character. He went through his own villain origin tale until he found redemption. Loyal viewers are offered a bittersweet finale, a closure that Goodman is meant to have.
In his interview with Empire, Odenkirk said that he is still trying to take in the fact that he will no longer play Saul Goodman:
“I wanted more time to wallow, and I’m going to wallow for the next ten years or more. I know that was probably the role of my lifetime, and that’s a wonderful thing to have had. Some people don’t get that. I will be wallowing the rest of my life.”
When asked about what he thought about the finale, the actor said:
“I would not have predicted it. I would have predicted an ending with more explosions. I’m so glad there weren’t. And yet the weird thing about it to me is that it really came from relaxing your grip on the characters.”
Odenkirk revealed that one of the struggles in portraying such a character is that he is too emotionally intelligent when it comes to interacting with people but is never aware of it when it comes to himself. He said that when he read the script and found out that the writers gave the character the “self-knowledge” that Goodman always had in the end, he thought, “Yes, exactly, that’s what should happen.”
Odenkirk Isn’t Bothered If Fans Will Typecast Him As Saul Goodman
Many actors try to venture and branch out to different roles just to avoid being typecast into a certain role, but Odenkirk could not care less. In a Venice Film Festival masterclass reported by Deadline, the actor revealed:
“I have very mixed feelings. We get into this business most of us because we want to play a variety of stories. It’s one of the joys. It was a long time to play one guy and portray his psyche. I’m gonna miss the good parts of that guy and the friendships with the actors. We even lived together. And that’ll be the role I’ll be known for my whole life.”
From the statements of Bob Odenkirk, fans could feel it is brimming with so much love for the character and the job he has done for more than a decade.
Better Call Saul can be streamed via Prime Video, Netflix, and Apple TV.
