Bob Odenkirk’s 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 Odenkirk front and center.
While the celebrity had many memorable experiences during the filming of the show, one nerve-racking incident involved Odenkirk unexpectedly suffering a heart attack on set. To make matters worse, the star survived a further scare to his life when an inexperienced paramedic’s reaction almost ended in disaster.
Bob Odenkirk On Surviving A Major Health Scare On Set
As the unscrupulous lawyer and con-artist Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad, Bob Odenkirk’s performance ensured that the actor got his own standalone show that gave him huge success. Better Call Saul which ran for 6 seasons, gave audiences a nuanced origin story that delved into the complexities of the character.
While The Post actor revealed that his experience working on the show was memorable, he would want to forget one particular health scare that he faced on the set while filming in New Mexico, when he collapsed all of a sudden on July 28, 2021.
It was later revealed that the actor had suffered a heart attack after he was rushed to the hospital. But his situation almost turned into a bigger disaster owing to a paramedic who attended to him on the set. In an interview with the Multiple Talking Women podcast (via EW), the Nobody actor elaborated on what went down.
The actor remembered his heart feeling heavy and his breath stopping before he fell to the floor. At that moment, he saw a paramedic turn the corner towards him to administer first aid, only to freeze in his tracks on seeing the actor sprawled on the ground. The two words that he heard from the medic’s mouth before he became unconscious was, ‘Oh No.’
Fortunately, Lady Luck was on Odenkirk’s side as he was eventually rushed to the hospital and treated successfully before returning to film the remaining episodes a few weeks later. The medic who was at the spot that day, returned to explain himself and to profusely apologize to the actor for his slowness in reacting. It turned out that there was a very specific reason for him doing so.
“Weeks later when I came back, he said, ‘I’m so sorry it was my first day, I have been a firefighter, I’ve never done CPR. l have only ever seen other people do it,’”
While the paramedic’s inexperience could have resulted in a massive disaster, Odenkirk miraculously survived thanks to the medical attendant coming out of his shock at just the right time to administer help to the actor.
Bob Odenkirk Reflected On His Time In Breaking Bad
The ensemble cast of Breaking Bad recently reunited at the SAG Awards to present the trophy for Best Ensemble Cast in a drama series. Along with lead protagonist Bryan Cranston and other actors like Aaron Paul and Anna Gunn, Bob Odenkirk who played the crafty Saul Goodman in the show, was also present on stage.
Unlike some of the other characters, Odenkirk’s sly antagonist appears only towards the end of season 2. The celebrity addressed his involvement in the show with honesty when talking about his equation with the other members of the cast who had been there since the beginning.
In a chat on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the Little Women star elaborated on his experience with his co-stars on set and why he developed a camaraderie with them only much later.
“Very good people to include me because I really was popping in, and I felt very much like a guest in their company. Maybe towards the end, I felt more part of the show, but the truth is they established that show and everything about it, the tone and the integrity of the work before I ever showed up.”
Interestingly, Odenkirk also revealed that when he signed on for the show, he had never seen any episodes of Breaking Bad except for watching a mere 10 minutes on DVD. He narrated a lighthearted incident that served as an ice-breaker between Cranston and him when the former called him out on his lack of knowledge about the characters and the series.
All 6 seasons of Better Call Saul are available for purchase on Apple TV.
