Bob Odenkirk initially thought ‘Better Call Saul’ “was a huge risk”
A risk it was worth taking, it turns out
Better Call Saul has been a success - this much is true. The Breaking Bad spin-off had a lot to live up to, but is now on the verge of its fourth season - that’s good going for any show over in the cancel-happy US.
But things weren’t so certain to begin with - Bob Odenkirk (Saul himself) had apprehensions about doing the show, he has revealed in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly. He said:
“I always thought it was a huge risk, and all I wanted was [creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould] to do it for their own reasons, and not because I asked them to do it or pressured them to do it.
“So I basically backed off every single time it was suggested to me. I think Vince might have thought it was kind of weird to suggest to an actor, ‘What if I create a show for you?’ and have that actor look at him and go, ‘I dunno. It’s your free time. Do what you want with your time.’
“I didn’t want to be hoping, counting on it, and I didn’t know what it was. We didn’t really know who the character was when we left Breaking Bad.”
“My first question when we talked was, ‘How do you make him likable?’ Because I didn’t like that guy. I mean, I like watching him — like a car wreck when you’re not in it. It’s intriguing. It pulls you in. But he’s a bad guy.”
Odenkirk also spoke of his dread for the upcoming season, which sees His character (Jimmy) transition into the Saul we all know and love/hate:
“I’m having to confront the fact that he is becoming Saul, and I don’t like Saul.
“If he was my friend, I would say, ‘Don’t go that route.’”
We’ll get to see how it all pans out come August six when season 4 premieres. VERY. EXCITING. NO?
(Image: Getty)
