Bob Odenkirk Reveals How Breaking Bad Saved Him From Bankruptcy

When it comes to Hollywood, Bob Odenkirk has had one of the most interesting careers. The actor started out doing comedy and was known best for Mr. Show, the sketch series he made with David Cross in the 1990s. Odenkirk reached a new level of fame when he started playing Saul Goodman on the award-winning series, Breaking Bad, which eventually led to a spin-off starring Odenkirk, Better Call Saul, which just wrapped production on its final season. Recently, Odenkirk was interviewed by Howard Stern, and he revealed that Breaking Bad saved him from bankruptcy.

“What happened was, I spent some time making some feature films. They weren’t great, I didn’t get paid a lot for them, I enjoyed directing them, mostly, I didn’t really have direction. I didn’t have a vision for these things and this journey as a director. So I somehow got in this financial hole. I got this phone call from my business manager one morning saying, ‘You have to sign this loan to keep afloat.’ It was a weird call, Howard. I had little kids and life was pretty good, and I’m doing these jobs and developing stuff and I get this phone call…” 

Odenkirk went on to say that he had no idea about the loan and it caused him to go to a different business manager who suggested he keep taking jobs to make money, so he “stopped being picky” and his “snooty self.” “I said, ‘Work’s work, let’s do it,’” Odenkirk explained to Stern. 

After about a year-and-a-half of taking any job that came his way, he got the offer for Breaking Bad. “I still checked it out. I still wanted to know what the hell the show was.” The actor’s friend, Reid Harrison, told him, “Oh, that’s the best show on TV, you gotta do that.” And the rest is history!  

Last month, Odenkirk paid tribute to the “amazing crew of people” behind the two-part, 13-episode finale of Better Call Saul, which is premiering this year on AMC and AMC+. 

“Yesterday an amazing crew of people finished shooting ‘Better Call Saul’ in Albuquerque, NM,” Odenkirk wrote on Instagram. “It began in 2014, with great writing always leading the charge, and despite challenges of all kinds, our energy and care never flagged. I am honored to have been part of it.”

AMC has set an April 18th premiere for the first seven episodes of Better Call Saul: The Final Season Part 1. The series will return with its final six episodes when The Final Season Part 2 premieres on July 11.