Bob Odenkirk Recalls His Heart Attack on the Set of ‘Better Call Saul’

Thanks to his appearance as the shady attorney Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad, actor Bob Odenkirk became a very popular actor and soon, the character received his own spin-off series in the form of Better Call Saul, which served as a prequel and sequel to Breaking Bad. Odenkirk received praise for his performance as Saul Goodman in both series, but the final season of Better Call Saul almost cost him his life, as the actor had a “small heart attack” while on set, having been rushed to the hospital.

Luckily, the actor recovered quickly and returned to film the remainder of the final season, which was praised as one of the best seasons overall. Recently, the actor sat down for a talk and recalled this experience, looking back on how it all played out at the time.

Just a quick recap, the actor was rushed into hospital on July 28, 2021, after having collapsed on the set of Better Call Saul. He was provided with adequate medical care and was soon released. The actor himself issued a statement following his hospitalization, confirming that he had had a small heart attack and that he would be fine:

“Hi. It’s Bob. Thank you. To my family and friends who have surrounded me this week. And for the outpouring of love from everyone who expressed concern and care for me. It’s overwhelming. But I feel the love and it means so much.

I had a small heart attack. But I’m going to be ok thanks to Rosa Estrada and the doctors who knew how to fix the blockage without surgery. Also, AMC and SONYs support and help throughout this has been next-level. I’m going to take a beat to recover but I’ll be back soon.”

Source: Twitter

This was an official statement by the actor himself, while his representatives also released an official statement soon after:

“We can confirm Bob is in stable condition after experiencing a heart related incident. He and his family would like to express gratitude for the incredible doctors and nurses looking after him, as well as his cast, crew and producers who have stayed by his side. The Odenkirks would also like to thank everyone for the outpouring of well wishes and ask for their privacy at this time as Bob works on his recovery.”

Source: Entertainment Weekly

This is how it happened back then. Odenkirk soon recovered and returned to finish his scenes for the final season which, as we have confirmed, became a massive hit, as Odenkirk was once again praised for his magnificent performance of the shady attorney.

Recently, Bob Odenkirk gave an interview for the Multiple Talking Women podcast, in which he recalled his experience with the heart attack, as well as how it all played out at the time. Odenkirk explained that his heart had “pretty much stopped”, i.e., that it had slowed down so much that it turned grey and stopped beating, but that wasn’t the most interesting detail that Odenkirk revealed. Namely, as the actor later explained, the medic who came to him froze when he first saw him. He was a retired firefighter who became a medic and it was his first day on the job, which is why he was so shocked. This is what Odenkirk said:

“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.’”

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Luckily, the story had a happy ending and Bob Odenkirk was fine, but this is certainly one of the moments that defined his career, and had the intervention not been timely, it might have had a more grim outcome. But, since then, we’ve seen Odenkirk in many new roles and we are looking forward to seeing him in more roles in the future.

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