Bob Odenkirk opened up on the Multiple Talking Women podcast about his near-fatal heart attack on the set of Better Call Saul in 2021. Odenkirk’s heart “pretty much stopped,” the Mr. Show star said during his interview, before he quickly “turned gray and stopped breathing.”
Odenkirk laughed good-naturedly as he described how the incident unexpectedly became more frightening when the on-set medic appeared to apply first aid.
“The medic came around the corner and he froze in his tracks. It was his first day,” Odenkirk said. "And he said, 'Oh no.' And he didn’t move.”
Odenkirk explained that, despite not remembering the actual episode, the medic approached him when the actor arrived back on set to offer a heartfelt apology. However, it was Odenkirk’s first time hearing the story.
"Weeks later when I came back, he said, 'I’m so sorry, it was my first day, I have been a firefighter,'—he was retired—'I’ve never done CPR. I have only ever seen other people do it,'” Odenkirk said, laughing.
Odenkirk’s terrifying medical episode occurred on July 27, 2021, as he and the crew were filming the sixth and final season of Better Call Saul. He recalled the terrifying circumstance to The New York Times in 2022.
“I just went down. [Co-star] Rhea [Seehorn] said I started turning bluish-gray right away," Odenkirk said.
In 2018, doctors informed Odenkirk that he had significant plaque buildup around his heart, but treatment couldn’t be agreed upon. His 2021 cardiac arrest resulted after “one of those pieces of plaque broke up,” the Nobody actor explained.
Odenkirk isn’t slowing down his workload, though. He has two action movies on the horizon, including the anticipated sequel to Nobody. The star is also gearing up for the similarly titled actioner Normal, in which he stars as a small-town sheriff at the center of a bizarre bank robbery. Neither film is dated for release at this time.
You can watch Odenkirk’s full Multiple Talking Women interview below.
