Bob Odenkirk Got Some Reassuring Advice From Bryan Cranston Before Shooting Better Call Saul – Looper

On Season 5 of the interview-based series Off Camera, Bob Odenkirk revealed that Bryan Cranston gave him a lot of practical advice — when “Better Call Saul” started — in terms of how to be a leading man on a “Breaking Bad” project. Odenkirk said that he knew how to handle the pressure, having previously starred alongside David Cross on the sketch comedy series “Mr. Show with Bob and David.” What Odenkirk wanted to know was what Cranston’s day actually looked like, while working on “Breaking Bad.”

Given the tremendous actor he is, Cranston had some words of wisdom about the work ethic necessary for such a serious role. “He goes, ‘Oh, okay, here’s what you do. You get to set, you’ve learned your lines, [and] you work,'” Odenkirk said, paraphrasing Cranston’s advice. “‘At lunch, you study your lines. You get to set, you work. You ask them to make you dinner, like a sandwich or something from the cart, and then you bring that home so you don’t have to make dinner because you need to work when you get home. And then you work at night, then you go to bed, then you do that again the next day.'”

Cranston told Odenkirk to work weekends as well. However, despite the seriousness of the “Breaking Bad” star’s advice, the “Better Call Saul” actor found it reassuring. “I walked away from that going, ‘Okay, right. You just work constantly and then you’ll be okay,'” he said.