Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk)
Breaking Bad’s Bob Odenkirk and Arrested Development’s David Cross are both huge TV stars, but they’re not taking success for granted. Once upon a time, the comedic pair were just struggling comics trying to get a script made in Hollywood. They opened up to Salon about the switch from comedy to drama, the future of Odenkirk’s Breaking Bad spinoff, and their new book of scripts that didn’t make the cut.
Both comics have played dramatic roles, from Odenkirk’s Saul Goodman to Cross’s roles in Kill Your Darlings and It’s a Disaster. But Cross seemed frustrated that comedic actors aren’t always taken seriously for dramatic roles:
It’s really frustrating that people still think that way. And you know it’s lazy and thoughtless. At some point, Zach Galifianakis will be nominated for an Academy Award, sometime in the next 20 years, and people will just be shocked. “I can’t believe he has that ability to grasp those emotions and show them to us.” It’s like he’s a human being and not a funny robot.
On that note, Odenkirk gave us a hint of what to expect in his Breaking Bad spinoff, Better Call Saul:
Vince has told me, the last time he talked to me, he said that it will be slightly more dark than it is funny. That’s an interesting balance to strike. And I’m excited.
Their book, “Hollywood Said No!” is a collection of scripts written by Odenkirk and Cross around sketches from their HBO show, “Mr. Show With Bob and David.” The scripts were rejected, but now they will live on forever in literary form. As Odenkirk puts it:
“We always refer to Hollywood likes it’s this monolithic ship, like it’s a DMV office that you go to and they tell you whether it’s “yes” or “no.” We always talk about the Mayor of Hollywood, or getting kicked out of Hollywood, or being asked to leave show business… “
But they didn’t take the rejection personally. “It’s like getting mad that you didn’t win the lottery,” Odenkirk said.
[Salon]