BOB ODENKIRK IS, put simply, a legend. The star of Breaking Bad, its prequel Better Call Saul and last year’s surprise action breakout Nobody (best bus brawl ever), not to mention a dillion small but memorable comedy cameos, is a man who can portray a breathtakingly sleazy lawyer and make you like him. He continues to find the humanity in Saul Goodman, aka Jimmy McGill, a perpetually flop-sweating ambulance-chaser with zero capacity for embarrassment (“I once convinced a woman I was Kevin Costner,” Goodman revealed to Walter White, “and it worked, because I believed it”). He’s turned a truly pathetic loser into an icon, one of TV’s most nuanced characters. Legendary stuff.
So when Odenkirk suffered a heart attack on the set of the final season of Better Call Saul back in July, we — along with millions of others — held our breath. Fortunately, he recovered, and is now back at work, creating Jimmy’s final transformation into the Costner-impersonator we know, love and cringe at. To mark the occasion, and celebrate a singular career, we did a special photoshoot with Odenkirk at his Albuquerque home. And our Chris Hewitt spoke to the star for a candid, fascinating 90 minutes, discussing his recovery and why he’s feeling more fulfilled now than ever before.