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Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/461818
BoB's Big Br eak AcclAimed for his ensemble work on everything from Saturday Night Live to BreakiNg Bad, chicAgo nAtive BoB oden ir strides into the spotlight As the stAr of the hotly AnticipAted new show Better CaLL SauL. by ben stiller photography by rainer hosch B ob Odenkirk has built his reputation on a series of smart collabora- tions: The Naperville native developed the character of iconic motivational speaker Matt Foley for fellow Second City Mainstage performer Chris Farley; wrote for Saturday Night Live, The Ben Stiller Show, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien; and went on to create cult sketch series Mr. Show. In recent years, Odenkirk has gained renown for his sup- porting roles on award-winning series Fargo and Breaking Bad—and now he's ready for his biggest role yet: AMC's Breaking Bad prequel, Better Call Saul, which sees Odenkirk returning as smooth-talking attorney Saul Goodman. As Odenkirk prepared for the show's premiere, he and friend (and former SNL office mate) Ben Stiller enjoyed a laugh-filled conversation about staying grounded, taking risks, and how Chicago's comedy scene taught him to be a dramatic actor. Ben Stiller: Hey Bob, how's it going? Bob Odenkirk: I'm good, how are you? BS: I 'm good. I' ve always fantasized about interviewing you. There are so many questions I have. BO: I hope they're all Chicago-related. BS: [Laughs] Of course. Where did you actually grow up? BO: Naperville, mostly. I was born in Berwyn—doesn't that sound pretty? [Laughs] I was born in the pretty town of Berwyn, and I lived in La Grange and spent most of my life in Naperville, which is 30 miles southwest of Chicago. It's a very nice suburb—it's actually a very old town for that part of the country. When you walk around the main part of town, there are still lanes for horses. BS: Oh, wow. You didn' t have one? BO: I never had a horse. I never lived in the nice part of town where they use horses. [Laughs] But Berwyn is on the train line to Chicago—it's a one-hour ride. I went to Second City when I was 14. A neighbor was going and invited me to go because my family would never spend money to see entertainment. BS: What did your parents do? BO: My father made business forms. Does that sound exciting? Sexy? BS: [Laughs] So that's where the comedy came from? BO: The truth is, he was really funny. He made jokes all the time. He was cynical and [had a] dry sense of humor. He liked bar jokes, like the kind people pass around in a bar or businessmen tell each other. I'm not a huge fan of those kinds of things, but he loved them, and he also loved Hee Haw and Benny Hill. BS: [Laughs] Benny Hill, of course. I loved Benny Hill too, mainly because they had the fast-motion women running around jiggling —as an 8-, 9-year-old, that was very exciting. Let me ask you: How old were you when you started to write comedy actually? BO: Seriously? 10. BS: Ten years old. BO: Yeah, when I was 10 or 11 I'd sit down and I would write sketches. [Laughs] BS: [Laughs] Because the first time we ever met was Saturday Night Live, right? It was 1988, I guess. That' s when I was there for a very short period of time, and you were already one of the most well-established sketch writers on that show. BO: Wow. Well, I certainly didn't feel like it, but I'm glad you felt that way. [Laughs] BS: You were the guy who knew the ropes and was really, really good at it, and I think you had that reputation there. We first knew each other through the sketch world, and I remember thinking, How is this guy so confident and good at this very specific art form? The fact that you started at 10 years old now makes more sense. You just had a feeling you wanted to do it. BO: Yeah, I still just do it. [Laughs] It's crazy—there's a part of my brain that formed at a young age. BS: It's interesting to me that you obviously had this calling that you knew—like, I knew when I was 10 years old I wanted to direct movies also, and I started making Super 8 movies. For me, I was always in New York around show business, so to meet a guy who grew up totally outside of it in Naperville… You still had that same drive and that same connection with it. BO: I also made a pact with myself that if I didn't get work by the time I was 30, I would stop. I mean, I'm a conservative guy in my life, and I'm a Chicago guy, and my dreams are somewhat grounded. [Laughs] michiganavemag.com 101