Better Call Saul's Bob Odenkirk says co-star Rhea Seehorn "saved my life”

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Bob Odenkirk says he "wouldn't be here" had it not been for Better Call Saul co-star Rhea Seehorn

Bob Odenkirk in Better Call Saul
(Image credit: AMC)

Better Call Saul's Bob Odenkirk says he's "so lucky" that co-stars Rhea Seehorn and Patrick Fabian were with him right at the moment he suffered a heart attack on set, and credits the pair for "saving my life". 

While attending the 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards on Sunday, March 6, the Jimmy McGill actor was commended for being so open about his health scare – which saw him take a six-week break from work – by Variety. In response, Odenkirk explained that he "wouldn't be here" without the help he got that day.

"She saved my life," he said, pointing to Seehorn. "She was right there to pick my head up off the ground and scream her head off..."

"Patrick and I were with 'im, Patrick Fabian and I," Seehorn, who plays Odenkirk's onscreen wife Kim Wexler. "If he had went to his trailer, he wouldn't be here. Lots of lucky things. Patrick and I were right there, and we also have multiple trained medical professionals on set."

Odenkirk was hospitalized in New Mexico on July 27, 2021, having collapsed while filming the sixth and final season of the Breaking Bad spin-off. He later explained that he'd had a "small heart attack", and told fans that he'd be "back soon". Production resumed on September 8.

"I'm feeling great," the 59-year-old went on to say in the recent interview. "I had two stents put in my heart, and that makes the blood flow real good, and I take my medicine and I work out. I'm in good shape. I haven't gone vegetarian. I mean, I don't eat meat at every meal, but I still eat a lot."

"He's really healthy except for ice cream. He eats a ton of ice cream," Seehorn laughed.

"I eat ice cream every day, at least once... and chocolate," Odenkirk admitted. "What saved my life was CPR, so if you haven't taken a CPR class recently, you should go do it again because they change the procedure a bit. 

"That saved my life number one, and then an AED device, which is defibrillator that you can have at your workplace. If you don't know how to work one, find out because they're easy to work and that also saved my life."

Better Call Saul airs on AMC in the US, and Netflix in the UK. While we wait for season six to land on April 19, why not check out our list of best TV shows of all time. 

Amy West
Amy West

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.