'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAf/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC/9oADAMBAAIQAxAAAACbWMC//8QAHxAAAQMEAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwECEgAEBREHISIj/9oACAEBAAE/AMJkIjCyPklyNhCaWbEi7tvelpeJsmf6jy9nAnpNgdX/xAAXEQEAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABABES/9oACAECAQE/AMlE/8QAFhEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQAC/9oACAEDAQE/AHTf/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk had a heart attack on the set of the iconic show back on July 28, 2021. While being interviewed at the first live show of the Multiple Talking Women podcast on Friday, April 12, 2024, the actor reminisced about what he called a "funny medic story" from when he got a heart attack.
Odenkirk humorously revealed the reaction of the on-set medic at the time, who, according to him, froze up and said, "Oh, no," when he saw Odenkirk's condition. The Nobody star stated,
"It was his first day."
Odenkirk's heart attack resulted in him taking time off from filming the show at the time. However, he eventually returned in September of the same year to resume filming for the show's final season, which aired the following year.
"I just went into the black": Bob Odenkirk talks about his 2021 heart attack
On Friday, The Groundlings celebrated its 50th anniversary with the first-ever live session of its satirical podcast, Multiple Talking Women. One of the guests who attended the event was Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad's Saul Goodman, Bob Odenkirk.
While he shared the stage with the hosts, Goodman had a "funny medic story" from the set of Better Call Saul for the audience. Co-host Lauren Burns asked Goodman if he was talking about the incident where his heart stopped, and Odenkirk confirmed it. The actor laughed and explained,
"Pretty much stopped. It slowed down to a point where I turned grey and stopped breathing."
He further narrated,
"The medic came around the corner, and he froze in his tracks. It was his first day, and he said, 'Oh, no.'"
Bob Odenkirk had passed out by then, but the sincere medic later apologized to the actor. The medic came up to Odenkirk and told him it was his first day and that he was a retired firefighter. He told Odenkirk that he had never actually performed CPR, he had just watched it being done. Thankfully, and according to Odenkirk, "eventually," he performed CPR on the actor.
Co-host Lisa Shurga thanked God that Bob Odenkirk was still alive as she thought that if he had passed, the medic might have been "pretty messed up." Odenkirk agreed that it was a scary experience for everyone else but him as he just "disappeared." When asked if he went anywhere during that time (spiritually), he stated,
"I did not go anywhere. I just went into the black. I went into nothing."
When he finally woke up, Odenkirk remembered feeling "great" and "awesome." He revealed that the medical staff put him in a coma and that he didn't remember waking up the next day and had no memory for a week. However, every time he woke up for the next two months, he had the same great attitude.
In an interview with The Independent in April 2023, Bob Odenkirk shared a similar story about how he started to process his "widowmaker" heart attack. At the time, he told the publication that he was still "unpacking" the whole thing.
"During the actual event, it was like I wasn't mentally there."
He added,
"Even weeks later, when I returned to set, it was an emotional moment, but I was a little bit excluded from it. I don't know if it's a defense mechanism, but my brain really compartmentalized the experience. It really shoved that thing far away."
Odenkirk also recalled having what he called a "strangely upbeat" energy about him after the heart attack. He remembered feeling "chipper" and clueless about the sheer enormity of what he'd gone through. He revealed that although his brain tried to hide what had happened, it slowly sank in over time.
The Multiple Talking Women podcast is available for streaming on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
