Bob Odenkirk might be one of the few lucky people in the whole wide world for not only is he an incredible actor with a huge fan following but the actor once also cheated death. Known best for Breaking Bad and its prequel series Better Call Saul, the actor suffered a widowmaker heart attack while on the set of the prequel.
While thankfully his co-stars and crew rushed to his aid, reviving him through CPR, the actor had the most unusual response after surviving the incident.
Bob Odenkirk’s Unusual Response After Suffering a Major Heart Attack
It is no secret that Bob Odenkirk suffered a heart attack that nearly cost him his life. Known best for playing the conman-turned-lawyer in Better Call Saul, Saul Goodman, it was in the sets of the finale of the show that he nearly lost his life.
During filming, the actor suddenly lost consciousness and began to turn grey as his co-stars quickly called for help (via Howard Stern Show). Fortunately, it was CPR performed by the set’s health advisor that saved his life, for he exclaimed he would have been dead otherwise.
While his co-stars and those near him are grateful that he is alive today, they were shocked to see how unbothered the actor was post his recovery. During an interview with The Independent, Odenkirk remarked,
“During the actual event, it was like I wasn’t mentally there. 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… People around me looked at me funny, like ‘You know you had a heart attack, right?’ I had this smile on my face, like ‘What are we doing next!’ But they were like, ‘No, it was really bad.’ It was a weird thing.”
Exclaiming that he was chirpier and happier than usual after his recovery, the actor revealed that had he not been exercising, his recovery and chances of survival would have greatly diminished.
Bob Odenkirk Credits His Speedy Recovery to Exercising and Working Out
Bob Odenkirk is 61, an age when most people would slow down (unless they are Tom Cruise!). Yet Odenkirk is still active as ever and even shocked his fans and the audience with his incredible action scenes in the John Wick-esque movie Nobody.
And it is the extensive training that he put in for the role that eventually helped him survive the heart attack he suffered on the sets of Better Call Saul. While on the Howard Stern Show, he remarked,
“It [training] saved my life… Because I was in good shape, you kind of enlarge other veins around your heart, if you work out a lot… And I was told that more blood was able to go to my heart during CPR because these veins were just a little bit bigger from a lot of working out.”
Crediting his two years (via IndieWire) of brutal training (via Men’s Health) for Nobody as the reason why he is alive, the actor is also grateful for everyone who supported and prayed for him.
While Better Call Saul can be streamed on Netflix, Nobody can be seen on Amazon Prime.