Over the course of his career, which dates back to the '80s, Bob Odenkirk has emerged as a comic icon. Alongside fellow comic David Cross, he worked on popular sketch comedy shows like Saturday Night Live and Mr. Show for a large portion of his early career. He also had small appearances in Seinfeld and Roseanne. 

After losing out on the role of Michael Scott in The Office in the 2000s, he was cast in critically and financially unsuccessful movies, including Let's Go to Prison and The Brothers Solomon. He ultimately rose to fame in 2009 when he joined the cast of Breaking Bad as the corrupt attorney, Saul Goodman.

But did you know that before he actually got to play Saul Goodman, he was pretty much experiencing his luck in real life with his finances?

The Better Call Saul actor was once in a financial bind, despite his current success in movies and television. Bob Odenkirk disclosed in a 2022 interview on the SiriusXM radio show hosted by Howard Stern that he had serious financial difficulties in the middle of the 2000s and was even told to take out a sizable loan.

He told Stern that he lacked vision and was not very creative as a filmmaker. He was in a "financial hole" as a result of the films he was directing, which finally prompted him to ask his business manager for assistance. He was taken aback when his then-business manager advised him to take out a $900,000 loan to help him "keep afloat."

Instead, the actor-director hired a different business manager who suggested that, in order to make some money, he should accept as many film roles as possible. Odenkirk began directing commercials in addition to taking on greater acting and writing responsibilities in films. He claimed that he chose to "act, direct," and "make stuff" even more rather than being his typical "picky self," as he told Stern on the Howard Stern Show.

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He kept this up for years that is until his career-defining role in Vince Gilligan’s Breaking Bad came along.  

In 2008, Bob Odenkirk got a phone call from his business manager, who informed him that he was going to be offered a role in Breaking Bad and also advised him not to refuse the role. He responded by saying that he had not done that in a year and a half, and he accepted whatever came his way. But despite the advice, the actor did his due diligence about the show, and for this, he contacted one of his writer buddies, Reid Harrison. He told Odenkirk that it was the best television show right now, and he got to do it. 

So he accepted the part, and the rest is history. He also recently revealed a life-changing incident from his Better Call Saul days that had a lasting impact on him. However, this throwback is also a good reminder of how close Bob Odenkirk is to Saul Goodman in real life.      

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Did you already know this about Bob Odenkirk, or is this the first time you are hearing about his bankrupt ? Do let us know in the comments.