Bob Odenkirk has shockingly revealed medics had to perform CPR on him when he had a heart attack on the set of Better Call Saul, saying his co-stars helped to save his life.
The American actor, 59, fell ill while shooting the final series of the Breaking Bad spin-off series last summer, saying the heart attack was caused by plaque breaking off and blocking an artery.
He said his co-stars Rhea Seehorn and Patrick Fabian, who he was at the sound stage with at the time, helped to save his life by ‘screaming their heads off’, alerting the medic, who then performed CPR.
Life-threatening: Bob Odenkirk has spoken out about having a heart attack on the set of Better Call Saul, saying medics had to perform ‘CPR’ on him
Speaking on Tuesday’s Lorraine, he said: ‘I had a heart attack, I had some plaque break off and block the artery and they [Patrick and Rhea] were right there, they came over, didn’t know what to do but screamed their heads off and then the medic showed up and performed CPR. Thank god, very lucky, very lucky.’
The Breaking Bad actor, who was hospitalised after the heart attack, said Rhea, 49, and Patrick, 57, were waiting on the side of the set at the time because of Covid-19 restrictions.
Last month, Bob told the New York Times he shockingly didn’t have a pulse when he had the heart attack, which saw him ‘turning bluish-gray’ and it took three shocks to restart his heart.
He explained: ‘I’d known since 2018 that I had this plaque buildup in my heart. I went to two heart doctors at Cedars-Sinai, and I had dye and an M.R.I. and all that stuff, and the doctors disagreed.’
Shock: The actor, 59, fell ill while shooting the final series of the Breaking Bad spin-off series last summer, saying the heart attack was caused by plaque breaking off and blocking an artery
The two physicians gave different options with Bob ultimately choosing to wait out doing anything about it instead of starting medication.
The actor said everything was okay with his heart until ‘one of those pieces of plaque broke up’ when he was on set.
He explained: ‘We were shooting a scene, we’d been shooting all day, and luckily I didn’t go back to my trailer.
‘I went to play the Cubs game and ride my workout bike [at a space where he and his co-stars regularly spent downtime], and I just went down. Rhea [Seehorn] said I started turning bluish-gray right away.’
Bob said he was later transported to Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque and ‘around 5am the next morning they went through right [at my wrist area] and blew up the little balloons and knocked out that plaque and left stents in two places’.
Help: He said his co-stars Rhea Seehorn and Patrick Fabian (both pictured far right) helped to save his life by ‘screaming their heads off’. Also pictured: Bob and Michael Mando
In August, Bob gave fans an update on his health after his late July heart attack on set in New Mexico.
‘I am doing great. I’ve had my very own “It’s a wonderful life” week of people insisting I make the world slightly better, began the actor in a tweet.
One month later, the talented star let his social media followers know he was back to work as he shared an image from the makeup room as he prepared to shoot a scene for his hit TV series.
‘Back to work on Better Call Saul!’ his note began. ‘So happy to be here and living this specific life surrounded by such good people. BTW this is makeup pro Cheri Montesanto making me not ugly for shooting!’
Hospitalised: Last month, Bob said he shockingly didn’t have a pulse when he had the heart attack, which saw him ‘turning bluish-gray’ and it took three shocks to restart his heart
The star has since wrapped up filming the sixth and final season of his Breaking Bad spin-off, admitting on Lorraine that it was ‘very hard’ to say goodbye to the character and the ‘amazing’ crew’.
He said: ‘We just finished the final season about a month ago, it was very hard to say goodbye to, I’ve been playing the character for almost 12 years now and the spin off for six years.’
The series centres around lawyer Jimmy McGill [Odenkirk] who, over the course of several years, mishaps and questionable ethical choices rebrands himself as smarmy criminal attorney Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad.
A prequel spin-off of the Bryan Cranston series, Better Call Saul managed to carve out a home for itself among televisions great dramas.
The return: In September the star let his social media followers know he was back to work as he shared an image from the makeup room as he prepared to shoot a scene for his hit TV series
Executive producer of Better Call Saul, Peter Gould, previously confirmed the show’s final season will consist of 13 episodes rather than the usual 10.
‘From the beginning when we started this, I think all our hopes and dreams were to be able to tell the whole story,’ Gould said in a statement.
He added: ‘And make it to be a complete story from beginning to end. We’re going to try like hell to stick the landing of these 63 episodes.’
The sixth and final season of Better Call Saul begins airing Monday, April 18 on AMC.
