Over the past few decades, audiences have watched Bob Odenkirk transform from an Emmy-winning comedy writer (“Saturday Night Live”) into a dramatic TV star (“Better Call Saul”) and then a silver screen action hero (“Normal”).
Now, the Naperville native is bringing that range to theater – mastering Mamet’s witty banter on the Broadway stage, delivering a powerful rendition of Congressional testimony Off-Broadway, and leaning into his silly side in a small production in Champaign this month.
Odenkirk said he is drawn to the audience engagement, which he soaked up in his Tony-nominated role as Shelley Levene in the Broadway revival of “Glengarry Glen Ross” last year.
“You’re backstage listening to them, going, ‘Oh, they’re lively. Oh, they’re quiet. Oh, they’re a little drunk,’” he said. “And then you go out there and you feel how they’re listening and what’s landing with them. Every time you do the play it’s different, because of what you’re feeling back from the audience. It’s awesome.”
Odenkirk’s next theatrical role is landing him in an unlikely venue. He will be featured in “We Interrupt This Program,” an alien invasion story written by his brother, Bill, on Oct. 16-17 at The Virginia Theatre in Champaign. From there, he will come to Chicago on Oct. 18 for the Chicago International Film Festival, appearing at a screening of his new documentary, “Bob and David Climb Machu Picchu,” co-starring friend and fellow comedian David Cross, at Music Box Theatre.
In an interview, Odenkirk, 63, reflected on his 40-year career, which has taken him from the “Saturday Night Live” writers’ room to a celebrated role as Saul Goodman on “Breaking Bad” to action movies. He said his professional decisions are more intentional than ever, following a 2021 heart attack.
But the Los Angeles-based actor retains a thirst for experimenting and challenging himself.
“I’m sort of trying to figure out, who am I, really?” said Odenkirk, who has two kids with his wife, Naomi, who works as a producer and talent manager.
“I’ve actually gotten to do the things I love to do and the things I just found interesting, but didn’t love that much. And I’ve got to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my time. You’ve got to make big choices so you’re spending your time wisely.”
‘I don’t like living without comedy’
Odenkirk addresses this “crossroads” in his career in “Bob and David Climb Machu Picchu,” directed by Michael LaHaie. The film follows Odenkirk as he traverses the Inca Trail in the Andes Mountains alongside Cross, with whom he created the ‘90s HBO sketch series “Mr. Show.” The two buddies riff and reminisce their way through the four-day Peruvian adventure, which they completed in 2024.
“We just flow,” Odenkirk said. “We’ve never stopped being in sync when we’re in person together. And that’s what we wanted to share with people.”
They discuss their perspectives on their childhoods, creativity and aging. During the trip, Odenkirk was also mentally preparing to shoot two action films and make his debut on Broadway.
“I could see this avalanche of work coming at me when I was climbing Machu Picchu,” he said.
“I was like, ‘I’m going to do all this stuff. It’s going to be very hard, and I hope I do it right. And then I’m going to need to take a break and assess how it does, what people like, and what I like about it.’”
When it comes to acting, Odenkirk likes a challenge, which is why he enjoyed portraying Saul Goodman, an eccentric, morally compromised lawyer, for several years.
“I didn’t train as an actor,” he said. “It took all my focus and thought and effort and craft. And I learned an incredible amount about acting. It took everything I had to pull that off.”
Though “Better Call Saul” contained scenes of tension and violence, Odenkirk said he was grateful for the humor that the showrunners and writers infused in the show.
“I don’t like living without comedy,” he said. “Whenever Saul is making a TV commercial, he’s having the time of his life. I loved when that character got to have fun. Those things saved me.”
Finding the right fit on and Off-Broadway
Odenkirk said he also evaluates the tone of a script when seeking out theatrical roles.
“I was considering a really well-written Broadway show, and I just was like, ‘It’s too dramatic, it’s too sad, it’s just too much of a downer,’” he said. “I couldn’t do it.”
There are elements of dark humor in Odenkirk’s roles in “Glengarry Glen Ross” and Eric Bentley’s “Are You Now or Have You Ever Been,” which runs through Sept. 11 at New York City Center Stage I. The latter depicts real-life figures, from Arthur Miller to Paul Robeson, who were subpoenaed to testify before the 1940s House Committee on Un-American Activities. The rotating cast performed dialogue pulled entirely from actual transcripts of the hearings.
In a limited run last summer, Odenkirk portrayed actor Lionel Stander, who was accused of being a communist and blacklisted from Hollywood. He delivered witty and powerful commentary before the committee.
“I love what he did, and I loved getting to play him,” said Odenkirk, who will reprise the role in a film adaptation of the play.
Odenkirk said the production reinforced how the government demonized the entertainment industry, and created “a scary boogeyman to be afraid of and to punish people.”
Today, there is pressure on social media for celebrities to both state their political beliefs and keep quiet, said Odenkirk, who recently narrated an ad for Los Angeles City Councilmember and Democratic mayoral candidate Nithya Raman.
“Some consider me a loony, left-wing Hollywood person,” he said. “All my ethics and political thinking was forged in Naperville by a staunchly Catholic mother. I’m still that guy. I don’t consider myself shaped by Hollywood.”
Staying connected to Chicago, from the burgers to ‘The Bear’
Odenkirk said he has also been shaped by Chicago, where he did stand-up and took improvisation classes at the Players Workshop after attending Southern Illinois University. He also performed at The Second City.
Though his career has taken him to other places, he continues to visit the city. And he was an acclaimed addition to the celebrated Chicago show “The Bear.”
“It was to stay connected to the city,” he said of taking on the Emmy-nominated guest role. “It was the wonderful writing. It was the wonderful cast.”
When he’s in town, he said he relishes visits to the “magical” Wrigley Field for Cubs games, trips to Unabridged Bookstore in Lake View, and Italian Beef orders at Al’s Beef. And he said the South Side’s That’s a Burger has “the best burger in the world.”
Odenkirk also said he would “love” to perform at local theaters like Steppenwolf or The Goodman. In the meantime, he is preparing to direct a TV show for his son, Nate, and writing several projects, including a play with Cross.
As a writer, he said he is most interested in exploring concepts of “allegiance and belief.”
“I think it’s at the core of our problems right now,” he said. “People have an allegiance to a group that they should question, and not feel so tied to beliefs that they haven’t examined.”
He said a “relaxing” of such beliefs will foster more harmony.
“We need to listen to each other again and open our minds up to sharing this world,” he said. “That’s the only way forward.”