Bob Odenkirk Collapses on 'Better Call Saul' Set

FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2020, file photo, Bob Odenkirk speaks at the AMC's "Better Call Saul" panel during the AMC Networks TCA 2020 Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2020, file photo, Bob Odenkirk speaks at the AMC's "Better Call Saul" panel during the AMC Networks TCA 2020 Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
TT
20

Bob Odenkirk Collapses on 'Better Call Saul' Set

FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2020, file photo, Bob Odenkirk speaks at the AMC's "Better Call Saul" panel during the AMC Networks TCA 2020 Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2020, file photo, Bob Odenkirk speaks at the AMC's "Better Call Saul" panel during the AMC Networks TCA 2020 Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)

“Better Call Saul” star Bob Odenkirk collapsed on the show's New Mexico set on Tuesday and had to be hospitalized.

Crew members called an ambulance that took the 58-year-old actor to a hospital, where he remained Tuesday night, a person close to Odenkirk who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter told The Associated Press.

It was not immediately clear what caused the collapse, or how long Odenkirk might be hospitalized.

“Better Call Saul,” the spin-off prequel to “Breaking Bad,” has been shooting its sixth and final season, which is set to air on AMC next year.

Like “Breaking Bad,” “Better Call Saul” is set in and mostly shot in Albuquerque.

An email sent to a representative of AMC seeking more information or comment was not immediately returned.

Odenkirk has been nominated for four Emmys for playing the title character, a down-on-his-luck lawyer named Jimmy McGill who becomes increasingly corrupt and adopts the pseudonym Saul Goodman.

Michael McKean, Odenkirk's co-star who played his brother on the show, was among many wishing Odenkirk well on social media.

“Sending huge love to our @mrbobodenkirk,” McKean tweeted. “You got this, brother.”

Odenkirk's hospitalization was first reported by TMZ.

Before the “Saul” role, which he also played on “Breaking Bad,” Odenkirk was best known for “Mr. Show With Bob and David,” the sketch comedy series he co-created with David Cross that originally aired on HBO from 1995 to 1998.

He has won two Emmys, for his writing on “The Ben Stiller Show” and on “Saturday Night Live.”

He has also appeared on HBO's “The Larry Sanders Show” and in the films “The Post,” “Little Women” and “Nobody.”



‘The Institute’: Stephen King’s New TV Thriller Premieres in London

Author and screenwriter Stephen King appears at the premiere of "The Life of Chuck" during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on Sept. 6, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
Author and screenwriter Stephen King appears at the premiere of "The Life of Chuck" during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on Sept. 6, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
TT
20

‘The Institute’: Stephen King’s New TV Thriller Premieres in London

Author and screenwriter Stephen King appears at the premiere of "The Life of Chuck" during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on Sept. 6, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
Author and screenwriter Stephen King appears at the premiere of "The Life of Chuck" during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on Sept. 6, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

American writer Stephen King and director Jack Bender have joined forces again for a new TV thriller "The Institute", which premiered in London on Thursday.

Based on King’s best-selling 2019 novel by the same name, Bender said after working together on shows such as crime drama "Mr. Mercedes" and sci-fi show "Under the Dome" they were keen to find a new project.

"This show is about the power of youth coming together to rectify the world that all of us adults have screwed up a little bit," Bender said.

As well as directing, Bender, along with King has an executive producer credit on the show, as does Ben Cavell, who also wrote the small screen adaptation.

Joe Freeman, in his first major role, stars as Luke Ellis, a teenager with unusual abilities, who is kidnapped and taken to "The Institution," a facility full of trapped kids with psychological powers.

"He's never acted and he's remarkable .... The minute I saw him on tape, it was: 'Oh, my God, this kid is it. He's so real,'" Bender said of 19-year-old Freeman, the son of actor Martin Freeman.

Asked if his dad, known for "The Hobbit" franchise and "Sherlock" had given him any advice, Joe Freeman said it was not to take anything for granted, as "the job (of an actor) is 99% rejection."

Freeman stars alongside Emmy award winner Mary-Louise Parker as Ms. Sigsby, who runs the institution and Ben Barnes, who plays an ex-cop whose life becomes intertwined with the facility.

"It's a sort of... a slow simmering sort of horrifying thriller rather than a horror," Barnes said.

While the first series covers the book, there are plans to continue.

"We certainly intend to tell much more story... if there's an appetite for it, we will absolutely continue this story because these characters, these actors, this crew... it all feels too good to leave behind," Cavell said.