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 and said his co-stars helped save his life.
The American actor, 59, fell ill while filming the final series of the Breaking Bad spin-off series last summer and said the heart attack was caused by plaque breaking away and blocking an artery.
He said his co-stars Rhea Seehorn and Patrick Fabian, with whom he was on the sound stage at the time, helped save his life by “shouting their heads off” and alerting the paramedic, who then performed CPR.
Life-threatening: Bob Odenkirk opened up about having a heart attack on the set of Better Call Saul and said he needed medical professionals to perform CPR on him
Speaking to Lorraine on Tuesday, he said: “I had a heart attack, I had plaque breaking off and blocking the artery and her [Patrick and Rhea] were right there, they came over, didn’t know what to do but screamed their heads out and then the paramedic showed up and did CPR. Thank God, very happy, very happy.’
The Breaking Bad actor, who was hospitalized after suffering a heart attack, said Rhea, 49, and Patrick, 57, were waiting on set at the time due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Last month, Bob told The New York Times that he shockingly had no pulse when he had the heart attack that caused him to “turn bluish-gray” and it took three shocks to get his heart going again.
He explained: “I’ve known since 2018 that I had this plaque buildup in my heart. I went to two cardiac doctors in Cedars-Sinai and I had a stain and an MRI and all that stuff and the doctors disagreed.
Shock: The 59-year-old actor fell ill while filming the final series of the Breaking Bad spin-off series last summer and said the heart attack was caused by breaking off a plaque that was blocking an artery
The two doctors gave various options, with Bob ultimately choosing to wait and do something about it rather than start the medication.
The actor said his heart was fine until “one of those pieces of plaque broke” while he was on set.
He explained: “We shot one scene, we shot all day and luckily I didn’t go back to my trailer.
“I played the Cubs game and rode my training bike [at a space where he and his co-stars regularly spent downtime], and I just went down. Rhea [Seehorn] said I immediately started turning blue-gray.’
Bob said he was later taken to Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque and “about 5 a.m. the next morning they went straight through [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 save his life by “screaming their heads off”. Also pictured: Bob and Michael Mando
In August, Bob updated fans on his health following his heart attack on set in New Mexico in late July.
‘I’m doing well. “I had my very own It’s a Wonderful Life week where people insisted I make the world a little better,” the actor began in a tweet.
A month later, the talented star let his social media followers know he was back at work when he shared a picture from the makeup room as he prepared to shoot a scene for his hit TV series to turn.
“Back to work on Better Call Saul!” began his note. “So happy to be here and living this special life surrounded by such good people. BTW, this is makeup pro Cheri Montesanto not making me ugly for the shoot!
Hospitalization: Last month, Bob said he shockingly had no pulse when he had the heart attack that left him “bluish-gray” and took three shocks to get his heart going again
The star has since wrapped up filming on the sixth and final season of his Breaking Bad spin-off, and admitted to Lorraine that it was “very hard” to say goodbye to the character and the “amazing” crew.
He said: “We only finished last season about a month ago, it was very hard to say goodbye to that, I’ve been playing the character for almost 12 years now and the spin-off for six years.”
The series focuses on lawyer Jimmy McGill [Odenkirk] who, over the course of several years, mishaps and questionable ethical decisions, renames himself Breaking Bad as sleazy criminal defense attorney Saul Goodman.
Better Call Saul, a prequel spin-off of the Bryan Cranston series, has managed to carve out a home among the big screen dramas of television.
The return: In September, the star let his social media followers know he was back at work when he shared a picture from the makeup room as he prepared to film a scene for his hit TV to shoot a series
Better Call Saul executive producer Peter Gould previously confirmed that the show’s final season will consist of 13 episodes instead of the usual 10.
“From the moment we started this, all of our hopes and dreams were focused on being able to tell the full story,” Gould said in a statement.
He added: “And make it a complete story from start to finish. We’re going to try like hell to survive the landing of these 63 episodes.’
The sixth and final season of Better Call Saul begins Monday, April 18 on AMC.