Bob Odenkirk is best recognized for his Emmy-nominated performance as the smooth and charismatic Jimmy McGill, also known as Saul Goodman, in the highly-praised TV shows Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. However, in real life, he’s quite different from the characters he portrays on screen, as he is a committed family man.
Bob Odenkirk Committed To His Family:
In actuality, Bob Odenkirk is a devoted father of two children, and his dedication to his family is just as remarkable as his success in acting. He fondly remembers the sleep patterns of his 24-year-old son, Nate, from when he was a child, and he feels fortunate that his career in entertainment has given him the freedom to be actively involved in parenting.
The Hands-On Dad:
Odenkirk shares, “I was actually home a lot because I was writing and developing and directing movies when they were little. I was able to go to school a lot, take them to school every morning. I was very available.”
Bob Odenkirk’s daughter, Erin, who is the younger of his two kids with producer Naomi Yomtov, paints a picture of him as a highly involved and attentive dad. She fondly recalls how he actively supported her in soccer, took her to dentist and doctor appointments, and was always there to pick her up from school. Erin’s upbringing was refreshingly ordinary, which is quite unusual in the glitzy world of showbiz.
A Shift in Recognition:
As Bob Odenkirk’s acting career was taking off, his daughter Erin and her friends didn’t really know about his achievements in the entertainment industry. It wasn’t until she was around 12 or 13 years old that she started to understand just how famous her dad was becoming. Nonetheless, their family continued to enjoy a peaceful and ordinary life together.
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Erin shares a unique facet of her father’s personality: his passion for art in all its forms. Whether it was watching a favorite movie or enjoying music during car rides, Odenkirk instilled in his children a deep appreciation for artistic expression. Yet, he went a step further by encouraging them to create art themselves. This led to the family’s endeavor of writing poems together, a creative process that produced approximately two poems each week. Erin fondly recalls this period as a “faux writer’s room,” where their imaginative minds collaborated.
A Pandemic Project Takes Shape:
Originally conceived as a personal project, Bob Odenkirk’s poems underwent a transformation during the pandemic. As the world slowed down, he saw a chance to revisit and expand upon these poems. He decided to collaborate with his daughter, Erin, who had graduated from the Pratt Institute in New York City. Erin brought her own distinct and charming artistic style to the project by providing illustrations for the poems.
The culmination of their creative collaboration is the upcoming children’s book titled “Zilot & Other Important Rhymes,” scheduled for release on October 10. Interestingly, “Zilot” was a term coined by Bob Odenkirk’s son to describe a fort.
However, not all poems from the original family collection made it into the book. Odenkirk admits that poems with an overly didactic tone were left out.
A Proud Collaboration:
Erin Odenkirk, who is presently dedicating her efforts to individual art projects, openly values the opportunity to work alongside her father. She sees it as a privilege to use her artistic skills in their joint creative ventures.
Bob Odenkirk has also explored collaborative projects with his son, Nate, who is a comedy writer. Together, they recently co-authored a piece that was published in the New Yorker.
A Shift in Perspective:
In more recent years, Bob Odenkirk’s perspective on his career has evolved, largely due to a major event in 2021—a heart attack. He openly acknowledges that this health scare initially had a relatively small impact but did lead to some temporary memory issues.
Reflecting on the experience, he shares, “It’s something I think about every day. Weirdly, it didn’t affect me much for a long time.” After his heart attack, Bob Odenkirk experienced an unusual surge of energy but struggled to fully comprehend the seriousness of the incident because of frequent memory lapses. Over time, though, he began to accept the event and its effects on his life.
Embracing the Present:
Today, Bob Odenkirk is cautious about taking on too much work, highlighting the importance of cherishing life’s moments. He recognizes the risk of constantly moving from one project to another without leaving room for reflection and enjoyment.
As he looks ahead, Odenkirk places great importance on having the time and space to fully appreciate life’s experiences. It’s a lesson he has learned from his own experiences and one he intends to carry with him.
Ultimately, Bob Odenkirk’s journey from the screen to his family and art provides a unique perspective on the various facets of his life and career.
