The Intense Way Bob Odenkirk Got Ripped For Nobody - Exclusive
When you think of middle-aged actors taking up the role of action star, Keanu Reeves is probably the first to spring to mind. After a long break post-"Matrix" trilogy, Reeves came roaring back with the revenge sensation that is "John Wick." But there are plenty of actors who you wouldn't be surprised to see dive back into high-octane adrenaline-fueled action flicks no matter how old they get — Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, and Sylvester Stallone certainly spring to mind, just to name a few.
But Bob Odenkirk? An action hero? Getting angry and brutally murdering people in the street? Sure, his best-known role as Jimmy McGill (aka Saul Goodman) from "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" is conniving and manipulative, but he's not John Wick. Long-time Odenkirk fans would certainly recognize him as the hated milk machine from the sketch comedy program "Mr. Show," but that's an altogether different kind of violence.
Beware, any who would pigeonhole Bob Odenkirk. In "Nobody," the "Breaking Bad" actor plays against type, embodying a middle-aged former assassin named Hutch Mansell who comes out of retirement to protect his family, and his performance is absolutely brutal. So, how did Odenkirk prepare to become such a hard-hitting tough guy? Looper spoke with "Nobody" stunt coordinator Greg Rementer for the full story behind 2021's most surprising action star.
Rementer helped make Odenkirk 'aggressive,' 'angry,' and 'brutal'
"We enhanced Bob's training for about two months while he was wrapping up 'Better Call Saul' in L.A., intensely working out as much as he would on weekends," Rementer explained. "And two weeks in a row in L.A., almost stepping up to a new level with things that he might not have done before. Some jujitsu, some judo, some knife stabbing, some weapons training at facilities throughout Los Angeles."
But that wasn't the end of Odenkirk's sprint toward the fighting finish line. "Just when he thought he couldn't get enough, he came to Winnipeg for about a month or two before we started shooting there," Rementer revealed. "We were working in the spaces with the actual performers and just grinding every day. Bob was working out in the morning. Now he's working out cardiovascular with weights two hours in the morning before he would come in. Then he would come to stunt training. He was on a diet, and he was getting absolutely shredded. You can actually see it towards the end of 'Better Call Saul.' His character starts to look super toned, but to our benefit because he showed up a lean, mean, fighting machine."
By the time of filming, this is how Rementer described Odenkirk: "He was aggressive, he was angry, he was brutal." Sounds pretty genre-appropriate to us. If you want to see just how brutal Bob Odenkirk can get, "Nobody" is available on VOD and blu-ray/4K UHD now.