Bob Odenkirk relates his experience training for the action film Nobody to the skills required in late night comedy, emphasizing the importance of timing and confidence. After spending over a year preparing for physical scenes in Nobody, he noticed that mastering on-screen fighting shared similarities with delivering comedic punchlines effectively.
“I understood the basic rules of screen fighting, and I understood the language of it [after the first movie],”
Odenkirk said during a recent conversation in Los Angeles.
“I understood how the camera interacts. I learned so much on Nobody 1, and we put it to use on Nobody 2.”
He also revealed that he continued training between the two films, extending the process over five years.
A Proven Path from Comedy Writer to Performer
Before his venture into action roles, Odenkirk established himself in comedy through writing for Saturday Night Live and Late Night with Conan O’Brien. These formative years helped him develop skills later showcased in HBO’s Mr. Show, a sketch series he co-created, produced, and starred in. Despite shifts in the entertainment industry, he remains hopeful about the future of comedy.
The recent announcement of Stephen Colbert’s departure from broadcast late night sparked questions about the sustainability of traditional comedy pathways. Odenkirk acknowledges these changes but suggests that the comedy landscape continues to offer opportunities.
Optimism Amid a Changing Comedy Marketplace
Odenkirk remains upbeat about the abundance of comedy content across digital platforms despite financial challenges. The growth of internet, YouTube, and streaming services has expanded the range of comedy opportunities, even if pay rates vary and viewership is fragmented.
“With the internet and with YouTube, and with all the streamers, there’s more comedy than there ever was, and there’s more platforms and opportunities than there ever was. They tend to pay less, but they pay something and there’s more of them. So that’s good. I think the biggest challenge is you could make a very good show now and almost nobody sees it because there’s just too much to sample.”
He further added,
“The industry kind of does this journeying of expanding and contracting, expanding and contracting, so possibly we’re gonna contract a little bit, but I love how many platforms there are, and how much variety we can see.”
Late Night Sets to Adapt, Not Disappear
Despite the pressures from streaming and changing viewer habits, Odenkirk believes that late night comedy will endure in new forms. Although the recent challenges faced by figures like Colbert are unfortunate, Odenkirk sees this as part of a necessary evolution reflecting broader industry trends and audience migration to online content.
“Some version of late night will continue. It’s terrible what’s happened here with Colbert, but also I feel that I understand it. There are a lot of late night shows that are very similar to each other, and I can see how much is now online and a lot of my viewing is online, so I understand how it’s going through these changes. I’m okay with it. There’s gonna be lots of opportunity for us.”
Reflecting on SNL and Long-Standing Comedy Bonds
Odenkirk’s reflections on his comedy roots include a fond look back at Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary celebration, which reunited him with longtime peers such as Kevin Nealon, Dana Carvey, and David Spade. Though Odenkirk has had a complicated relationship with SNL in the past, the event offered a nostalgic reunion with former cast and crew whom he had not seen for decades.
“It was the greatest, that SNL 50 was so well done,”
Odenkirk remarked.
“Lorne Michaels really outdid himself, and just seeing all my old friends, Kevin Nealon and Dana Carvey and [David] Spade, and some of the writers. You know, everybody who worked on Saturday Night Live was invited to those events, so I got to see people who were in makeup and people who were in the front office and assistants. I haven’t seen those people in 35 years, you know? So it was really great.”
Looking Forward to New Ventures and Continued Success
While Odenkirk appreciates the past, he maintains a forward-looking view, especially as Nobody 2 prepares to release on August 15. His role as Hutch Mansell suggests further adventures in action, alongside ongoing opportunities in evolving comedy formats. Odenkirk’s balance of nostalgia and enthusiasm underscores his belief in late night comedy’s ability to adapt and flourish amid industry upheaval.
