‘Better Call Saul’ Star Bob Odenkirk Gives His Children Advice To ‘Be Nice’ And Have 'Empathy For People’

Mar 22, 2023

Bob Odenkirk, the star of the hit series "Better Call Saul," has had much success in his nearly 40 years of working in Hollywood, and the one bit of advice he would always remind his two children about is to "be nice" to everybody they meet. 

The Illinois-born actor started as a writer for "Saturday Night Live" in New York City in 1987 and worked alongside fellow writer Conan O'Brien and comedians like Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and David Spade. Odenkirk then moved to Los Angeles in 1991 to write for programs like "Get a Life" and "The Dennis Miller Show" but started acting in front of the camera as a cast member of "The Ben Stiller Show” a year later.

By 1993, Odenkirk got a recurring appearance on "The Larry Sanders Show" as the character Stevie Grant. He also performed live sketches with Ben Stiller and David Cross, which spun off into the cult series "Mr. Show."

Around this time, he met Naomi Yomtov, a talent manager who took care of his career and also became his wife in 1997. In an exclusive interview in 2020, Odenkirk said that his wife knew a year and a half before they started dating that she was going to end up married to him. 

The marriage produced two children, Nate, born in 1998, and Erin, born in 2000.  

Nate and Erin were in their teens when Odenkirk was offered the role of Saul Goodman in the award-winning series "Breaking Bad." The actor admittedly wasn't too excited about this opportunity because filming took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it meant time away from his family. 

However, it was Nate and Erin who convinced their father to say yes to the job because they were aware that a lot of people watched and liked the show. Odenkirk took his son and daughter's word and agreed to board the project in the second season. When Odenkirk was offered to reprise Saul Goodman in the spinoff "Better Call Saul," it was Erin who also convinced him to go for it since he would be in good hands with show creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. 

As a father, Odenkirk doted on his kids and they bonded over a special bedtime ritual where the actor wrote poems instead of reading a storybook. When his children got older, Nate and Erin helped in the poem-writing process because their dad "really wanted them to be a part of it." 

Odenkirk kept these poems for years but decided to go over them during the various lockdowns with his son and daughter. This led to the trio finally publishing a children's book of poems, titled "Zilot & Other Important Rhymes," with Erin as the Illustrator.

The actor told Today in an interview on March 15, 2023, that the book is "the most important thing in the world to me” and he reflected on his relationship with his kids, who are now adults.  

After nearly four decades in Hollywood, Odenkirk, who confessed to the Wall Street Journal that he used to be inconsiderate and had a crabby personality, offered one good piece of advice for his kids:

"Be nice, you're going to see everybody again," Odenkirk said. "Whether you go up or down, you get to see everybody again and again and again."

He added: "(You) still have to stand up for yourself, but try to have some empathy for people. You don’t really know their story.” 

A solid piece of advice from a dad who played a self-centered lawyer on TV! What do you think of Bob Odenkirk's relationship with his son and daughter? Are you a fan of the actor or know someone who loves "Better Call Saul"? Pass this story along to them!