Bob Odenkirk was ‘too young’ and ‘unsure’ of himself when he joined SNL

Bob Odenkirk reflects on his time as a writer in “Saturday night live.”

In a recent interview on comedian Tig Notaro’s podcast “Don’t ask Tig.” The “Better Call Saul” and “Breaking Bad” actor recalled an argument he had with his son Nate, 24, who wants to pursue a career as a comedy writer.

Odenkirk, who joined “SNL” at age 25, later shared his own insecurities writing professionally at a young age, saying, “I wasn’t sure of myself. It was difficult. He was existentially dangerous. He had feelings of ‘I should delete myself.’”

“I was too young when they hired me on ‘SNL,'” he continued. “That was not a good thing. That could have gone wrong. That could have gone so wrong. He was this close many times to going so wrong. You have to believe me. And it’s hard for kids to believe you when you say, ‘I had no fucking idea what I was doing and I was so scared for years.'”

Odenkirk worked on “SNL” from 1987 to 1991, writing for icons such as Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Mike Myers, Tim Meadows and Chris Farley. Despite his struggles in late-night live television sketch comedy, Odenkirk has previously shared some positive moments working on the series, particularly Farley’s Matt Foley sketches.

“I played the father in the sketch and we did it seven times a week at Second City,” he said in an episode of “The hot ones” back in March. “Every time I did it it was the most fun I had in show business.”