Illustrations by Giacomo Gambineri 5The Thread
As a big fan of Bob Odenkirk and his work
on ‘‘Breaking Bad and ‘‘Better Call Saul,’’ I
had long wanted to visit New Mexico. So
last summer I fi nally took a road trip out
West to the Land of Enchantment. Two
nights in Santa Fe, then off to Albuquer-
que. I was excitedly packing up during my
second night in Santa Fe (and watching the
Olympics) when I got a text from a close
friend that Bob had collapsed that day.
There were no updates all night and into
the next morning. Fans were dreading the
possibility of awful news. And now I had
to make what would be a terribly sad one-
hour drive to Albuquerque (knowing he
was hospitalized there made it even more
diffi cult). I spent that time in the car trying
to fi gure out why I was so upset about the
idea of losing Bob, a guy I didn’t know
and had never met. And it came down to
this fact: This man and his art bring me
joy. Every episode of ‘‘Saul’’ and ‘‘Fargo,’’
every appearance on ‘‘Conan,’’ his movies,
his cameos. I always experience pure joy.
How many people can you say that about?
I will never forget where I was — in a park-
ing lot on Juan Tabo Boulevard — when I
distraught, wiping away tears repeated-
ly from his eyes. His stature in my eyes,
already pretty high, gained even more
altitude. In this article, Wesley Morris
writes about an actor’s ability to shed
tears on cue, and he goes down the list
of actors who have that ability. It’s a good
list, but for me, Kirk Douglas’s single tear
at the end of ‘‘Spartacus,’’ when he saw
thousands of his people were willing to
die on the cross in his place (‘‘I’m Sparta-
cus!’’), is one of the most spectacular and
powerful moments in fi lm history.
Len DiSea, Dresher, Pa.RE: CHRISTOPHER WALKEN
David Marchese interviewed the actor for
our Talk column.I really enjoyed David Marchese’s inter-
view with Christopher Walken. Walken’s
comments about punctuation, especially,
are both funny and instructive. As a high
school creative-writing teacher, I plan
to share — and then steal — his thoughts
to have my students play with language
as they create their own characters.
Mitch Kohn, West Hollywood, Calif.Many years ago, I had a friend who lived
in the same building on 79th Street as
Walken. She was really into theater, and
all of her theater-type friends worshiped
this guy because they knew he had it. I
didn’t see that, until the day I saw him
carrying a laundry basket out of the eleva-
tor. I saw it then. He walked with a magic
gait, and I knew they were right. Just a
presence. He has shared that magic with
us all this time, and I’m grateful.
Lene, FloridaSend your thoughts to [email protected].‘I don’t stifle
a belly laugh
when I read or
see something
funny. I don’ t
stifle tears when
I fi n d m y s e l f
moved to them .’Readers respond to the 2.13.2022 issue.
RE: BOB ODENKIRK
Jonah Weiner profi led the comedian and
‘‘Better Call Saul’’ actor.
‘‘S’all good-man!’’ Says it all. A brilliant
concept and shorthand that parlays a
popular expression to both defi ne and
perfectly name a bus-stop-ad lawyer des-
tined for trouble. And Odenkirk made it
work by being Jimmy and Saul. The story
about his father is a major heartbreaker.
Here’s hoping his well-deserved success
helps mollify some of the pain.
Charles, Long Island
On the Cover:
Photo illustration
by Zachary Scottheard the news: Odenkirk was going to
be OK. I am so, so grateful that Bob is OK.
D.B., BostonOne of the genius strokes of ‘‘Breaking
Bad’’ (one of many) was the casting. Saul
Goodman became such a critical part of
the show (‘‘You don’t want a criminal law-
yer, you want a CRIMINAL lawyer’’), and
of course, the writing is a huge part of
that but so is Bob’s essential Everyman
quality. It’s something he shares with
Bryan Cranston. Both have those remark-
ably ‘‘lived in’’ faces that speak of a life in
which nothing has quite worked out the
way they planned. And of course, they are
masters of both comedy and drama, not
a common trait.
Mark Crozier, JohannesburgRE: CRYING
Wesley Morris wrote about the power of a
good sob.I enjoyed reading this article. I fi nd, as a
man in his seventh decade on this planet,
that the older I get, the easier it is for me
to let go. My father’s generation held the
maxim that ‘‘real men don’t cry,’’ and in
my lifetime, I only saw him weep twice,
and those involved the deaths of people
very close to him. For me, a true test of a
man’s or a woman’s strength is the will-
ingness to let the emotion fl ow over him
or her. I don’t stifl e a belly laugh when I
read or see something funny. I don’t stifl e
tears when I fi nd myself moved to them.
President Barack Obama’s news confer-
ence after the Sandy Hook School mas-
sacre of all those children in Connecti-
cut was so moving for me to witness. He
kept on point, focused, his voice strong
and clear, but he was obviously very