What ‘Saturday Night Live’ and ‘Monty Python’ Taught Bob Odenkirk About Writing a Children’s Book
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Bob Odenkirk knows he should probably leave his kids alone. But the Better Call Saul star spent the pandemic working on an Audible murder comedy podcast with his son, Nate, 23, and collaborating on a children’s book with his artist daughter, Erin, 22. “If I want to do a good job as a dad, I know I have to let them be,” he says. “But that’s not easy because they’re very fun people and their ideas are so exciting.”
Zilot & Other Important Rhymes (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) combines illustrations by Erin (the recent Pratt Institute grad calls her dad Bob) with poems written by the kids when they were young, with an update by the Odenkirk family (including Odenkirk’s wife, Naomi); it hits bookstores Oct. 10. The father-daughter duo’s national book tour includes an appearance at the opening night of the SCAD Savannah Film Festival on Oct. 21. The pair offers a sneak peek:
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How did the idea to publish your old childhood poems come up in the first place?
ERIN ODENKIRK We’d always had the idea in the back of our minds, and then I was home from college during the pandemic, and Bob was like, “Let’s get to work.” I didn’t think it would ever be a real book!
BOB ODENKIRK I thought that publishing their old poems was something I’d do as a grandfather one day, but the pandemic gave us loads of free time. I loved looking back on what they wrote as kids. I saw something similar to what I look for when I produce sketch groups: There’s a shared sensibility throughout, which is the same thing Monty Python had.
What did you learn about each other from working together?
BOB Erin has really grown in the past few years. She was extremely shy …
ERIN Not extremely shy.
BOB She listened well but didn’t speak up for herself, which can be worrisome because I want her to have the strength to speak out — there are many times life will call upon you to do that. She also learned to take notes, which is something only a truly confident person can do.
In your screenwriting and comedy career, did taking notes come easily to you?
BOB No, no, no. Every note that was true, every critique that was impactful and smart, would hurt my feelings. When I was at Saturday Night Live, I often had that feeling when someone else saw a better way forward for an idea. I worked with writers like Jack Handey, Jim Downey and Al Franken, and whenever they had a pitch for a sketch I wrote, I would have to learn to sacrifice my part in it in order to have a better sketch in the end.
What are you most excited about with this book tour?
BOB Savannah, to be honest with you. We have a whole day off to take in the town, which I’ve heard wonderful things about.
ERIN We’ve always traveled well together. We like to walk around a lot and go to cafes early in the morning, then hit bookstores and get nice dinners. We take big family trips every couple of years, and after the last one, Bob and I went to Berlin together at the end and spent the week just meeting people and going to bars, libraries and museums.
Erin, I assume you’ve spent time visiting your dad on set, but is this your first time seeing the publicity side of his job firsthand?
ERIN He’s told me stories about it, like getting flown to London and spending four days there, but never once stepping outside the hotel because he was just on the phone doing interviews all day. It’s been quite the experience doing this, and I feel a little overwhelmed but also grateful because he’s shown me the way and made me feel a little less crazy about all of it.
BOB She’s come to talk shows with me before, but never on a full tour. I’m doing one of the first post-strike episodes of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert [which aired Oct. 5], and that interview will be just me, but I think she’ll get to come. And that is just really, really cool. I can’t believe we’re back.
Have you had a hard time dealing with the work stoppage element of the strikes?
BOB Yes, but I’ve always been like that. One of the reasons I chose to aim my career toward writing was that I didn’t want to have to wait around for somebody to give me a job. With acting, someone has to put you in a project, but a writer can just go make something right now. During a strike, or any break, if you give me a piece of paper, I’ll fill it with ideas and figure out which one is worth chasing.
What’s next for you both?
ERIN I’m actually not sure. I’d like to get back to drawing every day, get a studio and see what I come up with. I’d love to work on a graphic novel or short story, but we’ll see.
BOB Hopefully, the SAG strike will be over when this book tour is done. If not, I’ll be picketing until it’s settled. If we can find a way to fair terms, I’ll get to make — hopefully — some movies. And I’m going to do a USO tour over Thanksgiving.
Interview edited for length and clarity.
This story first appeared in the Oct. 11 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
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