For the fans of Breaking Bad and its spin-off Better Call Saul, Kim Waxler is iconic. She is the calm to the chaos named Jimmy McGill played by Bob Odenkirk. Rhea Seehorn did a superfine job of making a lasting impression on the audience. But would you believe us if we tell you that her character was just written to be Jimmy's love interest and nothing more? Of course, you won't because, in the series, she becomes much bigger than just that. Well, that was all an afterthought. Emmys 2022: Netizens Upset as Better Call Saul Gets Snubbed Again, Say Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn Were Robbed.
Speaking to Rolling Stones, co-creator of Better Call Saul, Peter Gould admits, "We knew there should be a woman in Jimmy’s life, somebody who was certainly as much a friend as anything else. That was about as much as we knew, that these two people had a history, and that it was a complicated history.” So when did the change happen?
While the writers weren't sure where the character of Kim will lead, Seehorn's performance unlocked it for them. “The way she played it just felt so right that it gave us a strong feeling for where we were going with her,” Gould recalled in the interview.
For Vince Gilligan, the other co-writer, these changes were as big as abandoning the initial plan of killing off Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad. "Thank God, we got as lucky with Rhea as we did with Aaron Paul. But this is different, because Jesse, he and Walt were not really equals in their character dynamic. But these two characters (Jimmy and Kim) are definitely equals, and most of the time, Kim is Jimmy’s better — certainly his better angel.” Better Call Saul Finale Review: Fans Call Ending of Bob Odenkirk's Breaking Bad Spinoff 'Perfect', Draw Parallels With First Episode!.
Rhea Seehorn had little material on her character during the pilot and despite that she made it one of the most loved characters in the series. Now that's what we call pure talent and charisma!
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 12, 2023 09:20 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).