Bob Odenkirk Quotes

I honestly would tell anyone young to start looking at stories and learning story, because I think that’s the next step after people go, ‘OK, I’ve had enough of that improvisation, I’ve had enough of those short comedy bits. Tell me a story, tell me a more complex story, something that lasts and maybe has a little more meaning to it.’ Don’t ever look at what’s happening now; look at what’s coming next.

If you're committed enough, you can make any story work. I once told a woman I was Kevin Costner, and it worked because I believed it.

We're all real people with moments of intense honesty and pathos and humanity. We all experience that, whether you're comedic or not.

My daughter got me a 'World's Best Dad' mug. So we know she's sarcastic.

The laugh is what trumps everything.

You say you're going to be the pope, become the pope.

Even if people end up doing awful things, you can empathize with their motives when you know them. When you get to know the person, you can understand why they make those choices, even if they're bad. And oftentimes people do have good drives that are sympathetic and can even be seen as selfless and good-hearted.

Comedy is tragedy plus timing.

Don't say you're going to stop eating red meat when you like red meat.

If you surround me with darkness, suddenly, I am "somewhat fun."

We don't feel constrained by what we did in the past.

Everybody needs some good sketch comedy.

The world needs less destruction.

You shouldn't eat red meat, but you shouldn't make resolutions you can't keep.

It's fun to discover things. I wouldn't want everything laid out, simply and too obviously.

I think that acting is no fun unless it's hard. I'm not titillated by acting or being an actor unless I have to work hard.

I think everybody has a public persona. We all present ourselves.

I learn things in a backward way. I learn all those limitations, and slowly my brain soaks them up, and if things go right, you just, in an organic way, translate your ideas into those templates. That's the way I perceive the process happening.

Drama is more focused and it reveals itself to you, whereas comedy is just right there, when you first read it.

The worst thing is to read bad reviews and go, "Yeah, I agree."

In acting, you're only responsible for your part. When you're directing, the load is on your shoulders, so you have to feel a strong connection to the material. It's a higher bar to get over.

Being comedic is a skill, because there is a fine line where the context is important. And being dramatic is just being honest and real in that moment.

I actually think there's a potential, a crazy potential, that network TV could become something valuable and worthwhile, just because of fear on the part of the networks.

Comedy can be destructive, and still very, very funny. But if I can do something that is fun to watch and critical of the world but not wantonly destructive, I pursue those kinds of ideas more. The world needs less destruction. And destruction is kind of “easy,” too.

Acting in particular is a fun job when you have a good script. I don't know about acting when you don't have a great script. I'm gonna say that's not a great job, it's kind of a dumb job. But when you have a good part in a good script, it's the best job, in a way.