LA Entertainment Industry Coverage from a USC Content Creator
Better Call Saul at PaleyFest LA 2016
The Better Call Saul cast took to the red carpet at PaleyFest 2016 on March 12th at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Bromantic co-creators Peter Gould (Creator, EP) and Vince Gilligan (Showrunner, EP, Writer) showed their excitement about their flourishing Breaking Bad spinoff (airing Monday nights on AMC)
Variety media strategist Debra Birnbaum praised the first season for its “depth, humor and heartbreak”. Before the audience of hardcore Saul fans could collect themselves, we were surprisingly treated to a first look at the newest episode, before the rest of the world could lay eyes on it!
The booming and bumping of Atmos technology was palpable inside the Dolby Theatre – it was a real treat to see each brilliantly calculated shot matched with such expert sound design from the Saul creativeteam.
The crowd at PaleyFest roared its approval in sheer delight and surprise as a surprise guest appearance of Mark Margolis (Tio Salamanca) lit up the screen! Even title star Bob Odenkirk (“Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman”) was a little shocked after watching it all back: “I can’t remember what happens in these episodes.”
Here are some of my favorite quotes from Saturday’s #PaleyFest convo:
“I feel like all possibilities are open and I refuse to hear otherwise.” – Rhea Seehorn’s bet on whether her character (Kim Wexler) lives to see the Saul Goodman days
“The 1st season was like a free education in cinema.” “But to be fair, Michael would then cry in the corner, clawing at the door of my dressing room.” – Michael Mando and Patrick Fabian (Howard Hamlin) on Nacho’s initial lack of screen-time
“I’m a fan of everyone I’m working with… Our fanbase is so amazing, intelligent and involved. We have to make you guys happy every Monday.” – Michael Mando (Nacho) on Saul fan experience
“The hardest part is pacing Jimmy’s transition to Saul.”
“If you start getting married to some big scheme you have, you start forcing the character.” – Peter Gould after cast praised him on openness about patchwork writing process
“When you’re a writer, you don’t know ‘from whence they came’. You just pray…that the ideas don’t stop comin’.” – creator Vince Gilligan on character origin stories
Fans of Better Call Saul will surely enjoy the new season, which the creators promised is full of difficulties between brothers Jimmy and Chuck (Michael McKean) and an ensuing struggle between Jimmy and Kim (Rhea Seehorn) to re-kindle their romance and reclaim their own narratives. Kim’s “I save me” line is a huge slap in the face for Jimmy, who will evidently go through a lot more until Peter Gould and Vince Gilligan see fit to transition him to sleazy fan-favorite, Saul Goodman! Will it happen anytime soon?
In the words of Peter Gould himself: “I hate to say it, but there is no master plan.”
You can find my full photo album from the PaleyFest red carpet and panel here:
