Bob Odenkirk Reveals Disturbing Scene He Outright Refused to Film for Better Call Saul

SPOILER WARNING: This story contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the sixth season of Better Call Saul

The final season of Better Call Saul wrapped up on AMC last year, bringing an end to the Breaking Bad spinoff and concluding the story of Jimmy McGill, aka Saul Goodman. Played by Bob Odenkirk since the character’s debut on Breaking Bad in 2009, Jimmy was certainly no saint, from victimizing many unwitting saps with his various schemes to helping Walter White (Bryan Cranston) get away with his horrific crimes. That includes helping Walter avoid legal trouble over the deaths of two federal agents as a result of the meth kingpin’s criminal escapades.

But, for as much of a scoundrel as he could be at times, there’s something that separates Jimmy from other lawbreaking characters in the Breaking Bad world. Namely, he is not a killer, and he’s never been shown to physically harm anyone in either show… even if he’s threatened it sometimes just to prove a point. However, that’s something that could have changed in the final season of Better Call Saul. Not only would it forever change the way fans saw the Jimmy McGill character, it would have concluded the series on a much more horrific note, and while there was some debate with fans over how the show ended, the alternate plan co-creator Vince Gilligan had in mind would have certainly been much more controversial.

Odenkirk spoke about the show, specifically discussing the involvement of Carol Burnett, in a TV special celebrating the latter’s 90th birthday. In the show, Burnett played Marion, the mother of a wannabe criminal mastermind manipulated by Jimmy. At this point in the story, Jimmy has been living in Nebraska under an assumed identity, but through her internet sleuthing, Marion is the one to recognize him and call for help. There’s a moment where Jimmy yanks the phone cord out of the wall and approaches Marion, seemingly considering silencing her to avoid getting reported, but looking at her in the eyes, he just can’t do it, instead attempting to flee from the area as quickly as he can. He’s caught very soon afterward, ultimately landing in prison where he’ll spend the next 80+ years.

Related: Bob Odenkirk Says Carol Burnett Deserves an Emmy for Better Call Saul Performance

Jimmy Nearly Killed Marion in Better Call Saul

As Odenkirk explained on Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love, he personally demanded that the scene be rewritten from what was originally presented to him. He says that Gilligan had the idea of having Jimmy actually murder Marion in that scene, perhaps to show just how rotten the character has become over the course of his journey. But Odenkirk outright refused to film such a scene, even threatening to leave the role entirely if it wasn’t rewritten. Odenkirk said, per EW:

“They rewrote this scene exactly how I wanted it, but not how your so-called good friend Better Call Saul executive producer Vince Gilligan had written it. Carol, there’s something that you should know. Vince wanted my character to kill you in that scene. Look at him, he’s shaking his head. His exact words to me were, ‘Saul ends up killing Carol Burnett.’ And if I remember correctly, he didn’t say, ‘Kill Carol’s character,’ he said, ‘Kill Carol Burnett.’ But I refused, and I told him I’d walk.”

Odenkirk is someone who is willing to do many things when it comes to his acting, but taking out someone as beloved as Carol Burnett was never up for consideration. Putting aside how much the act would alter the story and how fans saw Jimmy, Odenkirk says he couldn’t bear the thought of being known as the person who “killed Carol Burnett,” and so the story was changed to appease the actor.

“Carol, I was willing to risk my career and never working in this town again. Because I didn’t want little children who watched our show — and I hope many of them did — to see me on the street and say, ‘Mommy, that’s the man who killed Carol Burnett.’ That’s all I wanted to say. That I’m your real friend and Vince is not. And one more thing, Vince and I, and everybody on our show, we think you’re the greatest.”

The sixth and final season of Better Call Saul is now streaming on Netflix.