In this exclusive interview with Breaking Bad Greece, Daniel Spenser (who played Cal Lindholm, one of the two twins of the first episodes) discusses what it is like playing on Better Call Saul, working with Vince Gilligan & Michelle MacLaren and much more!
DS : Yeah, they were looking for twins, specifically. I think that narrowed the competition down a bit, which gave us the edge we needed! Since the show was casting out of Los Angeles and my brother Steve and I live in New York, we were asked to send it an audition tape. The role called for skateboarders, and we had no idea how to skate. We weren’t sure we were qualified for the roles, and decided to kind of go for broke. At the end of our tape, we took some footage of professional skateboarders and digitally pasted our faces on them. It was very, very stupid. I think Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould saw the tape and thought “maybe these two idiots can play our two idiots.” The plan worked perfectly.
Q : On your two episodes on the show you worked with two of the best directors of the show. The masterminds Vince Gilligan & Michelle MacLaren. What was it like working with each of them?
DS : Oh boy, it was very cool. I’m a huge Breaking Bad fan and was very nervous when I found out Vince Gilligan would be directing the pilot. Breaking Bad was a very dark show, but Vince Gilligan is so humble, funny and genuinely sweet and caring. If I were him, I’d be a lot more cocky. I’d probably say “excuse me, do you know who I am?” a lot. To my own children, when they asked to be tucked in. It was great being in Albuquerque for the first episode, because it felt like a family reunion. A lot of the crew came from Breaking Bad, so when it came time to shoot, everyone was on the same page. It was very organic, but very calculated. The first thing we shot was the scene where Saul/Jimmy corners Cal and Lars at a skate park. Steve and I were sitting in the bowl (awesome skateboarder word for “bunch of ramps”), it was over 100 degrees, and Vince was staring at us, explaining… something. I did not understand a lot of what he said that first day because I kept thinking “That’s Vince Gilligan!” Very professional. I think the empty-headedness really worked for the character. So when you watch the episode, that dumbfounded look on my face is the result of some serious method acting. Vince is an extremely understanding and patient director. I’d never worked on a project this big before, and I needed to do a lot of thing I’d never done with confidence, like skateboard and act. Vince was very good at keeping me focused and calm in a “I know the car is moving down the highway with you attached to it, but your character would not be screaming this much…” kinda way. Which is good because I really needed to save my screaming for that second episode. Michelle MacLaren is so, so cool. What a boss. That episode was a tough one to stage. The negotiation scene with Tuco was about 12 pages long and there were a lot of moving parts. That was the first day Michael Mando was on set, so he had to make major decisions about his character during a monster of a scene. It was very exciting to watch all these great actors and this great director work it out. Michelle was very conscious of composition. She seemed to assign each shot it’s own gird, and everything needed to align to it. So when someone would miss their mark, we’d start over, because it’d throw off that perfect grid. When I wasn’t in the shot, I’d watch the monitors and my eyes would water. Controlled chaos, like a Ralph Steadman painting. That episode looks amazing and the acting is so, so good.
Q : You are also working in one of the most groundbreaking programs of TV. I am talking about Last Week Tonight With John Oliver. Can you tell us what is your contribution on the show? Also, what is like working with John Oliver?
DS : I’m a designer on Last Week Tonight. I went to school for design and typography, so it was great to find a job that pairs design and comedy in such politically conscious way. I make a lot of the images that pop up over John Oliver’s shoulder during the show. My main responsibility is designing the “hero graphics.” Those are the non-joke images that recur during each segment. So if he’s talking about the internet, I’d make the graphic that says “The Internet.” When those are done I dip into the joke graphics. Last week I made an image of an astronaut having sex with a sheep in outer space. My parents are very proud. Sometimes I get to act in the images. So far I’ve been a guy with a Boba Fett action figure in his butt and a man confessing to masturbating into a piece of fruit. My parents are still very proud. I’ve never really spoken to John Oliver. It’s a very small office, so we’ll nod to each other in the hall sometimes, but I try to stay out of his way. I am sure that, to most people, I appear as a lumbering giant. Seeing me coming down the hallway with my arm outstretched, mumbling “I draw cartoon penises for your show” might put him off. I do know that he is an extremely smart man. Everyone I work with on that show is so dedicated and so smart. It’s such a positive place to work and they’re doing so much good. I love being a part of it! I’ve also had to draw a surprising amount of cartoon penises.
Q : You may have only played on two episodes but your guest performance was memorable. I know you can't talk much about it, but I assume your chances of returning on season 2 are pretty high, right?
DS : Well, thanks! I can’t really talk about it but I can make a bunch of stuff up. I’d love to see an arc in season 2 in which Cal and Lars opening rival restaurants across the street from one another. That’d be fun, right? Or maybe they find some sort of amulet that allows them to travel through time? I would watch Cal and Lars ollie (awesome skateboarder word for “jump”) over Lincoln during the Gettysburg Address.
Q : Can you describe a typical day on the Better Call Saul set?
DS : In the morning I’d go to my trailer, take off my Brooklyn hipster costume and put on my Cal costume. When I was done brag-texting (braxting?) people back home about how I had a trailer, I’d go to hair and make-up. Kat, Trish, Brian and Julie (the hair and make-up team) are so talented. I’m sure they got tired of me explaining how nervous I was but they listened and were very patient. I was covered in dirt and blood for a large part of those two episodes, so all of that needed to be added to the blood and dirt that is normally smeared on my face. Steve and I had stunt doubles, Cody and Thomas, who were such cool dudes. They both knew how to skateboard and Cody smashed that car windshield in the first episode. Pretty amazing to watch. So Cody and Thomas were given wigs and fake beards. It was very strange. There were two sets of “twins” walking around set, with bright red hair, beards and skateboards. It was also strange to see a guy dressed as me get hit by a car. I highly recommend it, if you can organize it. It’s very cathartic. The shoot days were kind of a blur, because I was a bubbling mixture of nervous and excited. One night, after shooting the “abuelita” scene, Raymond Cruz (who plays Tuco) took Steve and I out for steaks. He’s a wonderful man. After you get over the fear that he might reach over the table and kill you, he’s very easy to talk to and he’s full of great stories. I appreciate your generosity, Raymond!
Q : You've shared most of your scenes with Bob Odenkirk. What is he like on set?
DS : Steve and I are both textbook comedy nerds, so meeting and working with Bob was a big deal. It was a little nerve-wracking, meeting Bob, because I am sure he comes in contact with “my kind” every day. Someone who will tell him their favorite Mr. Show sketch and then exhaustingly explain to him why it is funny. It was a priority of mine to not annoy Bob. But he was such a warm person and he seemed to like to talk about comedy, so when we weren’t shooting we’d talk about SNL and joke around. I’m a fan of his other show, The Birthday Boys, and he’d show me new sketches from those guys. On our last day of shooting, he gave me a signed copy of the Mr. Show book. I can’t believe I got to work with him. It’s great when you meet one of your heroes and they embody everything you like about their work. He’s a smart, funny, extremely hard-working guy. Our first scene with him was his “Slipping’ Jimmy” monologue at the skate park. It was also the first day of shooting on the series, so no one had seen Bob become Saul in a while. While we were shooting, I forgot I was in a TV show because I’m a fucking pro and smiled like an idiot. Saul Goodman was talking to me. Working on that show was like living inside a hug. People are not supposed to be that nice. Everyone who works on it, the props department, hair and make-up, the cast, are so warm and loving. Everyone gave me the biggest benefit of the doubt and it made me want to push myself to do good work. I think that’s a huge part of why Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad are so successful. Everyone who works on those shows likes and trusts each other. It was my first big acting gig, and Vince Gilligan tells Bob Odenkirk to run me over with his car. It was a very good time.
Q : What other projects do you have in store?
DS : I’m in a comedy troupe (nerd word for “group of friends”) called Captain Hippo. We have a website, on the internet, that is fully check-out-able. We’re working on a couple of big projects and a few fun, small ones. I’ve also been doing some shows at UCB and around New York City. I’m sorry if all my answers were too long!
Follow Daniel Spenser on Twitter : @DanSpenser
Daniel Spenser's Website : http://www.danielspenser.com/
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