Michael McKean: Comedy can be jet black – and that’s kind of wonderful

TBI: Were you a fan of Breaking Bad before you landed the part in Better Call Saul?

McKean: I was a huge Breaking Bad fan, and I worked with Vince [Gilligan, its writer-creator] on The X-Files many years ago. I knew he was capable, and he’d originally called me during the first season of Breaking Bad but I was on my way to Broadway at the time and couldn’t do it. Now, the scripts just get better and better. And finding the people that he knows will suit roles, this is what Vince does best. Look at Tarantino, he made a cottage industry of that.

Has Better Call Saul opened new doors?

Spinal Tap got me invited to a lot of parties I never attended. Better Call Saul, and Vince, have been very positive for me. This has bought me a house and a set of teeth.

Spinal Tap, like Better Call Saul, had its dark moments…

Comedy can be dark. It can be jet black. And that’s kind of wonderful. Look at Monty Python! A lot of laughs, but it is terribly dark. I don’t think that’s much of a line to cross.

You’ve been clutching a book during our interview. What is it?

The Magus by John Fowles. I always have a book in my hand. But I’m not like Jeff Goldblum. We did a movie a few years and he would juggle three books at once. He’d pick one up as soon as the director said cut!

Better Call Saul season three is available on Netflix now, with new episodes weekly every Tuesday