Versatile actor Michael McKean is back as Chuck McGill on “Better Call Saul,” the “Breaking Bad” prequel returning for its second season Monday night on AMC.
Chuck — the talented partner in a leading Albuquerque law firm that bears his name — has an irrational fear of electromagnetic fields that’s reduced him to a shut-in. His only real connection to the outside world is his kid brother, Jimmy (series star Bob Odenkirk). Theirs is a complex sibling relationship, with Chuck’s reliance on Jimmy offset by his disdain for his brother’s slimy modus operandi. Jimmy’s growing resentment of Chuck’s condescending attitude, meanwhile, manifested itself toward the end of last season.
McKean, 68, a New York native, talked to The Post about what’s in store for his “Better Call Saul” alter-ego this season.
You’re known primarily for your work as a comic actor. Was the part of Chuck a big leap for you?
No. I wanted to work with [“Saul” and “Breaking Bad” creator] Vince Gilligan. I worked with him once before, when he co-created a character [Morris Fletcher] I played on “The X-Files.” When “Breaking Bad” started, Vince called me a couple of times [for roles] but I was usually on stage in New York or somewhere else. I was doing “All the Way” with Bryan Cranston on Broadway when the notion came up for me to do this role and Bryan said, “They’re going to be calling you for this thing. You should do it.” I said yes without reading a single word of the script. They’re very “black ops” over there and said, “All we can tell you is that Chuck’s got an affliction that keeps him in the house.” The nightmare I had was that [Chuck] had head-to-toe psoriasis or some other makeup nightmare.
How will Chuck evolve this season? Will he still be battling his demons or be more focused on his relationship with Jimmy?
It’s both, really, and they’re kind of interrelated. He’s definitely trying to climb out of this cell he lives in, to use an electronic pun, and he’s tired of the world going by without him. He’s starting to feel his mojo leak away the longer he’s not in the [outside] world. It’s vital to him to prevent people from falling for Jimmy’s bulls–t. Every time Jimmy charms his way out of or into some pot of jam, it disrupts Chuck’s sense of right and wrong in the universe. He thinks he’s doing the Lord’s work and thinks he’s setting things right and preventing people from falling for Jimmy’s crap.
Will we learn more of Chuck’s backstory this season?
Yes. I don’t want to spoil too much, but there’s an addendum to a scene we did last season when Chuck bails Jimmy out of jail after the “Chicago Sunroof” incident [when Jimmy defecated onto the back seat of a car]. It has to do with Chuck’s domestic situation, which is quite different from the one we see now.
There’s definitely a hint of the familial relationship and fraternal relationship especially vis a vis [Chuck and Jimmy’s] parents. There’s some background we hear about anecdotally and via flashback. Chuck’s personal relationship with Jimmy, especially later in the season, becomes a lot clearer.
