The documentary 'Bob and David Climb Machu Picchu' follows Odenkirk's adventure with David Cross
Credit: Tribeca Film Festival
NEED TO KNOW
- David Cross invited Bob Odenkirk to climb Machu Picchu after Odenkirk’s near-fatal heart attack in 2021
- “A big part of this was informed by Bob’s heart attack. It made me see things differently,” the Arrested Development actor says in the documentary Bob and David Climb Machu Picchu
- Cross and Odenkirk worked on Mr. Show with Bob and David from 1995 to 1998
After Bob Odenkirk experienced a near-fatal heart attack in 2021, his longtime friend and fellow actor David Cross knew exactly what to do. He invited him on an excursion to climb Machu Picchu in Peru.
Their 2024 adventure is featured in the documentary Bob and David Climb Machu Picchu, premiering at the Tribeca Festival on June 6.
“A big part of this was informed by Bob’s heart attack,” Cross, 62, says in the documentary. “It made me see things differently.”
Credit: Tribeca Film Festival
As footage of Odenkirk in the hospital with his loved ones plays, he recalls his health incident.
The Breaking Bad actor had a heart attack in July 2021 while filming Better Call Saul in Albuquerque, N.M. “I fell over and I stopped breathing. I turned gray and I sh– myself,” Odenkirk, 63, recalls.
“So death, I found in that moment, is real and closer than I thought,” Odenkirk adds.
Cross shares his reaction to learning of his friend’s heart attack. “I remember crying and I was walking around like a ghost. I didn't sleep for a couple of days,” he says, before cracking a joke. “I suppose the best thing to come out of this is I got it out of my system, so when he really does die, it'll be more of a, ‘Well, yeah, been there, done that, kind of thing.”
Odenkirk says his wife Naomi, whom he married in 1997, inadvertently encouraged him to take on the hike with Cross.
“A guiding philosophy that you shared with me a long time ago was to make more out of life, have more experiences. So you’ve led me to this. And now, whatever happens is your fault,” he jokes to Naomi on camera.
Cross and Odenkirk worked on the HBO sketch comedy series Mr. Show with Bob and David from 1995 to 1998. It featured a variety of comedic actors, including Sarah Silverman, Paul F. Tompkins and Jack Black. The duo had previously worked together on The Ben Stiller Show.
The two have since become regulars on the small screen. Five years after Mr. Show ended, Cross landed his role as Tobias Fünke on the hit sitcom Arrested Development. Odenkirk later starred on Breaking Bad from 2009 to 2013 and its spin-off Better Call Saul from 2015 to 2022.
Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc
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Bob Odenkirk and David Cross Climb Machu Picchu not only follows the comedy legends on their hike in Peru, but also gives insight into their friendship, experiences in show business and current stages in life.
“A journey motivated by one guy’s bucket list and the other guy’s heart attack, the film follows Bob Odenkirk and David Cross as they climb Machu Picchu while cracking each other up and reflecting on their friendship, careers and the fragility of life itself,” a description reads.
Bob and David Climb Machu Picchu premieres at the Tribeca Festival June 6 and has screenings on June 7 and June 10.
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