BETTER Call Saul's co-creator has talked about the tough shooting process of the pivotal Bagman episode.
Vince Gilligan elaborated on heading into the desert in the middle of August in order to film the latest instalment of the Breaking Bad prequel series.
He branded the production process "exhausting," admitting it took a serious toll on everyone involved.
The episode, titled Bagman, aired on Monday evening and tracked Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) and Mike (Jonathan Banks) on a march through the desert.
The trip followed an explosive shootout and Jimmy was tasked with collecting $7 million in bail for Lalo (Tony Dalton).
However, there were plenty of bumps along the way, making for a thrilling and intense episode.
Gilligan called the writer of the episode "devious and sadistic" for setting it in such treacherous conditions.
Gilligan told The Hollywood Report about the conditions and complications of the shoot.
He said that while shooting desert scenes for El Camino was a walk in the park, Better Call Saul was a nightmare.
''All the desert stuff in El Camino…it was the single best day of directing I ever had.
"Cut to being on the set of this episode. The only overlap is that I was working with another two magnificent actors — obviously Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks.
He elaborated: ''But other than that, it was just pure hell.
"I went from the best day of directing of my life, in a desert, to the worst stretch of weeks and months or however long this thing took."
Fortunately, Jimmy actor Bob took the whole thing in his stride.
''It was like forever. I’m not exaggerating, this was the hardest directing I’ve ever done… And Bob and Jonathan were fantastic. Never a peep of complaint, especially from Bob," Gilligan went on.
''This guy, he likes privation. Bob Odenkirk enjoys deprivation and discomfort. He’s a weirdo and bless him for that, because it makes my job a lot easier.
"He kept saying, 'Bring it on, man! The more uncomfortable the better. I’ve gotta get in the proper headspace here.'"
He concluded: "Man, it was tough, but I’m proud of it. I wouldn’t want to have to do it again.''
The comments come after co-creator Peter Gould admitted he feared rejection from Breaking Bad's Hank Schrader actor ahead of his epic comeback.
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