This Is How Much Money The Cast Of Better Call Saul Makes

Considering Breaking Bad is largely regarded as one of the greatest TV shows of all time, spinoff series Better Call Saul certainly had its work cut out for it when it premiered on AMC in 2015. Despite the pressure, series creators Vince Gilligan — who dreamt up its predecessor — and Peter Gould managed to cook up a whole new storyline as enticing as Walter White's laboratory.

Not only has Better Call Saul made its presence known at television award shows for years, scoring an impressive 39 Emmy Award nominations as of this writing, but outlets like The Guardian and Slate have even deemed it a stronger show than the series that came before it. Better Call Saul rewinds the story of Breaking Bad character Saul Goodman, portrayed by Bob Odenkirk, starting with his humble beginnings as reformed criminal and eager lawyer Jimmy McGill, and following his transformation into the corrupt and powerful criminal defense attorney fans came to know. Even in 2020, five seasons into the show's run on cable television, it has continued to bring in, as the The Hollywood Reporter put it, "fairly healthy ratings."

As Gould confirmed at a TCA event in 2020 (via The Hollywood Reporter), Season 6 marks the series' conclusion. So, where does that leave its highly talented cast? Well, for one thing, it looks like they've all done well for themselves over the years. This is how much money the cast of Better Call Saul makes.

Bob Odenkirk rakes in a pretty penny

Although his Breaking Bad character was, as Vogue put it, "mostly comic relief," the outlet went on to note that Better Call Saul has allowed Bob Odenkirk to chart his own "tragic hero" storyline "on the order of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman." That kind of deep dramatic territory — and four acting Emmy nods of his own — earns Odenkirk a reported $200 thousand an episode, according to Celebrity Net Worth, bringing his net worth to $16 million. 

Saul Goodman is certainly a far cry from the start of Odenkirk's career; chatting with NPR in 2020, he recalled his "humble beginning" in sketch comedy. However, he told Wall Street Journal that he always "thought that [he] would probably be stronger in a drama than in pure comedy" as he naturally brings "a little bit of complexity or complication" to his characters. While Odenkirk agreed with NPR's Scott Simon that Goodman was "not an admirable guy in the scheme of things in the universe," he also agreed the character is "hard not to like." The Mr. Show actor told Rolling Stone that he was "surprised" to find such acclaim and success at this point in his career, but he's sincerely enjoying the "bit of fame" it's garnered him. "You walk into a coffee shop and you're in your own head and you see a person is smiling," he quipped. "I wish everyone could experience that."

Jonathan Banks is down for the ride

Better Call Saul finds Jonathan Banks reprising his Breaking Bad role as Mike Ehrmantraut, who "might be one of the scariest guys on television," according to IndieWire. Also known for his roles in Wiseguy and Mudbound, Banks has flexed his acting chops in everything from Gremlins to Disney's animated Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. Thanks to his diverse and lengthy career — as his IMDb page notes, he made his television debut in 1976 — Banks has a net worth of $5 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Mike Ehrmantraut certainly marks a darker turn for Banks, who told IndieWire in 2018 that he hadn't "even decided yet [how dark his character is but] he'd been dark a long, long, time," but that doesn't mean he's not fully appreciating his second act in the prequel series. "I'm along for the ride at this point," he said in IndieWire. "They write this full dimensional, wonderful rich character for me. I'll do Mike's backstory forever. Because they've given me so much to work with."

Rhea Seehorn is well paid as the series MVP

Rhea Seehorn portrays Kim Wexler, Saul Goodman's former colleague, turned friend, turned lover, with an award-winning flair that Rolling Stone dubbed "the heart" of Better Call Saul in 2020. Although Seehorn has had series regular roles in shows like Whitney and I'm With Her, Saul marks her biggest part to date, and Celebrity Net Worth estimates she's worth a cool $3 million.

Kim Wexler is near unanimously loved by fans, and series creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould owe a great deal of debt to Seehorn, whom they told Rolling Stone "played [certain scenes of the show] so right that it gave us a strong feeling for where we were going with her [character]." For her part, Seehorn reportedly followed her instincts when it came to Wexler, naturally applying a warm and redemptive lens to her character's relationship with Saul. "As often as she's warning him or slowing down his trajectory, she's also the audience's point of view about what's charming and funny and loving and sweet about him," she explained to Rolling Stone.

Patrick Fabian sure does live it up on the beach

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Patrick Fabian is one of the wealthiest Better Call Saul cast members with a reported $35 million net worth. The role of complex and antagonistic lawyer Howard Hamlin is just a piece of his extensive filmography, which includes roles in The Last Exorcism, Must Love Dogs, 24, and Star Trek: Voyager. And what a dynamic character that Howard Hamlin has turned out to be. "Jimmy called Howard 'Lord Vader' in the very first episode of Better Call Saul," he told Cinema Blend in 2017. "And when the lead character calls your character Lord Vader, the audience goes 'Wow, what a d**k that guy's gonna be.' Then everybody starts looking at everything that falls out of my mouth as evidence ... [until] there is a bit of a hitch of 'Oh, maybe Howard's not so bad.'" 

Unlike his small screen counterpart, Fabian is "an outdoorsy California surfer dude in real life," according to DirtSo much so, that he and his wife, as Dirt reported, forked over "$11 million for a lavish oceanfront home in the seaside enclave of Malibu, Calif." in 2020. Someone call Jimmy McGill, because we are bowled over

Michael Mando is keeping busy

Before his star-making role as Ignacio "Nacho" Varga on Better Call Saul, Michael Mando's biggest screen credit was a stint as Vic on Orphan Black. Since joining the series, he's already scored roles in films like Spider-Man: Homecoming and The Hummingbird Project. An Idol Networth report estimates he's worth a solid $2.4 million.

Like Breaking Bad's Walter White, Mando's Varga lives a double life with conflicting interests of his own, wishing to run away with his father and leave the drug cartel business behind while simultaneously getting deeper and deeper involved. "At first, I really thought it was a story of ambition," Mando said to ScreenRant of his character's development in 2020. "I thought it was a story of a man wanting to climb up the ladder of power. And then somewhere ... I realized that there was an inclination and heart always in relationship to this father." 

Mando told the outlet that he sees the show as "a redemption story." Regardless of where his Better Call Saul character ends up, it's clear there's no end in sight for Mando's time in Hollywood.

Michael McKean was 'a huge Breaking Bad fan'

Before taking on the role of Saul's older brother Chuck McGill in Better Call Saul, Michael McKean had a decorated career in film and TV with roles in Laverne & Shirley, This is Spinal Tap, and even a short stint on Saturday Night Live. His many years in the industry have earned him a reported net worth of $12 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, and Saul scored him his first Emmy nom for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2019.

A fan of the predecessor, it did not take long for McKean to sign on for the spinoff series. "I knew very little before saying yes because I trust Vince and I was a huge Breaking Bad fan," he told Esquire in 2015. "So he says, 'You want to work?' and you say, 'Yeah.'" While his time on the show came to a shocking conclusion in Season 3, McKean told Entertainment Weekly in 2017 that he "had such a great time" working with the cast. As for the words he thought McGill would have chosen to leave on? "If he could really be honest on his gravestone, it would say, 'I made Momma proud, Jimmy made Momma laugh,'" he joked.

Giancarlo Esposito knows his worth as an actor

Los Pollos Hermanos became a household name — and an actual pop-up restaurant — thanks to Giancarlo Esposito's entrancing portrayal of Gustavo Fring in both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Esposito was only booked for a guest starring role on a couple of episodes of Breaking Bad Season 2, however producers saw that "Walter White had met his match in Esposito's Fring," and invited him to return for Season 3. The outlet goes on to note that Esposito negotiated with producers for his character "to be an essential piece of the story," and the rest is history. Esposito, who also starred in Once Upon a Time and The Mandalorian, is worth an estimated $6 million according to Celebrity Net Worth, reportedly taking home $65 thousand an episode. 

Not only did Esposito know his worth when it came to returning for the spinoff series, but so did the series creators and fans. "The honesty and the intention with which the [Better Call Saul] negotiations were held were wonderful," he told THR. "It wasn't like, 'Hey, wow, what happened to this guy? Is he asking for too much?' It was about, 'Hey, we have to be ... commensurate and respectful to the other actors."

Tony Dalton makes big money as a killer

Tony Dalton's Eduardo "Lalo" Salamanca hit the ground running with his introduction in Better Call Saul Season 4. His character, the nephew of Breaking Bad's Hector Salamanca, quickly became a fan favorite thanks to, as The New York Times put it, Dalton's "cheerful, easygoing and sociopathic" portrayal. While the Mexican-American actor had appeared in a handful of films and TV shows, including Netflix's Sense8, Saul marks a pivotal moment for his career. Dalton is worth $4 million, according to Celebrity Net WorthAnd he remains booked: As Variety reported in 2020, he was nabbed for Disney Plus' Hawkeye series.

While Dalton told The New York Times in 2020 that it was his idea to portray Lalo as "a killer with charisma to spare," it's also true that the role fit what he wanted to do as an actor and parts of his identity perfectly. "I have this thing that's sort of chased me around," he said. "'Well, you don't look that Mexican, you don't sound Mexican ... do we give you a Mexican part or ... an American part?' It's been the bane of my existence as an actor. It finally worked in my favor."

Kerry Condon doesn't care about fame

Kerry Condon's Stacey Ehrmantraut, the daughter-in-law to Jonathan Banks' character on Better Call Saul, brings a dose of humanity to the often brutal show. Thanks to her moving portrayal of the widowed mother, as well as her voice acting role in multiple Marvel blockbusters, the Ireland-born actress is worth an estimated $2 million, per Biographics World.

While Condon had a taste of being a series regular in shows like Rome and Believe, she told The Irish Mirror in 2018 that it was initially "harder" for her to take on a recurring role. "I was coming for three episodes [of Better Call Saul] a season and that's a whole different discipline because the story isn't really about you, it's about the main person and you kind of have to know your place in the story," she explained to the outlet. Still, Condon is more than satisfied just getting by as a working actor. "I've never really given a s*** about being famous," she said. "I really always just wanted to be an actress and get paid for it."

Ed Begley Jr. is proud to be a working actor

Ed Begley Jr.'s Clifford Main, a senior partner at Davis & Main, was introduced in Season 2 of Better Call Saul, and even after Jimmy McGill quits his law firm, his character has remained a comedic bright spot with appearances in other seasons. Begley Jr. himself has made a career out of scene-stealing guest spots in shows like Veronica Mars and Arrested Development, a main role on '80s primetime drama St. Elsewhere, and a reality show called Living With Ed that followed his journey to lead the most eco-friendly life possible. The actor and, as The New York Times called him, "longtime environmentalist" is worth an estimated $5 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Begley Jr., who told ABC7 in 2019 that he's "grateful" just "to be still working 52 years after [he] got into Screen Actors Guild," was a "huge fan" of Breaking Bad before joining the prequel, according to AMC. However, fans might be surprised to learn that his first audition wasn't for Clifford. The actor told AMC that he initially went for Michael McKean's role as Chuck and "when it didn't work out [series creator] Vince Gilligan said he would come up with a part" for him.

Ann Cusack comes from a long line of actors

Starting in Season 2 of Better Call Saul, Ann Cusack portrayed Chuck McGill's ex-wife Rebecca Bois. Known for her roles in films like A League of Their Own and The Informant!, as well as guest parts in shows like Scandal, Grey's Anatomy, and One Tree Hill, Cusack already hails from a pretty famous family. Her father was actor Richard Cusack, and her siblings John and Joan are household names. Income.fm places Ann's net worth at $20 million, and it sounds pretty on-the-dot considering John and Joan are worth a reported $50 million and $20 million respectively, according to Celebrity Net Worth

Her role on Saul was small but mighty, though the seasoned actress has a good head on her shoulders when it comes to finding validation in herself alone, and not the success or size of her career. "You can't look outside of yourself for safety or security, you're not going to find it," she told the I Speak L.A. podcast in 2020. "If you want those things outside of yourself, this is the wrong industry to be in."

Clea DuVall loved being on the show

While she's better known for her roles in But I'm a Cheerleader, Veep, and The Faculty, Clea DuVall made quite an impression with her guest appearances as Chuck McGill's even-tempered doctor Lara Cruz in the first three seasons of Better Call Saul. According to Celebrity Net Worth, DuVall is worth an estimated $1.5 million, and considering the success of 2020's lesbian holiday rom-com Happiest Season, which she directed, things appear to be going quite well for her. 

Since her directorial debut with 2016's The Intervention, DuVall seems to have largely shifted her focus to directing. As she shared with Vogue, she felt ready for the gig after spending time on "film sets for the past 20 years." And clearly, that experience has paid off. "I wasn't sure if I would have ideas, to have influence on shots and camera moves and blocking," she told Vogue of her start as a director. "That process I really enjoyed." 

By all accounts, her time on the series was a positive as can be. In a 2016 tweet, DuVall called the Saul crew "some of the most kind and talented people [she's] ever worked with."