Patrick Fabian
Image: Josh Madson
Patrick Fabian spoke to ALHAUS magazine about the life of a successful actor—and his role as Howard Hamlin on hit Netflix show, Better Call Saul.
I’m a working actor, and that’s a blessing. It feels amazing and lucky to have a life and career in the art that I love. I jobbed around for years; it feels like I’ve been on almost every TV show, from Xena: Warrior Princess to Murder, She Wrote. When it came to auditioning for Better Call Saul and the role of Howard, it was one of those sublime moments of good fortune that I happened to be the answer.
I’m always excited about what’s coming up next in Better Call Saul. I get the scripts one at a time, so nobody tells me any sort of overarching plan of where the character of Howard is going. I’m in the dark about how the season is going to end until we get to that very last episode.
Half of the show takes place in the desert with all these dirty crooks, so I don’t appear in that. I obviously read the scripts and know what’s going on, but then I blissfully and luckily forget—so when it’s released, I get to sit down, watch and be a fan of the show as well as being in it.
It’s been so much fun playing Howard Hamlin and seeing his character development over the years. In the first series, Jimmy McGill (played by Bob Odenkirk) refers to Howard as Lord Vader, so of course the viewers immediately decided my character was an asshole. Now that season four is over people have come around a little. I’ve got to give credit where credit is due—the writers are so good that when a shift happens, the audience really feels it. The writers spend a long time crafting the scenes, so whatever they come up with, whether it’s a period or a comma, I have to honour that. The words they give me are an emotional roadmap of how my character is feeling.
Season Four of Better Call Saul is available on Netflix worldwide. Patrick stars in the recently released movie DriverX, available in select theatres and On Demand now. For more information, go to drvrx.com.