One of the most intense characters on TV in recent years has been Hector "Tio" Salamanca, the extremely irritable and dangerous drug kingpin within the crime-ridden universe of Breaking Bad and its follow-up prequel Better Call Saul. One reason why the character is so memorable is because of actor Mark Margolis' nerve-wrangling portrayal, but a terrible accident recently occurred during filming in which Margolis suffered a fall and was then taken to the hospital for emergency brain surgery.
To soothe most worries right away, it doesn't appear that Mark Margolis suffered any life-threatening injuries during his fall. According to a representative for the 77-year-old actor, doctors had to go in and perform a "routine procedure" to relieve some minor brain swelling, according to Radar Online. It's unclear how long it will take Margolis to heal, but his health and well-being is obviously of the utmost importance here.
Which brings us to how this accident could affect the actor's future projects. Mark Margolis reportedly already dropped out of filming the new mob project The Neighborhood, and considering Better Call Saul is apparently already filming Season 4 for its 2018 debut, it's hard to guarantee that the actor's condition is fine enough for him to keep working regularly. All involved would likely prefer for things to go as smoothly as possible, but recovery from brain surgery is hardly a walk in the park.
Hector's story took its most interesting turn yet in Season 3's big finale, as Better Call Saul took a big step in making a surefire connection with Breaking Bad, by way of putting the eldest Don in the bell-equipped wheelchair that he was seen in for years on the flagship drama. Nacho's big pill-switching plan paid off (we assume), and even though he'll have to worry about Gus Fring's suspicions on the matter, Nacho is probably more pleased that his father's life isn't in direct danger anymore. But for all that, Mark Margolis is obviously set to show up in the early part of Season 4 in some way, and we're eager to learn how this will be affected by the actor's accident.
Should Hector indeed be incapacitated enough that he loses his speech and some muscle control, then that could give Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould an easier avenue for limiting Margolis' time within the show. Don Hector could run things outside the frames, with audiences just hearing his name and seeing his orders getting obeyed.
We'll definitely keep an eye and an ear out to see what happens next for Mark Margolis and Better Call Saul. In the meantime, head to our summer premiere schedule to see what's coming to the small screen soon.
