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Patrick Fabian as Howard Hamlin in 'Better Call Saul'.

(Ben Leuner/AMC)

'Breaking Bad' fans rejoice!

Walter White won't appear in the first few episodes of AMC's 'Breaking Bad' prequel 'Better Call Saul', but actor Patrick Fabian said the show will still be a treat for viewers.

Pennsylvania native Patrick Fabian credits the teachers he encountered at Cedar Cliff High School and his schooling at Penn State University with equipping him with the ambition and tough skin he needs to survive in Hollywood (ehh, Albuquerque, New Mexico, where 'Better Call Saul' is filmed).

For his role in the upcoming AMC series, Fabian plays Howard Hamlin, a hotshot lawyer for the firm Hamlin, Hamlin and McGill.

We talked to Fabian about how he prepared for the role (which didn't include watching 'Breaking Bad'), what fans can expect from the two-day premiere and his thoughts on being renewed for a second season before the pilot episode has aired.

Tell us about your character, Howard Hamlin.

"I'm one of life's successes. I am rich. It's a big company. The sun shines on me. For some people, being successful is aspirational and for others it rubs them the wrong way. It rubs Saul Goodman the wrong way. Saul's played by Bob Odenkirk, of course, he's the character that has been spun-off of Breaking Bad."

What helped you get into character for this role?

"[The wardrobe department] got me some of the nicest suits I've ever had on my body and your wardrobe really helps inform how you're going to act in things a lot of times. [I wear] all of the sort of things that will make you feel sort of pampered and I think Howard is very much a pampered character. And he just sort of assumes everybody else is pampered and may be a little bit surprised that other people in the world actually suffer, which is something he's read about but doesn't necessarily experience.

"Also, I've been in the career for 25 years now. I've played a lot of lawyers along the way. I have to thank my education for that because I tend to be kind of articulate and articulate people tend to play a lot of lawyers, a lot of teachers in this business."

What was it like filming in Albuquerque, Mexico?

"[Albuquerque has] some of the bluest skies in the world and you see it in 'Breaking Bad' and you'll see it as well in 'Better Call Saul'. [The show] definitely uses the locations. It's very, very, very georgous. The fact of the matter is, it is the desert and I enjoy living in California because of the ocean. I'm kind of a water baby, so I get a little landlocked after a couple of days in Alburquerque. But it's gorgeous. The people are receptive, they're really glad that we're filming there and I can't wait to explore more of it this second season."

The first episode hasn't even aired on television and the series has already been renewed for a second season. How does that feel?

"I think AMC was very excited about the pilot. They saw what they saw after the first show was shot and they have confidence in Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, who are the guys who created this. They're going to run with it, I think. Look, anytime a network wants to pick up a show I'm on for a second season, I'm all for it. I say 'yes.'

"It's a complete rarity. It's a real vote of confidence in the creators. 'Breaking Bad' has established such a giant worldwide audience that there's a hunger and an appetite for this show outside the United States. It probably makes good business sense just to make a whole bunch, just because you want to make sure that Europe and South America gets their fill [too]. I don't make those decisions, but I'm glad that they're happening."

Did you watch 'Breaking Bad' before you were hired for this role?

"I didn't watch it until I got the job. The reason was my wife was pregnant with our first child and we sat down and watched the pilot and we just turned to one another and we're like 'I don't think we're on board for this one.'

"We were just in a different headspace and by the time we got in the right headspace to see it we had two kids. I can tell you, I did not watch 'Breaking Bad' in it's first run, but I did watch 'Clifford the Big Red Dog' back to front about a hundred times.

"I binge-watched 'Breaking Bad' as soon as I got the job. We've got two kids and we're staying up until two in the morning saying, 'do you want to watch one more?' It was thrilling to watch it all like that and then show up in Albequrque to shoot the pilot."

Do you have to watch 'Breaking Bad' to enjoy 'Better Call Saul'

"If you did not watch 'Breaking Bad', you are still going to be able to enjoy 'Better Call Saul', without a doubt. If you've watched 'Breaking Bad' there's going to be Easter eggs and stuff in there that is going to make you go 'aww man' and 'oh yeah.' Your enjoyment level is going to be much more layered, without a doubt."

What would you say to fans that are expecting the show to be just like 'Breaking Bad'?

"It's not the same. The feelings that we had at the end of watching five years of 'Breaking Bad' are almost impossible trying to recreate out the gate with a new show. It has similar themes. You're going to know what world you're in. It's going to be the same 'Breaking Bad' world, but I don't think anybody's going to be disappointed who loved 'Breaking Bad.' I think ['Better Call Saul' is] really good.

"There's going to be people who are mad that Walter White isn't in the very first frame, but we know that's not happening this season. That was a different show and this is a different show. I think people will be pleasantly surprised."

Can you tell us anything about the upcoming two day premiere?

"If you are a fan of 'Breaking Bad' I wouldn't miss those first two [episodes], that's for sure. People who havent's seen 'Breaking Bad' might be saying, 'I don't understand. What's that about? Why are you so excited about that thing going on?' That's all I can say. Honestly, if I tell you anything they'll kill my character. You won't even see me in the show. How about that?"

'Better Call Saul' will air over two nights on AMC on Feb. 8 and 9 at 10 p.m.