Giancarlo Esposito has distinguished roles in hit collection like The Mandalorian and The Boys, however Breaking Dangerous stays considered one of his most memorable tasks. The actor’s portrayal of Gustavo Fring within the AMC collection has been broadly praised. In truth, he’s one of many present’s most iconic characters regardless of solely showing in two seasons. Esposito’s villain is ruthless and terrifying, and he drew inspiration from a personality on one other present: Miami Vice.
Giancarlo Esposito performs ‘Breaking Bad’s most memorable villain
Breaking Dangerous options quite a few characters who serve as antagonists to Walter White (Bryan Cranston), however Gus is arguably probably the most memorable. Not solely does Esposito’s drug boss boast extra display time than the likes of Tuco Salamanca (Raymond Cruz) or the Salamanca cousins, however he’s extra meticulous — and thus extra threatening.
Whereas most of the different enemies Walter makes are unpredictable and intimidating, they’re extra simply handled than Gus. Due to the empire he’s constructed, Gus can name all of the pictures. And when Walter and Jesse (Aaron Paul) are not of use to him, he sees little drawback with eliminating them.
That ruthless perspective made Esposito’s character extremely standard, a lot in order that followers beloved him despite his actions. However the place did the actor draw inspiration from? Apparently, he appeared to a different collection he appeared in.
The actor used ‘Miami Vice’ as inspiration for Gus Fring
Esposito has had an extended performing profession earlier than and after enjoying Gus Fring on Breaking Dangerous. Throughout his early days, he appeared in Miami Vice, enjoying numerous minor roles in three episodes of the drama collection. Apparently, the present caught with him as a result of he later used Edward James Olmos’ efficiency as Lieutenant Martin Castillo to form his portrayal of Gus.
Throughout an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Esposito defined that he wished to deliver a peaceful, indecipherable nature to his Breaking Dangerous character:
“He wasn’t a guy that seemed like a stereotypical police captain who runs around yelling orders, telling people what to do. He was very laid back and very, very relaxed. And I wanted to take it even further. I wanted to make Gus more of an observer than anything else and I wanted to make him completely unreadable…. Only a little bit of twinkle in his eye or fear or ‘What is this guy thinking?’ from the audience standpoint, so that they were not really knowing what decision Gus might make.”
After all, Esposito succeeded at what he was attempting to do. A part of the rationale Gus is so intimidating is that he’s all the time so cool and calculated. In truth, that makes it even scarier when he does present emotion.
What has Giancarlo Esposito performed since ‘Breaking Bad’?
Sadly, Esposito’s character doesn’t make it to Breaking Dangerous‘s final season — though he does reprise his role in AMC’s prequel collection Higher Name Saul. Gus Fring performs a fair bigger function in Saul Goodman’s (Bob Odenkirk) origin story, and Esposito brings simply as a lot charisma as he did beforehand.
That’s not the one factor Esposito has on his plate since leaving Breaking Dangerous behind. He performs The Mandalorian‘s Big Bad, Moff Gideon, and he brings Stan Edgar to life in The Boys. He also provided the voice for Lex Luthor in DC’s animated Harley Quinn collection and served as the narrator in Pricey White Individuals.
These are just some of the issues Esposito has labored on since Breaking Dangerous — they usually’re removed from the final. The actor will seem within the upcoming Jigsaw collection. He additionally has elements in Magnificence and The Lengthy Residence.
Evidently, those that loved Esposito’s portrayal of Gus have a lot extra to look ahead to from the actor. They will see him in a variety of roles — and return to his Breaking Dangerous character when Higher Name Saul Season 6 arrives in 2022.