Gregory Peters/AMC
Giancarlo Esposito, left.
On Thursday, the AMC series “Breaking Bad” was nominated for 13 Emmy Awards, including outstanding drama. Acting nominations went to its stars Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn and Aaron Paul, as well as Giancarlo
Esposito, who played the impossibly calm drug lord Gustavo (Gus) Fring. Mr. Esposito speaks here about his trajectory on “Breaking Bad” and how he very nearly passed up the role.
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Looking at a lot of the work you were known for earlier in your career – your movies with Spike Lee, for example – those were such explosive characters, loud with huge energy. Gus was the total opposite of that, it seemed.
Yes indeed. I’ve always wanted to work on a character where it felt a little bit more like “Waiting for Godot,” where there was space and time in between what I was able to say. It was an intentional choice I made, to really play Gus close to the vest, allow him to speak more with his actions and his eyes than his words. It was an exercise in being calm and relaxed, and that translated into some powerful work.
Did you know, when you were brought in, the full arc that Gus would have on the series?
No, when I first read the script I had no agent at the time. I only had a manager for directing. It came to me as a guest spot, maybe one, maybe two [episodes]. I don’t think they knew. When I got out there and I finally read the script, I had said no a few times to my manager, and he said, no, you’ve got to consider this. I said, I’m the king of the guest spots. I’m tired of it. I want a big fat feature or something I can dig my teeth into – a character I can explore and be with for a time. And when I went out and did the first episode, I got a call as I was deplaning, saying would you come right back and do the finale of Season 2? And I said yes.
When you learned how things were going to be resolved for Gus, was that bittersweet?
It’s always bittersweet, because I felt like I had really created a character that was different. Each time I create a role, I don’t go to the movies anymore. I don’t watch television. I want to be original, and with Gus, I made such strong choices. When Vince [Gilligan, the “Breaking Bad” show runner] proposed it coming to an end, of course it was very, very bittersweet. All I had asked for was that if we’re going to go, let’s go big. Everyone pulled it off in such a beautiful way that I felt great about how it all finished.
Since your “Breaking Bad” arc it seems like it’s created a lot of new opportunities for you on the stage and on TV. Is there a part of you that’s like, “Hey, where were you guys all this time?” Or are you happy that it’s rekindled people’s attention?
I’d have to say the latter. I don’t have any animosity. I’ve done some great work in the past that hasn’t been recognized, and it doesn’t really matter. It’s really how it all lines up. Gustavo was deeper for me on a lot of levels. The time is now, I’m in the present. It’s not like a vindication, I-told-you-so. It’s a renewal for me. Maybe they got it right, huh?