Giancarlo Esposito is a renowned actor in Hollywood who is famous for his role in the crime drama Breaking Bad. His leading role as the drug lord, Gustavo Fring, who uses his chain of fast-food restaurants to run his cocaine empire, has brought him praise among critics worldwide, earning him the title of one of the best villains in TV history. Fans are still campaigning for his character to at least get a prequel series because of how interesting Esposito’s portrayal of this bad-ass character was.
What most fans may not know is that Esposito was in a very difficult situation before landing the role, which would change his life forever. He was financially bankrupt after the turn of 2008’s economic crisis and was ready to do almost anything to ensure his kids were taken care of. Gus Fring’s character came at the best time, and fans are happy it did because Breaking Bad wouldn’t have been as iconic without Giancarlo Esposito’s performance.
How Breaking Bad Saved Giancarlo Esposito’s Life
Several actors will say how a role in a movie or TV show saved their lives. Sometimes, it’s because of the great writing, directing, or the success of the project that gives them newfound fame and respect. But for Esposito, it was a matter of life and death before getting the role as Breaking Bad’s main villain. According to a Variety report, Esposito revealed in an episode of SiriusXM’s “Jim & Sam’ show that he was planning to end his life before landing the role in the hit series. As unrealistic as this sounds now, Esposito was going through a lot at the time. The plan was if he died, his children would at least get some financial protection from the life insurance money. And he really thought it through.
When asked about his state of mind at the time, Esposito said, “My way out in my brain was: ‘Hey, do you get life insurance if someone commits suicide? Do they get the bread?’ My wife had no idea why I was asking this stuff. I started scheming. I got somebody to knock me off, death by misadventure, [my kids] would get the insurance. I had four kids. I wanted them to have a life. It was a hard moment in time. I literally thought of self-annihilation so they could survive. That’s how low I was”. Hearing such a celebrated actor like Esposito say he contemplated this is shocking for fans who couldn’t imagine the show without his style and acting.
While that was one of his first ideas, he realized his actions would mean he wouldn’t be there for his children, not to mention the lifelong pain and trauma it would cause them. It would undoubtedly turn into generational trauma that he has always been trying to move away from. Then came the role of Breaking Bad, which changed the trajectory of his life.
Breaking Bad Reignited Giancarlo Esposito’s Acting Career
Fring stands out as one of the best antagonists in Breaking Bad. He is a beloved villain who has already cemented his presence in pop culture despite only appearing in 26 episodes of the show. The thrilling performance is in part thanks to Esposito’s brilliant acting skills. His character commits the worst crimes imaginable throughout his run in the series, but Esposito’s acting portrays a cool yet cruel man who isn’t opposed to going to extremes to get what he wants. It’s funny because he almost missed out on this changing role. For this role, Esposito won several awards, including the Critics Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, and earned several nominations.
While many of his fans knew him from this role, Esposito has been acting for decades. He appeared in tv shows like Homicide: Life on the Street and in the fantasy series Once Upon a Time as Magic Mirror, and movies like School Daze (1988), Taps (1981), Malcom X (1992), Ali (2001), Fresh, (1994), and Last Holiday (2010).
After his successful return to the small screen with Breaking Bad, Esposito has appeared in several tv shows and films like the Breaking Bad spinoff, Better Call Saul, as Stan Edgar in the hit tv show, The Boys, and as Moff Gideon in the Star Wars series, The Mandalorian. He also starred in the Netflix series Kaleidoscope (2023) and, most recently, The Gentleman alongside Theo Games. There seems to be no stopping Esposito now that he is back to acting full-time. His acting prowess is in demand, and fans can’t seem to get enough of him. Esposito is currently promoting his latest project, in which he serves as producer, the AMC drama Parish. Here is a journey through Giancarlo Esposito’s movie roles.
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