Like his “Breaking Bad” co-star Jonathan Banks, Giancarlo Esposito reprised his role as Gus Fring in “Better Call Saul,” ultimately appearing in 38 episodes of the latter. In addition to playing Gus, Esposito bolstered his roster of screen credits considerably beyond the “Breaking Bad” universe. This included numerous movies, such as “Alex Cross,” “They Die by Dawn,” two “Maze Runner” sequels, Disney’s “The Jungle Book,” and the George Clooney-directed “The Money Monster,” to highlight a few.
Esposito has also been active on television, in shows like the post-apocalyptic drama “Revolution,” the espionage thriller “Allegiance,” “The Boys,” and “Dear Black People,” serving as the narrator throughout the run of the latter. He’s also joined the “Star Wars” franchise, playing the villainous Moff Gideon in the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian.” Meanwhile, he continues to rack up credits as a voice actor, serving as the voice of Lex Luthor in the animated “Harley Quinn” series.
All those characters later, it’s Esposito’s measured, subdued portrayal of Gus that remains his onscreen calling card, and in a 2022 appearance on “The Late Show with James Corden,” he explained how he went about creating his iconic criminal. “I had some instincts,” he said. “I had a lot of questions, but my instinct was to play against the stereotype, make this guy someone who observed, more than just spoke.”
