“I wanted to be in the moment”: Breaking Bad Star Giancarlo Esposito’s Strange Demand Before Shooting Gus Death Scene With Mark Margolis
Breaking Bad, an American crime drama series starring Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul that aired from 2008 to 2013, is widely regarded as one of the most successful and popular television shows of all time. Gustavo ‘Gus’ Fring, played by Giancarlo Esposito, was a fascinating and well-liked character on the show.
In 2013, the show was inducted into the Guinness World Records for Highest-Rated TV Series, after receiving a Metascore of 99 out of 100 on MetaCritic.com. The show’s success spawned the Breaking Bad franchise, which included Better Call Saul, a prequel series, and a sequel film, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, propelling it to new heights of popularity. Fans, however, believe that if Breaking Bad has taught them anything, it is that the meth business can get messy and people’s fate can end up in a coffin.
Giancarlo Esposito recalls Gustavo ‘Gus’ Fring’s shocking fate in Breaking Bad
Actor Giancarlo Esposito, who portrayed the character of Gustavo ‘Gus’ Fring on the show Breaking Bad starring Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, during an interview with Movies Breaker, explained what mindset he had before his character was supposed to meet his fate on the show in season four.
He noted, “I wanted to be in the moment of the reality and truth of what I had to do” while explaining that he just wanted to avoid the cast and crew as much as he could before he filmed the scene because he wanted to be in the zone to be able to deliver what it asks of him. No doubt the actor did a fantastic job, which is why Gus’ death on the show is regarded as one of the most shocking and horrifying deaths.
Gus Fring is known to be one of the greatest villains of all time, but it was the actor Giancarlo Esposito who brought that character to life and who went on to star in the prequel show Better Call Saul too. Gus is a Chilean-American businessman and a major narcotics distributor who is described as a bit of a buttoned-down, cold-blooded, soft-spoken businessman.
How did Giancarlo Esposito’s Gus Fring meet his fate?
Esposito’s beloved character Gus Fring on Breaking Bad met his fate in season four at the hands of Hector Salamanca, played by Mark Margolis, as he arrived at the nursing home Casa Tranquila to berate Salamanca for going to the DEA with the drug dealer.
Gus also planned on killing Hector with his enforcer Tyrus Kitt by injecting a lethal substance, but what the character was not prepared for was Hector’s secret plan. Salamanca had rigged a bomb to the side of his wheelchair which was activated by ringing a bell which it seemed that Gus happened to realize late.
When the character realizes this, he tries to flee from the room but is caught up in the explosion. It was shown that both Hector Salamanca and Tyrus Kitt also got caught up in the explosion and passed away instantly, but Gus had seemingly survived towards the end. The camera shows that the bomb had blown half of his face and his skull and brain were exposed, which eventually led to him falling to the floor and dying.
Giancarlo Esposito on tapping into the character of Gus Fring
During an interview with Vulture, the actor was asked about his approach toward the character, to which he said,
“The thing that does it for me is to sit in silence and to be quiet. In the beginning, my yoga practice pulled me in because it allowed my mind to still and not think about anything but a one-pointed thought.”
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he explained that he misses the cool, calm, and collected nature that he was able to fall in line with in regard to Gus. He noted that the character came out of breathing practice, a relaxed state of mind, and listening more than speaking, which sometimes intimidates people. Esposito said that playing that character made him realize not to jump into playing Gus but to give himself some time and space to be thoughtful and to hear and react.
Source: Looper
