'Breaking Bad' bad guy actually really nice, coming to Naples
Giancarlo Esposito says he enjoys immersing himself in characters, and a perfect example of that was his portrayal of villain Gustavo "Gus" Fring on "Breaking Bad."
Esposito — in town Sunday, Oct. 29, for the wrap-up of the Naples International Film Festival — said he loves "putting on a different mask for each character I play."
In the award-winning TV series "Breaking Bad," Esposito's character Gus often was opposite acclaimed actor Bryan Cranston's Walter White, a high school science teacher-turned crystal meth maker.
Esposito, 59, said the "great synchronicity that existed" between himself and Cranston made for on-camera chemistry.
"Bryan is a master actor who looks to do the same as I do,” said Esposito in a recent telephone interview (in which the actor is funny, engaging, an all-around wonderful human being unlike his "Breaking Bad" Gus, a Machiavellian, ruthless drug lord).
Some actors "try to beat you," he said, and look to steal the thunder on set. But Cranston was not that way at all, Esposito said.
“Acting is really making great music together," he said. "Bryan was the same way and sparks flew between us. I so enjoyed working with Bryan because I feel he’s so committed."
In his latest project, Esposito co-stars in the film "Stuck," a musical drama about six strangers trapped inside a stalled New York City subway. The movie showcases Esposito's many talents, especially his singing; he worked for years in as a New York City theater actor, including taking part in13 musicals.
"The film is not only fun, but it's poignant, and it has a wonderful message to it about connection," he said. Strangers forced to interact "brings about some really good conversation and also some great songs," he added.
“It was an opportunity to exercise my musical talents," Esposito continued. “I feel like I’ve been blessed because I’ve always searched and seeked out good materials. Maybe it’s from days in the off-Broadway theater. I’m always challenged about characters I can get passionate about bringing them to life."
He began his acting career at age 7 as a singer and dancer. His mother was an African-American opera star who performed in "Porgy and Bess" throughout Europe. She met his father — an Italian carpenter and stagehand born in Naples, Italy — while traveling.
“Maybe it was in my blood," he said of becoming a performer. "I loved the theatrical nature of the opera, although it was a little over the top.”
He enjoyed watching actor Sidney Poitier and became a dramatic actor because of the legend, the first black actor to win an Academy Award for Best Actor.
Even so, he experienced racism when he tried to land acting work as the son of interracial parents. He recalled showing up for auditions with directors expecting a white Italian man because of his name.
"I tried to accept that, and I'd walk away and say, 'What a disappointment,' ” Esposito said.
Yet he found work and began winning big-screen roles, including parts in director Spike Lee's films "Do The Right Thing," "Mo' Better Blues" and "Malcolm X." Espositio also co-starred in a range of movies from "Taps" to "Trading Places."
He also found plenty of work in TV shows, with major roles in series such as "Homicide: Life on the Street" in the late 1990s.
Yet it's his character Gus on "Breaking Bad" that's likely his most popular TV effort. Esposito said strangers commonly approach him by calling him Gus and quickly learn that he's warm and friendly.
’They’re disappointed and say, 'You're nothing like that guy,' " he said, referring to Gus. "I say, 'I'm an actor, that's what I do.' "
Esposito also has returned in the "Breaking Bad" spinoff "Better Call Saul" that stars actor Bob Odenkirk. He said he originally rejected requests to co-star in "Better Call Saul," a prequel of "Breaking Bad."
He eventually relented because he said "Breaking Bad" and "Saul" creator Vince Gilligan and show writers found a way to create a "pre-Breaking Bad" Gus character "different from the one you saw before," he said.
“What I really enjoy about this life as a performer and an actor and a singer and a dancer is that I’ve had the ability to never repeat," he said.
Esposito recalled how he was so focused on remaining Gus while filming "Breaking Bad" that he would avoid Cranston — a practical jokester — away from the camera.
"I oftentimes would speed away from the set when the jokes started going because I wanted to stay in that place, being slightly stoic," Esposito said.
"To have quiet times between scenes was always the way it worked for me.”
NIFF Closing Night
When: 7 p.m. Oct. 29
Where: Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples
Cost: $99 (excluding fees)
Information: artisnaples.org