When the Villain Turns the Mirror on You: Inside Giancarlo Esposito’s Art of Humanising Evil
From Gus Fring to Mayor Cicero—and beyond—Esposito says every “bad guy” role is just another human story.
Often recognised as Hollywood’s quintessential bad guy, Giancarlo Esposito insists the villainous characters he plays are far more than archetypes of evil—they’re rich human beings with an emotional gamut. At the “Villains We Love to Hate: The Rise of the Anti-Hero” panel at the Tribeca Festival Lisboa, Esposito made it clear that his signature roles—such as the drug-kingpin Gustavo Fring in Breaking Bad and its spin-off Better Call Saul—are simply dramatic vehicles for exploring the full spectrum of humanity.
He cited his recent work too: the wealthy drug lord in The Gentlemen, the war criminal in The Mandalorian, and the authoritative Mayor Cicero in Megalopolis. In every case, Esposito says he approaches the role by asking: “What makes this person tick?” Rather than lean into evil as a caricature, he aims for kindness and accommodation off-camera—and complex, layered behaviour on-screen.
The conversation also featured veteran actors like Verónica Falcón (known for her villain roles in series such as Queen of the South) and Joaquim de Almeida (who has portrayed many antagonists across international projects). Falcón emphasised that unlike anti-heroes—who may oscillate between good and bad—true villains in the dramatic sense still demand our empathy by being portrayed as full human beings. De Almeida described preparing for a scene where his character killed his brother, not as a melodramatic turn but because “he’s stealing my business, my way of life”—and yet he cried. It’s this emotional song beneath the veneer of menace that attracts these actors to villainous parts.
When it comes to collaboration, Esposito recalled working with director Baz Luhrmann on the series The Get Down and how he negotiated the very position his character would occupy during a scene. “I don’t mind being moved around because it’s your vision,” he told Luhrmann, “but first I need to express my instinct… If I don’t follow my instinct, I won’t have it anymore.” That kind of actor-director respect, he says, is vital for those deeply psychological roles.
And yes—switching off from a menacing part can be a challenge. Esposito shared an anecdote about his daughter (then 14) visiting the Breaking Bad set. After filming a particularly nasty scene as Gus Fring, he calmly told her, “That’s Gus. This is Papa.” But her immediate, matter-of-fact response: “Good kill, Papa.” Even at home, the line between actor and character can blur.
For Esposito, the “bad guy” label is less a badge of dishonour and more a creative calling—one that, when done right, highlights the shared humanity beneath the villain’s mask.
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