Giancarlo Esposito Could Be So Much More Than a Smooth Criminal

Giancarlo Esposito’s defining quality as an actor is a preternatural stillness that suggests sophistication, intelligence, and unshakeable self-possession. It’s what made his most iconic character, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul’s fastidious drug-lord villain Gustavo Fring, so quietly fearsome. Gus has, in turn, set the template for many of Esposito’s subsequent roles. He has embodied the cold, amoral warlord Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian and the ruthless corporate executive Stan Edgar in The Boys.