In a recent interview with Collider, Giancarlo Esposito, who played Gustavo Fring in Breaking Bad, said he's working on a big new video game project. Gus instead steers them toward DEA Agent Hank Schrader but also tips off Hank about the attack. During the party at Eladio's house to celebrate their rapprochement, Gus tricks Eladio and most of the other cartel leaders into drinking from a poisoned bottle of tequila. He is also co-stars with Samuel L. Jackson in several movies like Do the Right Thing and Fresh and TV shows like Once Upon A Time. Gus visits Hector to find out why he was at the DEA office. Gus appears uninjured as he calmly walks out of the room and adjusts his tie, but the camera slowly tracks around him to reveal that the explosion has torn off the right side of his face. Walt persuades Gus to reconsider his decision, promising that he will never have to deal with Jesse and that their product will earn him enormous returns. The man has been a standout actor for a long time. He then forces the survivor to call the middleman who arranged the killing and report that Lalo is dead.[15]. Esposito, who famously played the dreaded drug kingpin Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and its spinoff Better Call Saul, is playing a similar character in the game. 3 in their 2013 list of The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time,[25] and in 2016, Rolling Stone ranked him No. If the show doesn't go ahead then we will all have to wave goodbye to Gus Fring when the sixth and final season of Better Call Saul debuts. Without knowing what that secret was, Esposito understood the potential Gus had as a growing character, therefore rejecting offers for guest appearances and insisting on becoming a series regular. Walt explains to Gus that this was just a "hiccup" in their agreement. [12], Jimmy drives to a remote desert location to pick up the bail money from The Cousins. When Walter White seeks a buyer for his high-quality meth, Saul Goodman arranges a meeting with the unknown purchaser. In the Better Call Saul episode "Magic Man", Lalo Salamanca refers to a mysterious incident involving Gus which took place in Santiago. The villa serves as the residence for Dr. Barry Goodman, and contains a fountain which is dedicated to Max. During the fight that ensues after cartel leaders begin dying from the poison's effects, Jesse helps the ill Gus and wounded Mike escape, killing Hector's last living grandson, Joaquin Salamanca, in the process. Giancarlo Esposito’s Gustavo “Gus” Fring is a fictional powerful drug lord who appears in ‘Breaking Bad’ (2009-11) and its prequel series ‘Better Call Saul’ (2017-present). Following the Cousins' botched hit, Gus cuts the Cartel out of the Southwest meth operation. Read an interview with Giancarlo Esposito for Season 4 ». Giancarlo Esposito, Actor: Breaking Bad. Werner inadvertently provides details of underground concrete construction to patrons during an outing at a bar and Mike ends the conversation. Now, newer fans perhaps know him better as Gustavo Fring, the mysterious restaurant owner and drug boss from the “Breaking Bad” universe. Shortly afterward, Gus is given a tour of the DEA's Albuquerque field office, along with other local boosters. Instead of killing Tuco, Mike arranges for Tuco to assault him in view of the police, leading to Tuco's arrest. At a meeting between Juan Bolsa, Gus, Hector and Nacho, Bolsa informs them that the use of Gus's trucks to move the drugs and cash for both organizations will be a permanent arrangement. For the next twenty years, Gus remains outwardly loyal to the cartel, but nurses a grudge against Eladio and Hector, waiting for his chance at revenge. Knowing that the security camera recordings stored on Gus' laptop can incriminate them, Walt, Jesse, and Mike use an electromagnet outside the police station to destroy the computer and its hard drive while it is in the police evidence room. He is also a DEA agent. Plotting his long-simmering revenge, Gus is now at war on all fronts as he attempts to build his drug empire out of view of the cartel’s prying eyes. Though Gus doesn't appear, his death has numerous consequences. Lalo is awake at 3 a.m. so Nacho sets a kitchen fire as a distraction. Skyler White is Walte's wife, a mother of two and co-owner of A1A Car Wash. Gomez is Hank's DEA partner investigating Heisenberg's blue crystal. [26], Although the character of Gus Fring and Esposito's performance have generally been well received by critics, some native Spanish speakers have criticized the actor's stilted and unnatural accent when speaking Spanish. They approached don Eladio Vuente, the leader of the cartel, with an offer to expand their drug trade with cartel help, which Eladio declines because the cartel prefers to continue distributing cocaine. Gus anonymously warns Hank about the pending attack, enabling Hank to kill Marco and critically injure Leonel, despite becoming nearly paralyzed from the waist down. Ted Beneke is Skyler's boss who also harbors romantic feelings for her. Nacho follows Mike's previous advice to switch the placebos for Hector's real medication so that foul play will not be suspected. Walt and his partner, Jesse Pinkman, arrive at a Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant in the South Valley, but the buyer seemingly never shows up, with Jesse and Walt unaware that Gus, the restaurant manager, had been silently watching them. Walt convinces Hector to help him by promising him final revenge on Gus. His performances in Spike Lee's films Do the Right Thing, Mo' Better Blues, School Daze and Malcolm X are among his most memorable. When Gus returns home, he and Nacho preserve Nacho's role as the mole in the Salamanca organization by destroying Gus's restaurant. Knowing that Lalo can track Werner's actions back to Gus, Gus says Werner must be killed. With Jesse unconscious after taking heroin with his girlfriend Jane Margolis, Walt is forced to miss the birth of his daughter Holly to make the delivery. Nacho reports the plan to Gus, who plans to cancel the drops, but Nacho advises that this will reveal a mole within the Salamanca organization. The company currently has four other projects in development, in which Esposito plans to direct, produce and co-star. Worried about their safety, Walt gives Jesse a cigarette with a capsule of ricin hidden inside and tells him to poison Gus when he gets the chance, but Jesse does not follow through. Tio's rage at Gus burns so deeply that he agrees to let Walt strap an explosive device to Tio's wheelchair. Gus is pleased with the quality of Walt's blue meth, and offers him $3 million for three months of his time to cook more in a high-tech "superlab" hidden under an industrial laundry that Gus owns. Lalo follows Mike, kills Fred the money wire clerk to obtain the information Mike discovered, then calls resorts until he finds Werner. Hector's angry outburst leads to a stroke, and Gus calls for an ambulance while administering first aid that saves Hector's life, though he is comatose. Gus offers the job to Werner Ziegler after being impressed by Werner's forthright description of the difficulty and risk. Gus informs the cartel that once Walt is done with his three months, they will be free to kill him. Gustavo "Gus" Fring is a respected business owner whose legitimate operations include the fast food chicken restaurants Los Pollos Hermanos. After unsuccessfully attempting to enlist Jesse in aiding him to kill Gus, Walt poisons Andrea's son Brock and convinces Jesse Gus is responsible. While reviewing Hector's medical records, Gus realizes there is no nitroglycerin in Hector's system, meaning Nacho tried to kill him. In 2007 through his production company, Quiet Hand Productions, Esposito made his feature directorial debut with the film Gospel Hill. Nacho fears that Hector will learn of his role in Tuco's imprisonment and is concerned about Hector's intent to take over Nacho's father's upholstery store for use as a front business. Bretts, Bruce; Roush, Matt; (March 25, 2013). Nacho gains Lalo's trust, and after Domingo is arrested, Nacho and Lalo use Jimmy/Saul to secure Domingo's release from jail in exchange for the location of several of Gus's dead drops. Giancarlo Esposito is an Italian-American director and actor, well known for his appearance as Gustavo "Gus" Fring on the AMC show Breaking Bad.For portraying the role of Gus Fring, the actor won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the 2012 Critics' Choice Television Awards.. Esposito was born on 26th April 1958 in Copenhagen, Denmark. After a night in the desert, Mike kills the surviving gunman and Jimmy and he resume walking. Esposito has appeared in notable films such as Rabbit Hole, The Usual Suspects, Smoke and The Last Holiday. In a meeting with Lalo and Juan Bolsa, Gus falsely claims that Werner Ziegler was working under Mike's supervision to construct a chilling system for Gus's chicken farm, and that Werner fled after stealing cocaine. Knowing he was recognized at Gale's apartment, Victor fears for his life and attempts to show his continued usefulness to Gus by beginning to cook meth, which he learned how to do while guarding Walt and Jesse. [16] Initially, Giancarlo Esposito was offered a character that was described to him as "very admirable, very polite", and he decided to play that character as if he had "some kind of a secret". Little is known about Gus' past, except that he was supposed to have originally come from Chile. Mike tells Gus that Nacho wants to end his work as an informant on the Salamancas, but Gus refuses to part with a valuable asset. [17] To achieve Gus's trademark calmness, Esposito used yoga techniques, which allowed him to convey the character as "being a good listener". Gus, who had wanted this result from the start, appears to reluctantly agree. Nacho Varga pays Mike to help remove Tuco Salamanca, Hector's nephew, from the day-to-day activities of the Salamanca family drug business. Skinny Pete is one of Jesse's stoner friends and a street dealer. Mike tracks this interruption to Gus, who explains that he wants to be the one to determine when Hector will die. Gus arranges to meet with Don Eladio and the other cartel leaders to work out the differences that have caused the cartel to disrupt Gus' business and he brings Mike and Jesse with him. Fring maintains a positive … He is also a proud board member of the Creative Coalition, an arts and advocacy group that champions the First Amendment. Because Lalo remains suspicious, Gus shuts down construction of the underground meth lab and has Mike send Werner's workers home. In "Hermanos", Eladio says that when he ordered Max killed, he spared Gus because of his unstated but apparently powerful connection to Chile. Gus says he has sent gunmen to kill Lalo, and that Nacho may be able to help. Chemistry teacher Walter White learns he has cancer and becomes a meth manufacturer. He is immediately suspicious of Gus and surveils his restaurant and chicken farm. In the Better Call Saul episode "Magic Man", Lalo Salamanca discusses Gus with Juan Bolsa and refers to Max as Gus's boyfriend. Walt asks Mike to let him call Jesse and convince him to come to the lab, but instead Walt tells Jesse to kill Gale. [10], Gus arranges for Nacho to report to Mike about his activities to undermine the Salamanca organization. In 1995, Esposito was recognized for his incredible work in Fresh with a nomination for an Independent Spirit Award. Once Jesse finds Gale's apartment, Walt sets out to kill him, but Victor stops him and brings him to the lab, where Mike is waiting. The unseen shooter was Mike, who was tracking Jimmy for Gus. Lalo confirms the impurity of the cocaine in a visit to Salamanca street dealers. Mike Ehrmantraut is the only person other than Don Eladio who might know something more about Fring's background. Gus provides long-term housing and amenities for Werner's crew, while Mike provides security and transportation designed to keep their presence a secret. He is supposedly a native of Chile; he is sometimes referred to by cartel members as "The Chilean". Lalo escapes the house through a hidden tunnel, then sneaks back in and kills all but one gunman. Gustavo "Gus" Fring. Gus eventually agrees to purchase 38 pounds of Walt's meth for $1.2 million but only if it can be delivered within a limited time at a remote location. Played by Giancarlo Esposito. “Better Call Saul” is coming back for a sixth and final season, but if series star Giancarlo Esposito has his way, the hit crime drama won’t mark the last time his Gustavo Fring character appears on the small screen. [24] TV Guide named him No. Jesse agrees to help Walt and tells him about Gus' routine, including his visits to Hector at the nursing home. Considering his life at risk, Walt attempts to kill Gus with a pipe bomb attached to his car, but Gus senses something amiss and walks away from the vehicle. Giancarlo Esposito has been making a big name for himself, and is starting to pop up just about everywhere. However, underneath this front Gus is ruthless, cruel and Machiavellian in managing his vast drug empire. He's the quintessential shady lawyer. Esposito's other film credits include outstanding performances in SherryBaby, Ali, Nothing to Lose, Waiting to Exhale, Bob Roberts, King of New York and Cotton Club. Esposito has appeared in notable films such as Rabbit Hole, The Usual Suspects, Smoke and The Last Holiday. Mike reassures Gus that if he cannot find out anything about him from before 1989 (the year Fring emigrated to Mexico, and subsequently the United States), then it is unlikely that the DEA will either. Little is known about Gus' past, except that he came from Chile and was connected to Madrigal Electromotive GmbH. The police recover the account numbers and access codes for the offshore accounts Gus previously set up to pay his employees for their silence and seize the accounts. Jesse Pinkman is a former student of Walt's and his meth-making partner. Gus arrives at the lab, where Walt and Jesse have been secured by Victor and Mike. He employs a number of enforcers and has personally killed rivals and associates.[1]. Gus agrees to overlook the matter but reinstates Gale as Walt's assistant, and privately tells Gale to learn all of Walt's methods so that he can take over from Walt. Hector refuses to acknowledge Gus as Gus prepares to kill him with a lethal injection. Jimmy uses the information to accuse police of witness tampering, enabling him to win a motion to release Lalo on bail. A Chilean-American, Fring is a major methamphetamine distributor in the Southwestern United States who uses several legitimate businesses, including a chain of successful fast food fried chicken restaurants called Los Pollos Hermanos (The Chicken Brothers) and an industrial laundry facility called Lavanderia Brillante, as fronts for a vast drug operation. He is also very well-known to theatre goers for his award-winning work on stage. The story explains events of which Lalo is aware, including Werner's departure from Albuquerque, pursuit by Mike, and subsequent death. Walt realizes this later, and arranges a second meeting with only himself and Gus. "It's been my year, so to speak. The Cartel retaliates by hijacking Gus's delivery trucks and killing one of his men. Meanwhile, two Cartel killers, the Cousins, travel from Mexico to murder Walt to avenge the death of Tuco, his previous distributor. Before Gus administers the shot, Hector suddenly turns to face him, stares at him intently and repeatedly rings the bell on his wheelchair. The attempt on Hank's life leads to a large-scale crackdown on the cartel, and Juan Bolsa is killed. Quiet Hand Productions aspires to make "conscious content" films that focus on the inspirational. With two Emmy nominations in the same year, the in-demand and versatile character actor is having the time of his life. The company is a subsidiary of Madrigal Electromotive GmbH, a multinational company based in Germany which has ownership stakes in multiple subsidiaries. From Gus Fring to Moff Gideon, Giancarlo Esposito Loves Playing Intimidating Characters With two Emmy nominations in the same year, the in-demand and versatile character actor is … Jesse is apprehensive, but the offer is a ruse. Nacho receives a call instructing him to leave Lalo's back gate open at 3 a.m. Nacho asks for Lalo's family to be spared. Gilligan has stated that he purposely left Gus's origins ambiguous, comparing them to the briefcase in Pulp Fiction. [7] Gus agrees and on the night of the transfer he tensely waits as Victor and Diego make sure that the DEA and local police seize nearly a million dollars but find no leads to Gus. Gus calmly tells Walt and Jesse to get back to work, and increases oversight in the lab by installing security cameras and having Mike and Tyrus watch them while they work. A 2014 NPR article focusing on representations of Spanish and Spanglish in American television singled out the character of Fring, with one fan saying he was "so painful to listen to" and that it made them angry that "such a pivotal and fantastic character would have such a giant, noticeable, nails-on-a-chalkboard flaw. Lalo says he intends to return to Mexico in order to avoid the scrutiny of police and prosecutors. Gustavo Fring is a fictional character from the television series Breaking Bad and its prequel Better Call Saul, portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito. Paste ranked Fring number 3 in its list of the 20 Best Characters of 2011. Mike fears Hector will learn that Mike arranged for Tuco's imprisonment and is concerned that Hector will retaliate against Stacey and Kaylee. Walt initially refuses, but Gus eventually convinces Walt that he should cook for his family's financial security. Los Pollos Hermanos Employee Training with Gus Fring, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series, "Vince Gilligan of 'Breaking Bad' Talks About Ending the Season, and the Series", "Breaking-Bad-Schurke nach deutschem Trainer benannt", "How Giancarlo Esposito Forced 'Breaking Bad' to Get Even Better", "Breaking Bad: 15 Things You Never Knew About Gus Fring", "Gus Fring Speaks: Giancarlo Esposito on 'Breaking Bad's' Most Memorable Villain", "Best of 2011 (Behind the Scenes): 'Breaking Bad' creator Vince Gilligan talks about That Scene from the season finale", "Interview: Talking Gus Fring with Giancarlo Esposito", "Does Television Spanglish Need a Rewrite? While there, he discovers that Walt has lung cancer and that his brother-in-law, Hank Schrader, is a DEA agent. After establishing himself in Albuquerque, Gus secretly looks to end his dependency on cartel cocaine by producing and distributing meth in the United States. The loss of Max also cultivated Gus's desire to create a new "family" by empowering his meth empire, as well as the chicken restaurants. Gus Fring is the owner of a fast food chicken restaurant and a major meth distributor. Mike, Walt, and Jesse partner in a new meth business, with Mike continuing to pay Gus' former employees out of his share of the profits in order to assure their continued silence. Returning from Mexico, Gus shows Tio proof that Don Eladio is dead and gloats that Jesse killed Tio's grandson, ending the Salamanca family line. Giancarlo Esposito is an American actor and director. Gus has a mysterious background; "Gustavo Fring" is established as an alias, as neither the DEA nor Gus' enforcer Mike Ehrmantraut can find any records about him prior to his arrival in Mexico. When Gustavo Fring was introduced in the second season of Breaking Bad, he was a quiet, humble manager of a fast-food chain with vague ties to the largest meth-distribution ring in the southwestern United States. Rumors of the "stepped on" product reach Nacho and Domingo, who report them to Lalo. Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito (born April 26, 1958) is an American and Italian actor who portrayed Gideon in the Disney+ live-action TV series The Mandalorian.He is best known for his role as Gustavo Fring in Breaking Bad. He falls to the floor and dies. One of these projects, This is Your Death, is an unflinching look at reality TV. Mike tracks Werner to a money wire store and then to a nearby resort. The next day, Mike makes a veiled warning to Werner that Gus will have him killed if he makes the same mistake again, and Werner acknowledges that he understands. Of course, it wasn’t until he played the role of Gus Fring, the cold-as-ice meth kingpin standing in Walter White’s way, that he became a household name. Gus and Max's relationship is implied to be more than business. He also co-starred with Danny Glover, Angela Bassett, Julia Stiles, Taylor Kitsch and Samuel L. Jackson. When Gus's subordinate Tyrus Kitt calls Gus for guidance, Gus recognizes an opportunity to infiltrate the Salamanca organization and tells Tyrus to give Nacho the extra kilo. Gus visits and asks Mike to join his organization, saying that he wants Mike with him because Mike understands his need for revenge. Gus wants Lalo released, so he has Mike provide Jimmy the details of his investigation into Lalo. The actor's turn as the villainous Gus Fring, on both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, is nothing short of iconic. Assured by Gale Boetticher -- the chemist who assembles Gus's superlab -- that Walt's meth is extremely pure, Gus reconsiders and hires Walt. Eladio spares Gus but forces him to cooperate with the cartel on Eladio's terms. Gus goes on to claim that in an effort to hide the loss, he replaced the stolen cocaine with locally produced methamphetamine. [4] He also left it ambiguous as to whether Gus and Max were lovers, but stated "I personally think Max was more than just a friend to Gus. Giancarlo Esposito is a celebrated television, film and stage actor whose acting career spans over several decades. Gus takes the first drink to alleviate suspicion, but forces himself to vomit afterwards. He has won two Obie Awards for Zooman and the Sign at the Negro Ensemble Company and Distant Fires at The Atlantic Theatre Company, where he continues to perform and teach as a company member. When Lalo goes to investigate, Nacho opens the gate and flees. The killings avenge the death twenty years earlier of Gus's beloved friend and first meth partner, Max Arciniega, at the hands of Tio Salamanca, Tuco's uncle. Gus offers to continue paying Mike during the delay, but Mike declines out of frustration over Gus's seeming lack of compassion for Werner. With the DEA beginning to connect Gale's death to Gus, Gus fires Walt and threatens to kill Walt's family if he retaliates or informs. Gus initially resists overtures from Walt, calling him unprofessional for partnering with Jesse – a junkie. "[27], AMC released a series of ten short videos on YouTube and their social media accounts during season three as Los Pollos Hermanos Employee Training with Gus Fring, combining live-action shots featuring Esposito as Gus along with animated segments, presented as employee training videos for Gus's Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant workers. Tyrus and Victor make Arturo's death and a violent attack on Nacho look like the work of the Espinosas, while Victor sells the drugs from Nacho's car to them. Lalo is surrounded by police and arrested. Mike works under an assumed name to secretly point the police towards Lalo for the murder of Fred the money wire store clerk. 7 of their "40 Greatest TV Villains of All Time". Saul Goodman is Walt and Jesse's attorney. 1 Bio 2 Appearances 2.1 Breaking Bad 2.2 Better Call Saul 3 Video 4 Trivia 5 External links Giancarlo Esposito was born in Denmark to an Italian father and African-American mother.