The iconic Giancarlo Esposito has delivered many memorable performances, but an especially infamous one is, of course, as sophisticated meth kingpin Gustavo “Gus” Fring inBreaking Bad, one of thebest TV shows of all time. Along with the show’s other biggest stars, Esposito shared his favorite scene of the series, which reveals a deep understanding of the character and what writing and acting techniques work best to make him so terrifying. Gus comes onto the scene late inBreaking Badseason 2 and is at the center of the show’s conflict up untilBreaking Bad’s shocking season 4 finale.
After many dangerous misadventures throughout the first two seasons, Walter White (Bryan Cranston) is anxious to find a distributor for his crystal meth who operates on more reasonable terms, having been nearly killed by Tuco Salamanca’s (Raymond Cruz) violent reactions. As Walt says, after they have been introduced,he respects Gus for running his meth empire like a reputable business.However, this denial about the cost of what he is doing is a defining trait of Walt’s character, while Gus' deadly silence in his actor’s favorite scene and elsewhere suggests he harbors no such delusions.
Gus Silently Murders A Follower To Scare Walt & Jesse
Esposito reportedly said (viaEntertainment Weekly) that hisfavorite scene ofBreaking Badis when Gus unexpectedly kills his henchman Victor (Jeremiah Bitsui) in front of Walt and Jesse (Aaron Paul). At the time,things are hazardously tense between Gus and Walt, as Walt had Jesse kill Gale (David Costabile),so Gus could not kill Walt because he would still be dependent on him as a cook. At the same time, Victor made a mistake, as he was spotted by Gale’s neighbors just after the murder. Gus is forced into letting Walt live, but Victor is disposable.
So,without saying a word, Gus slits Victor’s throat with a box cutter to make his pointto Walt and Jesse. Having donned a hazmat suit before killing Victor, Gus then silently changes back into his regular clothes, simply tells Walt and Jesse to “get back to work,” and leaves, making them deal with the body. This moment had the characters reeling, and some audiences confused, butGus ultimately killed Victor to proveto the other two that he would terminate anyone who made a mistake — he is only stuck with them for now. Esposito said about this scene:
Much of acting is to be able to say without words, and in “Box Cutter” I certainly had that opportunity. It’s almost 10 minutes without saying anything. I always equate that to Harold Pinter — who I love — and how Pinter wrote in “Pinter pauses” — very, very long pauses where no one said anything and characters are just looking at each other on stage or doing something physically with nothing said. In that silence of vocality, there is so much being said.
Giancarlo Esposito Understood How Important Silence Was For Gus Fring’s Character
Everything Gus Does Is Calculated & Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Gus is characterized by being poised and patient; he is elegant in his dealings and will lie in wait for years to have his revenge.Walt, who desperately wants to maintain a healthy home life while running a meth business, aspires to be like Gus,who is very suave and organized, as well as being respected as a chain restaurant owner in the non-criminal world. Yet Gus' restraint is why he is so dangerous, and he didn’t get to the point of mostly being able to keep his hands clean by playing fair.
Esposito spoke of the effect of moments of silence, something Gus also understands. Most of the time, he can send out people like Mike (Jonathan Banks) or Victor to do his dirty work. Gus doesn’t have to argue his value like Walt so often does, because he has nothing to prove. Gus is more powerful than most other characters inBreaking Bad, and his presence, more often than his words, is enough to terrify others. His most iconic scenes portray him wielding a few very well-chosen words with a mild-mannered tone, or not saying anything at all.
When he kills Victor, Gus gets so much more out of letting Walt and Jesse ponder the implications, then ordering them to clean up the mess, than if he had explained his motivations. This was the one time when Gus had to take matters into his own hands and make an example out of someone himself inBreaking Bad. However, this moment reminds everyone involved of what he is willing to do, while his casual, silent approach lets their own thoughts do the rest of the work for him.
