Despite Gus' tragic fate in the final episode of season 4, Esposito says he has 'a feeling' that he might reprise his role as the drug kingpin of the Southwest in next season.
- Oct 10, 2011
AceShowbiz - Another season of "Breaking Bad" ended with another death. After Jesse shot Gale in third season finale, the ultimate episode of season 4 sees [SPOILER ALERT!] Walt getting rid of his enemy, Gus, by setting a bomb strapped to the undercarriage of Hector's wheelchair.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Giancarlo Esposito believed that his character Gus would somehow appear in the upcoming fifth season. "I have a feeling I might be back in Gus' shoes," he gushed. "There are lots of flashbacks on this show. Who knows what's in store for next season? ... In BB, people come back from the dead."
Speaking of when he found out that his character would die in a gracious way, Esposito revealed that creator Vince Gilligan had shared the plan to him after they shot a few episodes of the season. "After we shot a few more shows, Vince called me in and said, 'We're gonna kill Gus, I wanted to let you know. It won't happen till 413'."
He went on detailing, "He gave me a full heads up. I said, 'Well, okay, as long as it's fantastic!' He said, 'It will be! We want to to blow your face off!' We both thought it would be like Gus to survive an explosion for a few seconds - that he would button his jacket, straighten his tie - then just keel over and die. Vince came up with this brilliant way for me to leave - I give him full credit."
Commenting on the scene which features the drug kingpin of the Southwest seemingly surviving the explosion before he falls down, Esposito claimed, "That shows you how tough Gus is. It's a reveal when you see him. You're shocked - and he looks pretty good - until he turns his head. It almost seems to go into the realm of the supernatural."
On how Gus' blown-up face was created, the 53-year-old actor elaborated the process, "I had to sit and have a cast of my head made. They put goop on my head, all over. I had tubes running out of my nose to breathe. Many actors can't deal with the process, it's quite claustrophobic."
"They made a mold of my whole head. Then they created the cratered face mask on the side; I wore makeup in the actual scene, and they digitally matched the head to my face on film. They marked it with a sharpie and digital dots. It took five hours to create that head - it was a due process!"
Esposito additionally revealed he has been talking with Gilligan about directing an episode of "Breaking Bad" fifth season, which was planned to be the last for the series. As for his work outside the AMC show, he is producing and directing a film about reality TV with Jeremy Piven on the lead.
