Breaking Pyrkon: Giancarlo Esposito!

12 January 2026

It’s no coincidence – it’s the work

Esposito is an actor, director and producer born in Copenhagen, the son of an Italian carpenter and theatre worker from Naples and an African-American opera singer from Alabama. It sounds like a comic book hero origin story and, in a way, it is: over the years, he has built a screen reputation of a man who can act out power just by putting a pause in a sentence.

In pop culture, there are roles that are remembered, and there are roles that set the bar. Esposito as Gustavo “Gus” Fring in Breaking Bad did exactly both: he got the Critics’ Choice Award (2012) and an Emmy nomination. Then he returned as Gus in Better Call Saul and proved that you can get into the same character even deeper: another Emmy nomination (2019, 2020), Critics’ Choice Award (2023), and a directorial debut in episode 606 that got him the NAACP Image Award (2023). “Level up” in the eyes of the audience. Esposito is also Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian (with Emmy nominations).

Beyond the big screen

If we look at the larger universes: Esposito is much more than Breaking Bad and Star Wars. He just goes where pop culture is the loudest and does it in his own way. No shouting, no aggression, but just the kind of calmness which tells you that someone will immediately lose control of the situation. Stan Edgar in The Boys acts as a “vibe switch”, it gets more serious, tighter, more intense.

Then, there’s the voice. In Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, as Faraday, he sounded exactly like the person in Night City whose offer cannot be refused. In a kind, and at the same time, absolutely disturbing manner.

The icing on the cake is Far Cry 6 and his Antón Castillo. A dictator with exuberant charisma, which might seem a waste on a villain, yet it made the end result even better. This is yet another role that reminds you that Esposito is a master of “evil wearing white gloves”: control, coolness, charm and the feeling that someone other than you is winning in this conversation.

We kept the best for last: Giancarlo Esposito will appear at Pyrkon 2026! It’s a unique opportunity to meet this amazing man and fantastic actor in person. Get your notebooks ready for your autographs!