Giancarlo Esposito, known for his iconic roles in ‘Breaking Bad‘ and ‘The Mandalorian,’ is back with a new passion project: AMC’s ‘Parish.’ This series is more than just another gig for Esposito; it’s a labor of love.
Based on a BBC drama, ‘Parish‘ follows the character of Gracian Parish, a man with a shady past and a family to protect. It’s a role that Esposito connects with on a personal level, drawing from his own life experiences to bring authenticity to the character. Here’s what he said about the show.
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Giancarlo Esposito’s Resonates With His Character In ‘Parish’ Because Of His Personal Struggles
In an exclusive interview with Discussing Film, Giancarlo Esposito opened up about his long association with the show. Other than starring in a pivotal role on the show, he is also the executive producer. He revealed that it has been an 8-year-long journey for him, and he has worked on every bit of it wholeheartedly.
“I got the rights after Danny Brocklehurst, who co-created the original show, and his team, along with my manager, tried to get it done out here, and it got into turnaround. My manager gave me a call and said, ‘Would you be interested in this piece?’ So, I looked at the British version, which was three two-hour-long movies, and the writing and the filmmaking took me aback,” he said, while recalling how it all started.
Esposito’s portrayal of Gracian Parish isn’t just acting; it’s a reflection of his life. “I recognized the traits of this character as relating to the part of my life when I was bankrupt and lost my house. I felt like I lost the respect of my family because I couldn’t provide and had to rebuild everything,” he said.
He said that he took those struggles and infused them into ‘Parish‘, making the character’s desperation and determination feel real and raw. The challenge, Esposito said, was “to balance someone who is not a bad human being but has the ability to do bad things.” He wanted to show a man who’s trying to be good but gets tangled in his past and present.
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Giancarlo Esposito Opens Up About Prequel On His ‘Breaking Bad’ Character Gus Fring
Giancarlo Esposito has also set his sights on a prequel for his infamous character, Gus Fring from ‘Breaking Bad‘. He said, “I don’t have the power to greenlight a Gus Fring prequel, but I think that character deserves a little attention in that arena.“
“I’ve always wanted to tell Gus Fring’s backstory because I think we all want to know more about his complicated nature and how he came to be,” he added.
While ‘Parish‘ took much of his time, Esposito is far from slowing down. You can catch him in Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis‘ and also lending his voice to the Russo Brothers’ ‘The Electric State‘. He is also set to make his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a mystery villain in ‘Captain America: Brave New World.’
All episodes of ‘Parish‘ are available for streaming on AMC+.
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