‘Breaking Bad’ star planned his own murder in life insurance scheme before landing role
Vince Gilligan’s Breaking Bad remains one of the greatest television shows ever made, with the acclaimed crime drama turning many of its cast members into household names. For one star, it came along at the perfect time, because he was so strapped for cash the actor considered planning his own murder.
Despite making his screen debut in the late 1970s and appearing in well-known films including John Landis’ Trading Places, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Cotton Club, and becoming a regular collaborator of Spike Lee on Do the Right Thing, Mo’ Better Blues, and Malcolm X, it wasn’t until he landed the role of Gus Fring that Giancarlo Esposito became a genuine star.
Since striking fear into the hearts of viewers everywhere as the cold, calculating, and chilling crime boss, Esposito has become one of the most in-demand character actors in Hollywood, popping up everywhere from The Mandalorian and Westworld to Okja and The Jungle Book.
Things were nowhere near as rosy in the pre-Breaking Bad years, however, with Esposito admitting he was close to declaring bankruptcy in 2008, the year before he made his debut on the show. Not only that, but he admitted on Sirius XM that his financial predicament was so dire he contemplated arranging his own murder so that his family would at least be able to benefit from his demise.
“My way out in my brain was: ‘Hey, do you get life insurance if someone commits suicide? Do they get the bread?’ My wife had no idea why I was asking this stuff. I started scheming. If I got somebody to knock me off, death by misadventure, my kids would get the insurance,” he said. “I had four kids. I wanted them to have a life. It was a hard moment in time. I literally thought of self-annihilation so they could survive. That’s how low I was.”
Cooler heads thankfully prevailed, with Esposito realising “that’s not viable because the pain I would cause them would be lifelong,” and it wasn’t too long after that Gilligan came calling. “The light at the end of the tunnel was Breaking Bad,” he acknowledged, with the promise of a steady paycheque and a recurring presence on a hugely popular TV series allowing the star to dig himself out of his money troubles.
They were drastic measures to even consider, but that was where Esposito found himself in the period right before Breaking Bad came along and propelled his career to the next level.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.