During a period of immense struggle, Giancarlo Esposito found himself contemplating a drastic solution to his financial woes – organizing his own death to secure insurance money for his children.
Speaking on Sirius XM’s Jim & Sam, the 65-year-old Breaking Bad actor revealed the depth of his financial crisis before landing the role of Gus Fring on the AMC series.
In 2008, Esposito’s financial situation became so dire that he contemplated orchestrating his own demise to provide a financial safety net for his family through life insurance.
“My way out in my brain was: ‘Hey, do you get life insurance if someone commits suicide? Do they get the bread?’” he recounted.
“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. I had four kids. I wanted them to have a life. It was a hard moment in time.”
Esposito candidly admitted,
“I literally thought of self-annihilation so they could survive. That’s how low I was,” before reflecting on the impact such a decision would have on his loved ones.
“That was the first inkling that there was a way out, but I wouldn’t be here to be available to my kids,” he continued.
“Then I started to think that’s not viable because the pain I would cause them would be lifelong, and there’d be lifelong trauma that would just extend the generational trauma I’m trying to move away from.
The light at the end of the tunnel was Breaking Bad.”
Esposito’s portrayal of the iconic character Gus Fring on Breaking Bad not only marked a turning point in his career but also provided financial stability.
His performance garnered critical acclaim, earning him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 2012.
The success of Breaking Bad opened doors to new opportunities, with Esposito appearing in acclaimed series like The Mandalorian and The Boys.
He also reprised his role as Fring in the Breaking Bad spinoff Better Call Saul, earning two Emmy nominations for his performance.
Despite the financial security, Breaking Bad brought him, Esposito disclosed that he declined a permanent offer to join the franchise.
“I did a guest spot on that show, and even then, after doing one guest spot, they come back to do another. They offered me a contract; I said, ‘No.’ It empowered me,” he explained.
“The reason I said no is because it was the end of the third season and they wanted me to sign a contract where I had six months.”
Esposito continued,
“They would have given me some money, which would have been great, would have been a holding fee, but I would have to go to them to say, ‘Can I do the Disney project? Can I do this? Can I do that?’ And I was in fear that they would say no. I also didn’t know what their intention was.”
