Better Call Saul S6: Lalo & Gus' Showdown Tested Tony Dalton's Multitasking Skills
Lalo Salamanca — the ruthless drug lord and ultimate villain of AMC's lauded "Breaking Bad" prequel, "Better Call Saul" — will almost definitely be remembered as one of the most challenging roles taken on by actor Tony Dalton. A brilliant monster with a sociopathic dedication to his family business, Lalo's scenes were consistently among the show's most emotionally dynamic and unpredictable. Yet, while Dalton handled these complex moments with seeming ease, one scene asked him to do so while also doing several other complicated tasks at once.
During his final showdown with Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) in his secret meth lab, Lalo is forced to record the entire encounter as evidence for his family. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Dalton revealed that the scene required a great deal of subtle choreography. "I had to [film with] the camera while I'm pushing Giancarlo down the stairs, and it was actually me filming, and then [I had to] point the gun, and the gun had to be in the shot with the camera," he told EW. While "playing photographer," Dalton had to work with a nearly 20-year-old camera to maintain the show's period accuracy.
If becoming his own cinematographer wasn't enough of a challenge, it's worth noting that Dalton had to do so during one of his last performances as Lalo — meaning whatever effort was required by the choreography was also required by the script.
Lalo's final monologue was a beast to memorize
While pushing Gus Fring around the lab, working the camera, and wielding the gun, Tony Dalton also had to deliver a verbose monologue full of not only Lalo Salamanca's usual charming wit, but incredibly specific details describing the lab. Dalton noted that some of his lines detailed very specific specifications of what was in the lab. Executing a dramatic monologue well is hard enough, but memorizing the exact specifications of an entirely fictional location is arguably almost more impressive.
Even then, the writers apparently felt that Dalton still didn't have enough to juggle mentally and physically throughout the scene, so they threw him one last curveball. "I had to switch from English to Spanish the whole time," the actor said, "And then turn my camera to myself and go, 'Hey yeah, wasn't that cool?' And then go back to him and kick him."
Of course, the consummate professional that he is, Dalton perfectly managed the many different aspects of the scene simultaneously and gave a memorable final performance. "That was a little complicated," he admitted. "But it was fun."