How Better Call Saul Hid Giancarlo Esposito's Broken Ankle In Season 4
Seeing as it takes place before and after the events of "Breaking Bad," it's no surprise that "Better Call Saul" features several characters from the AMC hit. Gus Fring (could've-been Marvel star Giancarlo Esposito) is one such individual, factoring into the story of Jimmy "Saul Goodman" McGill (Bob Odenkirk) from Season 3 to Season 6. While bringing Fring into the story likely wasn't much of an issue, hiding an ankle injury that Esposito suffered in the midst of Season 4 presented the "Better Call Saul" team with quite a challenge. Nevertheless, they found ways around it.
"We were four episodes to the end. I came back and did everything with my knee bent behind me on a box. I would rotate my body on the box to be able to make it look like I just stepped into the shot," Esposito shared with The Hollywood Reporter. The minds behind the program also used stand-ins and other visual tricks to make it seem like Esposito's ankle was in fine condition. The actor was immensely impressed with the final product, recalling, "I called [co-creator] Vince Gilligan and Vince was like, 'Oh my gosh, it looks great. No one ever will know.'"
While it may have looked just fine to "Better Call Saul" viewers, the scenes that Esposito had to film with a broken ankle weren't the easiest for him.
Esposito tried his best to ignore the injury while acting
As one of the main antagonistic forces in the "Breaking Bad" franchise, Gus Fring is an intense character. Thus, as one could imagine, performing the role was no easy feat for Giancarlo Esposito, though he undoubtedly nailed it each and every time cameras started rolling. As if it wasn't difficult enough to get into the headspace of the cold and calculating Fring, the actor has admitted that his "Better Call Saul" Season 4 ankle injury made slipping into the character he'd played for years at that point unexpectedly difficult.
Esposito told The Hollywood Reporter, "The problem for me was to be able to heal enough to not be thinking about my ankle and be thinking about what the scene is about." He goes on to explain that when he's on set, he's all business. No bragging about his past roles, no discussing the latest sports game. He just wants to get into the mind of his character and deliver the strongest performance possible. Suffice to say, despite the broken ankle, Esposito turned in some solid work as Fring per usual.
Even with a serious injury, Giancarlo Esposito made Gus Fring a highlight of "Better Call Saul" Season 4. All it took was some strong acting on his end and a touch of visual trickery on the part of the crew to bring his scenes to life.