Why Baxter Stockman From TMNT: Mutant Mayhem Sounds So Familiar To Breaking Bad Fans
Fans of "Breaking Bad" are sure to get a chill down their spine when they head to the theaters this weekend to see "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem," as a familiarly sinister voice booms through the speakers as a classic TMNT antagonist.
Voicing Baxter Stockman, the mad scientist responsible for creating the ooze that mutated a handful of New York's wildlife, is none other than Giancarlo Esposito. The 65-year-old actor has become Hollywood's go-to talent for devious performances, ranging from the cold Vaught CEO Stan Edgar on Amazon Prime Video's superhero dramedy "The Boys," to the ruthless Imperial warlord Moff Gideon on the Disney+ "Star Wars" series "The Mandalorian."
Undoubtedly his most famous role to date, however, is that of Gustavo "Gus" Fring on AMC's "Breaking Bad." A shrewd and vengeful businessman, Gus quickly became Walter White's (Bryan Cranston) most dangerous foe and is remembered as one of the greatest TV villains of all time. Esposito later reprised the role for the prequel series "Better Call Saul."
As is evidenced by "Mutant Mayhem," arguably the most recognizable aspect of Esposito's performance is his sharp baritone, which he's previously lent to a number of voice-acting roles throughout his career.
Giancarlo Esposito played Gustavo Fring on Breaking Bad
Giancarlo Esposito first appeared as Gustavo Fring in the 2009 "Breaking Bad" episode "Mandala." This hour of television is a perfect encapsulation of Esposito's range as Fring, as he spends a majority of the episode skillfully hiding behind his genially sterilized customer-facing persona as the owner of the family-friendly chicken restaurant, Los Pollos Hermanos. It's only toward the end that he lets this facade drop to give Walter White (and the audience) the first taste of this new and formidable frenemy.
Though Gus does not appear in the show's fifth and final season, he gets a more extended tenure on the prequel series "Better Call Saul." Despite being initially hesitant to revive Gus once more, Esposito discovered within himself an interest to discover and share more about the character's backstory. He revealed as much in an interview with Vulture during the final season of "better Call Saul" on AMC, and even shared aspirations for further elaborating upon the extensive backstory he's apparently created for the beloved character. As of writing, both "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" are streaming on Netflix.
He can be heard in HBO's Harley Quinn and two DC animated films
Shortly after Giancarlo Esposito left "Breaking Bad" at the end of its penultimate season in 2012, he was tapped to join the newly established DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU) in its third installment, 2014's "Son of Batman." The continuity's first Batman-centric feature follows a more experienced Bruce Wayne (voiced by Jason O'Mara) after he is confronted by his estranged son, Damian (Stuart Allen). Esposito voiced master assassin Ra's al Ghul, a classic "Batman" villain who happens to be Damian's maternal grandfather.
That same year, Esposito voiced another DC Comics villain in a separate animated continuity with "Batman: Assault on Arkham." Set in the same universe as Rocksteady Studios' hit "Batman: Arkham" video game series, "Assault on Arkham" saw Esposito voice little-known "Batman" rogue Black Spider. Like Ra's al Ghul, Black Spider is a League of Assassins member and has at times been portrayed as a darker, murderous analog of Marvel Comics' Spider-Man. Both "Son of Batman" and "Batman: Assault on Arkham" are currently streaming on Max.
Giancarlo Esposito has also been a recurring character in DC's "Harley Quinn" animated series, playing iconic "Superman" baddie Lex Luthor. The CEO, politician, and criminal mastermind is given a more affable twist by Esposito in "Harley Quinn," leading the prestigious Legion of Doom in a manner less like a megalomaniacal billionaire wielding an army of supervillains, but like the president of a hip Fortune 500 company or a bougie country club. He most recently voiced Luthor in the third episode of the show's fourth season, which is now streaming on Max.
He played a wolf-pack leader in Jon Favreau's Jungle Book remake
Before bringing Disney fans worldwide the ambitious but undeniably polarizing "live-action" remake of "The Lion King" in 2019, actor, director, and founding Marvel Cinematic Universe creative Jon Favreau took on the task of reviving "The Jungle Book." Favreau's take breathed new life into the 1967 animated Disney classic in 2016, receiving unique acclaim amongst other live-action Disney remakes for its performances and — shockingly — for its use of CGI. As of writing, it is the only live-action Disney remake to score higher than its animated predecessor on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic
In a voice performance imbued with rare kindness and warmth from the typically cold, villainous performer, Giancarlo Esposito voiced Akela, the leader of a pack of wolves that take the human child Mowgli (Neel Sethi) into their care. In a behind-the-scenes interview, Esposito shared that he saw the original animated film after it opened in 1967 and that it inspired him to read the book it was based on by Rudyard Kipling.
"My favorite character was always Mowgli," he shared in a behind-the-scenes interview. "To me, he is the hero of our story. ... I always related to the boy, because for me, as a young man at the time, to be able to have the playfulness that he does... and [to be] as inquisitive as he is, to be brought up in both worlds... he gets to get the best of both worlds." Jon Favreau's "The Jungle Book" is currently streaming on Disney+.
He narrated the Netflix series Dear White People
A sequel to the directorial debut that took him from PR manager to Hollywood director, Justin Simien's "Dear White People" was a Netflix series that first hit the streamer in 2017 (roughly three years after the feature film of the same name premiered). Despite inciting the ire of various racist groups online (most, if not all of which had likely never seen the film or the series) for its apparently inflammatory title, "Dear White People" went on to receive rave reviews and even broke Netflix's two-season barrier. Afterward, Simien was briefly tapped to direct the "Star Wars" series "Lando," and recently premiered his biggest film to date, "Haunted Mansion."
For the first three seasons, Giancarlo Esposito served as the show's mysterious narrator, guiding the audience through the intertwining narratives. He also occasionally appears on screen, and plays the role of former professor Edward Ruskins. "Dear White People" followed Sam White (Logan Browning, Tess Thompson in the 2014 film), a Black student at a predominantly white Ivy League school who had previously started a radio show called "Dear White People" to speak about her experiences. The series specifically tracks Sam's life as she navigates her increasingly complicated relationships with her peers and the school's response to her broadcast. All four seasons are currently streaming on Netflix.
He gave a lively performance as a Cyberpunk villain
Giancarlo Esposito is no stranger to the video game world, having portrayed dictator Antón Castillo in 2021's "Far Cry 6." He entered this world in a slightly different and unique way, however, when he voiced the character Faraday in the English dub of the Japanese animated series "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners."
Spinning out of the controversial video game "Cyberpunk 2077," "Edgerunners" took the distinct world created by CD Projekt Red — a neon dystopia where corporations enforce their will through horrific acts of violence, and most citizens find themselves addicted to narcotics and body modifications — and told an entirely new story within it. Esposito's Faraday, one of the many characters unique to the series, was a so-called "fixer" employed by Militech International Armaments.
The series drew critical acclaim for its style and story, with Esposito taking to social media to thank fans for the "incredible" reception. "Faraday is an intense and ruthless character," he continued, "and it's been an incredible journey to be with all of you in 'Cyberpunk.'" You can catch Esposito as Faraday in "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners" on Netflix, or in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" in theaters now.