The Best Time Gus Fring Ever Broke Character On Breaking Bad
Over the course of its run, "Breaking Bad" made sure that its hugely talented cast had plenty of great material to work with. Although the series definitely knew how to be funny, its tone tended to be fairly serious. On a show about drug dealers and criminal conspiracies, it's not always easy to find a laugh line. In spite of the series' frequently serious nature, though, the cast and crew seems to have had a great time making it, at least if the blooper reels are to be believed.
Those blooper reels reveal that almost every main cast member got in on the fun at some point, although some did so more frequently than others. Perhaps the most surprising example of an actor breaking character came from Giancarlo Esposito, who played Gus Fring, the show's most essential villain.
Fring, who is a terrifying presence throughout his time on the show, is an efficient, ruthless man who lets nothing get in the way of his business. He's not someone who often cracks a smile, and telling jokes seems almost entirely out of the question. Ultimately, Fring's seriousness as a character only makes the moments when Esposito or someone else messes up even more hilarious.
Fring and Hector Salamanca wind up giggling
Anyone who knows anything about Gus Fring knows that he has nothing but disdain for Hector Salamanca (Mark Margolis). Hector was the former right-hand man to Don Eladio before being confined to a wheelchair, and the two have a deeply contentious history.
In the present day, Fring frequently visits Hector in his nursing home, seemingly with the intention of taunting him. During his visits to the nursing home, Gus asks Hector to look at him, and Hector always refuses. Gus wants Hector to admit defeat in their years-long war, but Hector won't allow Gus to have the victory.
In one blooper from Season 4, Gus asks Hector, "Is today the day?" Margolis doesn't seem to be totally ready for the scene, though, and instead is on the verge of laughing. So, instead, of proceeding with the scene, Esposito simply says, "I guess today's the day," and they both break into a hearty chuckle.
The moment is striking not just because it's strange to see Gus and Hector laughing but also because it's strange to see these two characters laughing together. Gus and Hector are the opposite of friends, but that doesn't mean the actors playing them are also mortal enemies.