Giancarlo Esposito – Creepshow – SDCC 2019

By: Matthew Pepe

Q) How were you approached to be a part of “Creepshow?”

Giancarlo: I had heard about it and then my manager Josh said, “Hey, Greg is doing this show, do you want to read it?” And I said, “Yeah, well, I’d love to read it.” But then the phone rang and it’s Greg. And he basically had already texted me saying, “Hey, I’m doing this new show. Would you come down and do this show?” And we all know what those phone calls are. I’ll give you some bubblegum and a piece of candy. I’d love to come, I’m a big fan of Stephen King. I worked with Stephen King years ago. It was on a piece called Maximum Overdrive. It is the only film Steve King actually directed and I had such a good time with him on that. And then when I did “Breaking Bad.” I was told later that he is a huge fan of mine and he kept blowing me up, my performance, my performance. So, finally, I thought I’d better take this gig if nothing else than to be able to thank him for his honoring of me and hoping that he would remember who I was because I always had such a small part in Maximum Overdrive. Significant, but small. But I enjoy making decisions surrounding history. I love George Romero. And I had to go back and start to look at some of his work and then I had to go back and research the connection between Steven and George. It’s so freaking strong. And I was in all the way. After I got there, I was like, “What did I do?” Because it’s a very different genre than I ever worked in before.

Q) Is this a character that speaks to you? A lot of your other characters are often, for lack of a better way to put it, confident badasses.

Giancarlo: I wanted it to be that way because I love to be the hero and the badass, but I have to tell you, it’s a little bit the opposite, which is what I loved about it because it afforded me the opportunity to be vulnerable and to change, flipped the way I see myself in my head. So, if I’m playing a real badass character, I want to do the opposite. I want to switch it up. I don’t want to do that forever. I’m an actor. I love what I do. I’ve been blessed to be able to be telling a bad ass character and doing three other shows where I play lesser bad assess or not as much bad. People don’t know me like this, like they never see me laugh or smile or crack up because I think I’m that, that one guy from that one show who lost half his face.

Q) I think like your character from “Revolution” was very different, from pre-Revolution to post, so you had you had a little bit of both.

Giancarlo: I love that show. I’m going to be with Eric Kripke later. I’m doing his show called “The Boys” in Toronto. I just saw him a little bit ago. That was one of my favorite characters I’ve ever played because he is nuanced and he has, as you put it, all of these different emotions and feelings that first season. He was one way, a second season he’s in trauma and he has to work through that trauma. It is a show and a character I was really sore to let go of and to lose with this particular character. In an anthology show you have the set up and then as an actor you have to go and figure out the whole back story for one episode. When you’re working on a show, it’s going to run ten episodes. You have a lot of time to do your research and all that. This year there for four or five days, I immediately started to work and think and you start thinking, “Who am I going to be paired with? Like how’s all that going to happen?” And Thank God, I was paired with Tobin Bell and Adrienne Barbeau. Tobin and I set out immediately to have a relationship because we were talking like two old friends living in a small town. They finish their sentences, they know each other very, very well. And so we had to create this kind of knowledge of each other and we both prayed we would like each other and we did. I recognized him as having a little seniority. I recognized his very clear communication, but his crotchety nature a little bit…He’s a little older, so when you’re all a little older you don’t quite give a damn and are set in their ways. So, I completely took all that in and we started going over the script and we started finding places that we felt needed some work. So, we started writing, even knowing we weren’t going to change any of the dialogue, but let’s change it for us to rehearse. Let’s change it to fill in the blanks. And we did and it paid off. And then we get on set and it’s like, wait a minute. I had not thought of all the variables. There is the monster who’s going to scare the crap out of us. I can’t describe it, but just so gross and frightening that I realized this is the scariest thing I’ve ever done. Thinking of something else… “Creepshow.” Like I hadn’t thought of how they were going to light it until they handed me a flashlight. It was written by the Tobin’s character had the flashlight and I’m like, “How are you going to do that? I don’t know. Right.” And the flashlight is not only to see, but it’s to light the white ceiling or have it here so that we’re both lit. So, now I’m not only having to, but I gotta light my own face. I was like, “I am a black man. I’m coco baby. You got to see me, man.” It was really hysterical. Could you put the light over here? So, when Tobin’s speaking there is a flashlight on a wall so he can be lit. When I am speaking, I put the light on the other wall. So, it was unbelievably fun because it took me out of focusing only on acting, which is the key. You don’t want to look like you’re acting. You want to make it real. So, we’re stumbling around the fricking dark and this old freaking house in Atlanta and I’m like, “What am I doing here? I’m an actor. I’m not your DP.” I’ve had them cracking up on the set. So, with all those actions that I had to take to allow the scene to work and then it’s “Creepshow.” There’s a slime here and slime…Oh God, it was so much fun and I would repeat it in a heartbeat. Truly

Q) It also has to be liberating, as you’re saying, because you are not going to repeat in the series…

Giancarlo: It is a GREAT feeling knowing you are not going to repeat. So, you put your heart and soul into everything you’re doing right? In that moment, you’re trying to figure out how to have everything work seamlessly and you’re trying to serve up the story and the good writing, knowing that this is the prize at the end. That’s gonna not only mess the audience up, but it’s gonna mess you up. So, I have to think it was exhilarating because you let go over all your habits, like going to the set on that other show. I do “Breaking Bad.” Like I just shut up. I don’t have to say anything, like crew members I’m working with for seven, eight, ten years. They step aside until they see me, nod or something. They can come and talk to me. Everyone’s not afraid of me. I kind of fucking love it. So, to get out of that, because it sets into your consciousness who you are by the actions you take when you’re around other people…And I can flip into that in a heartbeat. But, in reality, I was a fish out of water, a little more vulnerable. I didn’t have anything to really rely on. So, I said, ‘You can do two things here. You can walk through this and get your bubble gum and candy and go home. Or you could immerse yourself and have a blast.” And I’m always the guy who immerses themselves because you never know what new freshness might take place. So, I gotta tell you, to do this show man, I didn’t expect this. It was like a breath of fresh air. Like you know when you say I got to do it? I respect Stephen King who wrote the novella. I respect Greg Nicotero who I never worked with. Greg built my bust and face for the prosthetic for two-face for episode four, season 10 of “Breaking Bad” where I lost my face. So, I knew Greg. My daughter, oh, she was sitting there. She’s now 23 she was 14 years old, came to Atlanta with me to do the whole busting cast and Greg was very specific. I walked around his warehouse and I was like, “This guy’s an amazing artist.” That’s how I knew him. And then since then, he went off to do his other show and I went up to my other show and he’s now a huge fucking star. Put it this way. When I met Greg, his hair was here [points]. His hair was here and he went off and became an absolute prolific director, prolific writer. And I thought to myself, when I talked to him on the phone, I went, “You want to go work with this guy? It’s different, you know?” And, so, I immediately said yes. And it was the truth. It was completely different. It was freeing, just unlocked, unlocked the cage. And let me out.

Q) It sounds like this is almost kind of like urban legend territory. Is that what it is?

Giancarlo: It is so interesting you say that. I believe it is because when you’re talking about the germination of a show that effects so many people to this day, and a great director/writer like Greg and Stephen King who comes in and goes, “Wow, Adrienne Barbeau maybe she’ll come and do this one” you’re tying in urban legend to create new urban legend. And this show is like nothing else. Why? Because it’s not a show that’s going to beat you over the head politically. It may get into being a microcosm for world now for you. The different happenings of that happened within the show, but it’s fun, right? So, you’re immediately in a position where you’re disarmed and you’re immediately in a position where you’re also vulnerable waiting for what is about to happen. And that’s a special place to be so that when you do get a moral message through the show, it resounds in a deeper way. And I think this show has the opportunity to tell that story.

Q) Speaking of “Breaking Bad,” is there any way you’re coming back for the movie? I mean, in a flashback or in any way?

Giancarlo: I’m going to say mum’s the word and I’m the guy who really loves to please people and tell them what may happen or what could happen, but I can’t say I tell. And because we want you to be really excited. And I think you have a right to be, but it’s gonna come out soon and you’ll know all.