Actor Giancarlo Esposito has been around forever. However, in the eyes of countless TV fans, he will be one of the best villains in history. Of course, I’m talking about Gustavo Fring, the head honcho of Los Pollos Hermanos and all-around drug lord. He had a few seasons where he went mono a mono with Heisenberg, in in those seasons, he was not only a vision of terror, but one of the smartest and most collected antagonists in fiction. It’s no wonder we loved seeing him pop up as the bad guy in The Mandalorian.

While Esposito’s turn as Moff Gideon didn’t last too long, he certainly made an impact. And, more importantly, he will presumably have a much bigger role going forward. But what is kind of weird and cool is that Moff Gideon is the first real prominent Imperial officer of color in the Star Wars franchise. Yes, we know James Earl Jones voiced Darth Vader, but Vader himself was white. And yes, I know technically Moff Gideon isn’t really Imperial since the Empire is supposedly dead, but you get the point.

So, what does it mean to Giancarlo Esposito himself to pioneer in that direction?

RELATED – Esposito Teases Darksaber And Gideon History In The Mandalorian Season 2

“Well, it means a lot to me because I’ve strived in my career to be colorless,” Esposito said to IndieWire. “I am of mixed race, half Italian, half African American, and I grew through the period of time where I was relegated to playing thieves and thugs. I learned how to do a Spanish accent, to play Spanish street characters, who were murderers, killers, robbers, the like. So for me, it’s a crowning moment when I could get a phone call from Jon Favreau, to say, ‘I wrote a role for you.’”

He’s got a good point. I don’t think any of us would think twice after a filmmaker like Favreau tells us he wrote a role for us. But, apart from that, Esposito discussed the idea of fascism.

“Fascism, communism, for me, can be colorless, because it really boils down to power and money,” Esposito said.

The actor then went back to the subject of his race in relation to the character.

“Certainly I’m captivated and in wonder and enthusiasm that this character could be, and is, me; someone who has an understanding of what race and status mean here in America and has suffered of that as well. But my Hollywood family has grown throughout the years to become more and more understanding that we are special, because actors are actors, and you don’t have to be a color to play a role,” he said.

Are you excited to see what Moff Gideon has to offer in The Mandalorian Season 2? Sound off down below!

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SOURCE: IndieWire