Giancarlo Esposito’s Daughter Worried About Nacho
- Warning: There are spoilers ahead for “Better Call Saul.”
- Nacho (Michael Mando) is currently on the run from the Salamanca family.
- Giancarlo Esposito told Insider his daughter is worried his character will do something to Nacho.
Things aren’t looking so hot for Ignacio “Nacho” Varga (Michael Mando) on the final season of “Better Call Saul” right now.
By the end of the show’s two-episode season premiere, which debuted Monday night on AMC, Nacho is on the run in Mexico from the Salamanca cousins.
On the season five finale, Nacho aided Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) in a failed attempt to kill Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton). As a result, the Salamanca family and the cartel are after Nacho.
Instead of staying put at a motel as he’s told, Nacho tries to run down the fearsome Salamanca twins in a truck. Since Nacho doesn’t appear on “Breaking Bad,” fans are worried that Nacho may not make it out of the prequel series’ final season alive. His actions on the two-part premiere definitely don’t help his chances at walking away from this mess scot-free.
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While fans may be concerned about what the Salamancas could do to Nacho if he’s caught, Esposito told Insider that his adult daughter, Kale, who’s a fan of both shows, is more concerned about what her father’s character may do to the fan-favorite.
“My daughter loves Nacho Varga, understands that he’s in a bad place, and asked me, ‘What are you gonna do to him?'” Esposito told Insider over
.
“Kale is hooked,” he continued, adding that his daughter “knows more about” the “Breaking Bad” universe than him. “She’s watched all of season five and has called me and said to me, ‘Papa, this is the best show on television ever. I loved ‘Breaking Bad,’ but this show has elements that ‘Breaking Bad’ did not.”
Esposito hints that it’s not looking good for Nacho.
Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television
On the two-episode premiere, it’s obvious that Nacho’s death would be optimal for Gus. If Nacho’s caught right now, he could easily rat out Gus as the person who put the hit out on Lalo, hurting his plans to build a meth lab.
When asked whether or not Gus cares if Nacho dies at this point or if he wants him to die, despite being loyal to him, Esposito told Insider that Gus is “between a rock and a hard place in regard to Nacho.”
Coincidentally, “Rock and Hard Place” is the title of next week’s episode.
“Gus wants what’s best for his organization and his family,” Esposito said of when it comes to Fring’s current feelings, or lack thereof, towards Nacho. “Ignacio Varga is a liability.”
“Gus needs to figure out how to use him to get what he wants,” he continued, adding that the writing may be on the wall for Nacho. “[Gus] respects the fact that the kid did all the right stuff, but he was unable to do what Gus really needed him to do and so you can imagine where his fate lies. There is no wiggle room there and there’s no room for personal feelings.”
Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television
Gus wanted Nacho to make sure that Lalo was killed in Mexico. Currently, the audience is aware that’s not the case. Gus also believes Lalo is likely alive.
Mike (Jonathan Banks) makes it clear that he’s not happy that Nacho appears to be expendable to Gus after the loyalty he’s shown him.
Of that, Esposito said, “Gus and Mike will come to some very difficult moments in this season because Gus realizes Mike’s fondness, but that’s personal. This is not a personal game. This is life and death between the Salamancas and Gustavo Fring and Gus is out to win.”
Esposito gets a thrill out of his daughters watching ‘Better Call Saul.’
Giancarlo Esposito at the season six “Better Call Saul” premiere with daughters Kale (left) and Ruby (right) on April 7, 2022 in Hollywood, California.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Both Kale and Esposito’s youngest daughter, Ruby, accompanied the actor to the show’s April 7 premiere in Hollywood, California. The show’s final season shows Jimmy McGill’s (Bob Odenkirk) final transformation into Saul Goodman, the criminal lawyer fans first met on “Breaking Bad.”
The actor said it was “a terrific thing” to have Kale there since she was completely caught up on the series.
“My youngest daughter, Ruby had to sit next to her sister because she is not as caught up and she wanted information,” Esposito said, adding that he gets a kick out of how into the show they get.
“It’s hysterical to watch them imbibe the show and get the idea of what’s happening to these people who become human to them,” Esposito continued. “They become human people, making certain decisions that affect their lives, that then in turn affect the audience’s life.”
New episodes of “Better Call Saul” air Monday on AMC at 9 p.m. ET.
