Giancarlo Esposito reveals his dream villain and one acting legend already approves

Giancarlo Esposito already played one of the most iconic villains of the 21st century, but he has a dream role – and one actor who won an Oscar for playing him has given him the seal of approval.

Esposito rose to worldwide fame for his performance as Gus Fring in Breaking Bad, one of the best TV shows of all time (he also showed up in Better Call Saul). It paved the way for roles in The Boys, The Mandalorian, and most recently, Captain America: Brave New World and The Electric State.

He hasn’t always played villains (if you haven’t, you should watch Do the Right Thing), but it’s what he’s best known for.

Looking ahead, he’s expressed interest in playing Mr Freeze in James Gunn’s DCU. But that isn’t his holy grail: if he could, he’d play Hannibal Lecter.

Giancarlo Esposito wants to play Hannibal Lecter

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In a new interview with Empire, Esposito spoke about his desire to play Hannibal. “Would I play Hannibal Lecter? Yes, I would love to. It would tap into the deepest, darkest part of my being to do that, but I would be willing to do that,” he said.

According to the star, Anthony Hopkins (who portrayed Hannibal in three movies, including Silence of the Lambs) recommended Esposito for the part in an earlier interview.

“He was, and is, a big fan of Breaking Bad, and he saw in my performance the ability to be able to play Hannibal Lecter in a way that he would approve of,” he explained.

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When Esposito had a guest role in Westworld, Hopkins knocked on the door of his trailer. “We had a conversation in my trailer that lasted over an hour. We talked about art and humanity and acting and meditation and all these things. It overwhelmed me,” he said.

“We didn’t talk much about Hannibal Lecter at all. It was two forces of nature getting together. And I’ll never forget the subtleties of our conversation, because I felt like I’d met a human being I knew all my life. Another lifer in it because he loves it, will never stop doing it because he’s a creator. And so that was a beautiful moment.”

Last year, Dexerto spoke to Mads Mikkelsen about the prospect of a Hannibal revival. In his eyes, it needs to happen “within the next couple of years – unless you want to see him when he’s 70 years old.”

“I don’t know, maybe they’re reluctant to pick up something that has been. But I know there’s a big fan group who wants it, so I’m still crossing my fingers,” he added.

In the meantime, find out what we know about The Boys Season 5 and check out our 2025 TV show calendar to see what’s coming out soon.