Giancarlo Esposito is known for playing some of the most notorious villains on TV. He continues the trend by playing Mof Gideon in the Star Wars franchise’s Disney+ series, The Mandalorian.
Esposito was very excited to join the Star Wars franchise initially, and has a unique process for getting into character.
Giancarlo Esposito is a big fan of ‘Star Wars’
Esposito has been a fan of Star Wars for much of his life and couldn’t wait to star in the series, according to an interview on the Star Wars YouTube page.
“I’ve been a very big fan of the early Star Wars movies and the world in which they exist,” Esposito said. “I was head over heels when I was asked to do this show by Jon Favreau.”
He’s always liked Darth Vader
Esposito was always intrigued by Darth Vader in earlier films and loved how dynamic of a character Vader is.
“I always was fascinated by Darth Vader,” Esposito said. “I thought that inside of that very, very hard and coarse exterior could be a human being that had the ability to bring some light to our space odyssey in our galaxy.”
The versatile actor researched ‘Star Wars’ extensively before filming
Because he knew many Star Wars fans can be very passionate about the franchise, he made sure to do tons of research before taking on his role.
“I was strongly affected by Peter Cushing, who also played Moff many, many years ago,” Esposito said. “And tried to do some research, because I knew the fans knew a whole lot more than I did about Star Wars.”
Giancarlo Esposito worked hard to get into character for Moff Gideon role
On the first day of filming, Espotio had to carefully decide how he was going to approach the role of Mof Gideon.
“My first day of shooting, I came down in a TIE fighter and I landed,” Esposito said. “And then I’m ushered into what is a standoff with 300 stormtroopers. And all I can think in my brain is, I’m Moff Gideon. I don’t have to do or say much to get what I want, because I’m going to get it.”
That first day of filming laid the foundation for Esposito’s exploration of the Mof Gideon character.
“And so that standoff was the beginning of me finding the balance of who this character is,” Esposito said.
He takes his craft very seriously
Esposito has a very specific idea of what being an actor means, and the responsibility he has in each of his performances.
“For me as an actor, I have to reflect the images that I see and feel that aren’t really in front of me so that you can see this world reflected through my vision, Esposito said. “And you get a true sense of that.”
Giancarlo Esposito says ‘Star Wars’ empowers the youth
Beyond entertainment, Esposito believes the Star Wars franchise teaches important lessons to kids about the power of their choices and doing good in the world.
“This is a series that empowers people to be who they are,” Esposito said. “We are in a different world. And more than any time ever in history do our young people need to be empowered to think about the effect that they, personally, can have on our world. And Star Wars really focuses on that effect and allows them to dream, allows them to be in wonder, and creates a sense of empowerment surrounding being a hero.”
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