MegaCon Orlando: Q+A with Giancarlo Esposito of ‘Breaking Bad,’ ‘Mandalorian’

MegaCon Orlando returns to Central Florida next month with the “Southeast’s largest playground” for movies, TV, comics, sci-fi, horror, anime and gaming.

Cosplayers and fans of all ages will flock to the Orange County Convention Center Feb. 1-4 to enjoy four days of panels, demos, workshops, vendors, fan meet-ups, gaming and activities.

Celebrity guests are a big part of the draw with photo ops, question and answer sessions and autographs for fans. This year’s lineup includes:

• Cast members from “Stranger Things”

• William Shatner (“Star Trek”)

• “Star Wars” actors Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen

• Tom Hiddleston (“Loki”)

• Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and Tom Wilson (“Back to the Future”)

• Ke Huy Quan (“Everything, Everywhere All at Once”)

• Susan Sarandon (“Rocky Horror Picture Show”)

• Geena Davis (“Beetlejuice”)

• Robin Wright (“Forest Gump”)

• Rainn Wilson (“The Office”)

• Jason Isaacs and Matthew Lewis (“Harry Potter”)

• Paul Bettany (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

• Sean Gunn (“Guardians of the Galaxy”)

• Danny Trejo (“Machete,” “Predator”)

• Johnny Yong Bosch (“Power Rangers”)

• Alex Kingston (“Doctor Who”)

• National Lampoon’s beloved “Cousin Eddie,” Randy Quaid

• Jason Priestley (“Beverly Hills, 90210”)

• Michelle Hurd (“Star Trek”)

• “Entourage” cast members

• “The Princess Bride” cast members Robin Wright and Cary Elwes

• Juliette Lewis (“Yellowjackets”)

Giancarlo Esposito, known for playing Gustavo Fring in “Breaking Bad” and Moff Gideon in “The Mandalorian” will appear on Thursday, Friday and Sunday during MegaCon Orlando with options for autographs and photo ops, plus a Q+A session.

Ahead of his Central Florida visit, Esposito spoke to the Orlando Sentinel by phone to have a conversation about his career and the philosophy behind his life and characters.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Orlando Sentinel: You’ve been to MegaCon Orlando before, right?

Esposito: I came down last year. I enjoyed it, it’s a great time to come down to Orlando when it’s freezing cold in the rest of the country.

Orlando Sentinel: Is this something you enjoy, getting out and meeting fans?

Esposito: I enjoy having fan interaction. I enjoy comic cons because people have wonder, enchantment and joy. They dress up and get out of their natural state. They’re a little more playful with cosplay. These things kind of release the spirit in many ways.

I get to do a Q+A and have a chance to show people who I am, not who they think I am from the characters I play or what their expectations may be. I encourage people and uplift them to think differently about their lives and to be in a space where they can create their own dreams. For me, it all comes out of the idea that we have a choice and the ability to create our own circumstances.

Orlando Sentinel: What are some of the secrets to your success?

Esposito: I love what I do. In doing that work, I got inspired to keep doing it on a small level until it grew and grew. I called to myself deeply complicated characters that I had the ability to render truthful and organic. They say when you do something 10,000 times you become a master, right? With each job, I perfected a craft. The love that you put into what you do, no matter what it is, expresses itself in the gift that is given back to you in your dedication and integrity.

Orlando Sentinel: I’m sure a lot of people want to know how you got to this place in your career.

Esposito: At a comic con, people are there to unleash this other person inside them and to meet people who they see on the screen. I tell people, “You can be me. You can do exactly what I’m doing if you take the attitude about being free and apply it to your life.” It’s simple: Ask for what you want. What you do today determines your tomorrow. Invite your dream, make a choice for your life and then you start to put it into action.

Orlando Sentinel: What kind of roles do you find yourself in frequently, or what kind of characters are you most drawn to?

Esposito: I love playing characters who are intense. The villain roles that I’ve come to play are indicative of my background at military school as well as my spiritual and religious background.

When you come to a guy like Gustavo Fring (of “Breaking Bad”), he’s a businessman who controls a certain chaos. He takes care of the people who work for him. He feels like he can do it better than the other bad guy. He thinks he can control a certain part of his environment and goes about his life doing that.

In “Mandalorian,” Moff Gideon is the guy who felt like he was called on to be a hero. The whole galaxy fell apart and he’s the guy who wants to put the old guard back together. He’s a remnant and he feels like he can do that while nobody is communicating across party and political lines. He becomes an anti-hero because no one is listening to him.

Orlando Sentinel: It’s almost as if all these bad guys are just sort of misunderstood heroes or maybe they’re the heroes of their own story.

That’s right. I jokingly say, “Yeah, I’m a hero. Of course, I’m a hero in my mind.” I believe that most of us are until we let go of that ego.

I can’t wait for people to see my new show on AMC, it’s called “Parish.” I play an every man, that person who is not the hero. It’s the person who has to stand up under circumstance. He’s an ordinary man who becomes extraordinary, but he didn’t look to do that. He’s failing in every way and then through the pressure cooker of life, the pressure cooker of circumstance, he has to finally stand up.

Orlando Sentinel: What does it take to get into character?

Esposito: What you get as an actor is what you’re supposed to have. What you’re supposed to have is reflective of what was given to you or what you learned, like you did a good audition or the character lined up with your sensibilities. There’s some deeper element to it that links up, that’s at least what I feel.

Orlando Sentinel: Whenever this is your life’s passion and work, it’s the fire that keeps you going.

Esposito: For me, I like to stretch myself and do different things. For me, I feel like the more versatile I can be, the happier I am with fulfilling different parts of my journey. As humans, we have many different parts and personalities rolled into one.

The challenge is to make someone who is human and has a lot of different parts to him. With Moff Gideon, he has an anti-hero feeling. He’s someone who wanted to do good but it didn’t happen, he couldn’t bring it all together. His dream then became a dream of ego. Gustavo Fring was a guy who was searching for a family. To me, there’s light and dark in all and those are interesting characters to me.

My characters inform my life and my life informs my characters because I’m growing as a human being. I’m blessed and thankful for this journey that I’m on. All of my experiences have taught me something, like how to let go, release and live in my own skin to speak my truth. I want to be the hero of my own story. What is this life about? It’s not about money or riches, it’s about fulfillment.

Orlando Sentinel: Are there other celebrity guests at MegaCon who you’re eager to see?

Esposito: William Shatner is such an iconic actor in a certain space with such a beautiful demeanor and a wonderful voice. I love Ewan McGregor and I appreciate Hayden’s work as well. We have a wide representation of this Galaxy.

If you go

MegaCon Orlando is open 4-9 p.m. Feb. 1, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Feb. 2-3 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 4 at 9800 International Drive in
Orlando. Single-day passes start at $25 in advance or $30 at full price. A 4-day pass costs $119 in advance or $139 at full price. The Ultimate Fan Package includes upgrades for $159 in advance or $179 at full price. Parking passes are available for lots with shuttles. More information: fanexpohq.com/megaconorlando

Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com.