Giancarlo Esposito takes all his roles seriously. Whether he’s donning a mo-cap suit for a video game or pushing the envelope in an innovative Netflix heist series, he treats every character as a way to further his craft and hone his instrument. In recent years, he’s mainly played villains — chalk it up to his resonating voice or his reputation after playing Gus Fring in Breaking Bad — and this year alone, he’s played a foil in not one but two massive blockbusters.
In The Electric State, the upcoming Netflix sci-fi movie directed by Marvel veterans Joe and Anthony Russo, he plays Col. Marshall Bradbury, the merciless robot-slayer with a deep Southern drawl. But in Captain America: New World Order, he’s Sidewinder, the head of the Serpent Society. His character was a late addition to the movie after Seth Rollins’ King Cobra was edited out entirely. But even on short notice, he still underwent a long process to find out who Sidewinder really is — and found inspiration in the most unlikely of places.
