Giancarlo Esposito Quotes

I look at Breaking Bad as a show about the American family.

I feel that our stories are cross culturally irrelevant, and I'm a member if a larger community of people who have no boundaries in terms of color or in terms of how I look at other people and their stories.

I can only control what I do. I can try to suggest and be open, but trust is the key.

I don't think anyone is black and white and I think we change our minds and our attitudes about certain things as we grow to our maturity.

In my culture, my mother's sisters are also my mother. And my father's sisters are my mother's, too. So I have many mothers. My mom has a fierce love for her children. And she's known to say things like if you die I'll kill you.

It's certain that the death of an actor can be on a television screen playing the same thing every week.

As human beings, when we're young, we're not jaded. As we grow older, we begin to take on ideas of our parents, family of origins and that changes us. We become less fluid sometimes. So for me, I look for roles that are uplifting in many ways - no matter what the race or color of the role is. I want to go beyond that and try to share what I think my gift is and that is we all have this gift of choice. We just don't sometimes realize we have that choice.

When I listen to my scene partners and listen to their breathing allows me to be connected to them in scenes. I am not trying to multi task, not trying to talk on the phone, but in my character.

I have from time to time been a double A or triple A personality. I'm not anymore. I'm more lenient on myself.

I like to always wash the slate clean, and reinvigorate my spirit to be connected to the characters that I am doing. I am finding new ways to allow myself to soar beyond the parameters of what the writers have written. My key is to commit, and love your character.

The beauty of the unexpected and unknown, and it's certainly very tantalizing for me as an actor. Other actors can't deal with that; they want to know, but then they make choices and decisions with that knowledge because that knowledge gives them forethought, and they can think about how they want to play something that takes away spontaneity of what they could be doing.

I have a lot of very, very powerful women in my life. My mother being the first.

I'm impatient sometimes.

Many times - especially when I'm playing an historical character - I want to be really on target with how I create that character and really nuanced with who that human being might be. But I don't want to lose the likeness of me or the depth of my own personality. So meditation and my spirituality has helped me to realize that, yes, I want to get out of the way but I also want the ability to hold on to what the audience likes of what they see of me.

For me, what I try to heal is the major thing that I think all of us go through, where we came from. From our family of origin.

When I perform on stage, you have to remember my performance or buy another ticket to the party! In television and film, you can see it over and over again.

If I can look at each character that I am given and create them in a different way from the last role, I'm happy.

People who have not done their research on me do not know that I am European, born in Copenhagen, Denmark to an Italian father from Napoli and a mother from Alabama who was singing opera and went to Europe, met my dad, fell in love, and then moved back to Rome, where I was raised, between Rome and Hamburg.

I'm not too into fast food, but you know if I was, it would be chicken.

I can fish from a stick and a string.

I feel that if you can transcend the color of your skin, with your talent, why carry that as a badge or a label?

I have four daughters, the eldest is 19, the youngest is 12, and I watched all of them journey into motherhood. Motherhood is very deep. It starts when you're very, very young. Now, my 12 year old comes in, wants to put me to bed. And she'll, you know, put her hand on my forehead and say the prayer with me. As for years I've done for her! It's almost like a very beautiful, natural transition.

There is a dream that the world could be at peace, but that requires that all the folks with arms disarm, or take over all the arms and allow us to trust them.

We're living in a time where we want to be entertained but I think part of what people are looking for, that they don't even know they're looking for is to be uplifted in many ways.

I practice yoga every day. The practice calms my spirit, and allows me to be present.

We want to remember to be playful! We're here in this wonderful and incredible world! Like, the grand architect of the universe created this playground. And we're supposed to have fun, and we're supposed to play.

I think many people have contradictions to them and I love characters that deal with those contradictions.

It is the strength of the mother that is going to change the way the world is. It's the compassion, the love, the very open spirited mother and woman that will move us forward in this new century. It's no doubt.

I have this vision that I'm really watching each one of my daughters start to become women, and mothers. And this is what's gonna save our planet.

What helps me is yogic breathing, dropping my spiritual level where I am really, really clear that I am playing a character.

To be a character actor is to be open, to be a chameleon.

We live in a world of creative beauty - the grand architect of the universe. God has planted something for us - a playground to play in if we choose to look at it that way and understand it. So, this time for me, is really a time to create.

I always wanted to be a boy scout but was too poor. Couldn't do it.

I often think about, 'How do we return to a simpler way of living? Is there some way that we can start to think of each other as human beings again, instead of worshiping money, instead of worshiping electronics, instead of worshiping getting ahead just for me?'

We all do things at certain points that are contradictory. Some things, it's a smaller contradiction, and other things it's larger.

It was amazing to be nominated by the Academy who saw fit for me to be nominated for best supporting actor. The Critic's choice award was wonderful. I'm on cloud nine.

Cable was a blessing for me. Thank god, I've done a show that's going to be iconic. So, if I screw up, it's all right because I already have something that's going to be iconic.

I want a body of work; I want a good story after a good story.

When you have great acting partners, you hope that your reaction to them is propels you deeper into your own character.

I'm interested in spirituality and in religion and our relationship to the divine.

I try to be careful with my persuasiveness. When my heart is really behind it, and when I have no ulterior motive, then I know I’m truly persuasive.

I feel that we have come a long way as American people, and we have to start looking at ourselves as human beings.

My rule is simply "love what you do". That certainly has brought me to the place I where am at right now. It really has been with the work.

I'm naturally a graceful human being. So meditation helps me stay grounded. When we're silent for a moment, it helps us to hear the hum of the universe. Hear the message or what the universe is trying to tell you. It's your inner voice and instinct. If you're hearing that, then you're in the flow of things. It takes years to try and trust that.

My advice for achieving success is to make a career choice that reflects your passion. Then work your craft a little bit each day - even if someone's not paying you to do it. Try to balance your social life with your educational (or professional) life, and have patience.

For me, listening to my breath in between the lines, allows me to be in deep connection to my spirit.

I know from teaching, that actors want to act. Even the subtlest actors can do a little too much.

I feel that sometimes, holding yourself as black, saying that is your sole identity, can sometimes stand in your way of being a member of the humanity of man, being a member of the family of the divine.