Giancarlo Esposito (‘The Gentlemen’): Emmy bound again for another villainous performance?

Jacob Sarkisian
·4 min read
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Giancarlo Esposito is often the best thing about whichever project he appears in. That was certainly the case, for this writer, at least, in “The Mandalorian,” his TV series “Parish,” and, now, the Guy Ritchie Netflix show “The Gentlemen.”

This one is a spin-off of the successful 2019 movie of the same name, which starred Matthew McConaughey and a terrific Hugh Grant. The show focuses on Theo James‘ aristocrat, who inherits his family estate only to find that it is the home of a weed empire. What follows is a classic Ritchie affair, with gangsters and crime members in pursuit of the empire. Esposito appears as a suave, menacing American billionaire named Stanley Johnston, who wants to buy the estate from James’ aristocrat. Esposito once again wields his mesmerizing voice to full effect, delivering the best monologues in the show, in which he calls British aristocracy “the original gangsters.” Critics agree, Esposito is a standout.

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Alci Rengifo (Entertainment Voice) opined: “The casting is meticulously designed to also be as stylish as the decor. Giancarlo Esposito is total, malicious classiness as Stanley Johnston, an American billionaire obsessed with buying Eddie’s estate. Esposito brings back the smooth-talking demeanor of his kingpin from ‘Breaking Bad,’ now tailored for Ritchie’s brand of zany dialogue.”

Lyvie Scott (Inverse) noted: “There are, of course, high points: genre stalwarts like Giancarlo Esposito and Vinnie Jones ooze charm whenever they’re onscreen.”

Josh Bell (CBR) explained: “Giancarlo Esposito makes a strong impression in a handful of appearances as a variation on his ‘Breaking Bad’ character Gus Fring. Here, he portrays a dapper meth dealer named Stanley Johnston. He has designs on both Eddie’s estate and Susie’s operation.”

Our current predicted nominees are Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“The Bear”), Tyler James Williams (“Abbott Elementary”), Oliver Platt (“The Bear”), Lionel Boyce (“The Bear”), Paul Rudd (“Only Murders in the Building”), Matty Matheson (“The Bear”), and Bowen Yang (“Saturday Night Live”). However, we know how much Emmy voters adore Esposito.

So far, he has five Emmy nominations to his name, with the first coming in 2012 for Best Drama Supporting Actor for “Breaking Bad.” He then earned two bids in the same category in 2019 and 2020 for playing the same character in “Better Call Saul.” Esposito then received two citations for “The Mandalorian” — on in 2020 for Best Drama Guest Actor and one in 2021 for Best Drama Supporting Actor.

So, although he has yet to win an award, he is clearly admired by Emmy voters. He is also frequently nominated for playing scenery-chewing, scene-stealing, loquacious villains — that is exactly the role he occupies in “The Gentlemen” so voters may flock to him again here. Henry Winkler (“Barry”), Stephen Root (“Barry”), Phil Dunster (“Ted Lasso”), and Alan Arkin (“The Kominsky Method”) have all been nominated for similar scenery-chewing roles in this category.

Esposito has really nailed down these types of roles. As well as “The Gentlemen,” “Breaking Bad,” “Better Call Saul,” and “The Mandalorian,” he’s also aced similar parts in “The Boys” and “Revolution.” He specializes in this type of role and Emmy voters may admire someone who nails a specific area of acting so often. Esposito specializes in this field and owns it every single time.

Plus, Esposito proved that voters liked him so much that they were willing to nominate him for a genre show (sci-fi, “The Mandalorian”). “The Gentlemen” isn’t exactly high-fantasy or sci-fi, but it is a very particular brand of comedy. Perhaps Esposito will be to voters’ tastes, here, too.

Voters are embracing more distinct, unique styles of comedy in the comedy categories rather than the traditional sit-coms and a number of performers in this category have benefitted from that, such as “Barry” cast members Winkler, Root, and Anthony Carrigan, Mahershala Ali (“Ramy”), Brian Tyree Henry (“Atlanta”), and Louie Anderson (“Baskets”).

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