Renowned actor, director and producer Giancarlo Esposito spoke to students on Thursday night at the Student Entertainment Event’s yearly back–to–school lecture in Stamp Student Union, inspiring students to take control of their own stories through resilience and education.
From his Broadway debut at age 7 to a career of iconic roles, including Gus Fring in Breaking Bad or Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian, Esposito’s cold, villainous roles have earned him a cult following.
Kicking off the new academic year, Esposito spoke about his career and recounted the lessons he learned along the way, hoping students watching would apply them to their own lives.
Rowan Bruck, a freshman computer science major, was looking forward to Esposito’s lecture for a while as an admirer of his most prominent roles.
“I’ve always been, like, a really big fan of his work,” Bruck said. “This is definitely something I’ve been looking forward to for a while.”
[SEE brings student performers, music lovers together for intimate ‘Cozy Concerts’ event]
Breaking from his Broadway career at 17, Esposito earned a degree in radio intelligence and communication, a pillar in his journey to success.
Esposito said he needed a backup plan before transitioning into television and film acting, with his degree providing the fundamentals for his directorial career through his work operating cameras and copywriting.
“That’s when I learned how to really shoot movies before I had even made a movie,” Esposito said.
Esposito highlighted the merit of pursuing higher education. Although he considered his time in college a fallback, his degree proved useful in his entertainment career, proving that education can apply to every aspect of life, even in non-traditional fields.
Connor Grabowski, a sophomore art history, chemistry and studio art major, reflected on his own hardships as an artist working in a competitive field. He resonated with Esposito’s determination, as he found success with similar grit.
“[Esposito’s] emphasis [that] you have to take the step and you have to just keep reaching for it, even if you’re inevitably going to reach failure, is really pertinent,” Grabowski said.
[New Hornbake Library exhibit honors Sesame Street’s cultural pioneering]
Esposito later revealed that he saw more potential in his character Gus than the Breaking Bad producers. He ultimately pitched Gus as a recurring villain and the antithesis to protagonist Walter White.
He used this example to emphasize the importance of taking matters into your own hands. Without his effort, Gus would’ve been relegated to a traditional one–off villain.
“It’s like seeing what needs to be done … and doing it,” Esposito said.
Receiving widespread acclaim for Gus, fans like Grabowski believe he made the right choice.
“My main exposure to Giancarlo … was also through Breaking Bad [and] Better Call Saul,” Grabowski said.
Esposito told the audience to speak their mind and create a personal brand for success. It’s not enough to simply work hard at something, Esposito said, but success truly becomes yours when you are an active collaborator on a project.
But Esposito’s brand and vision often came with rejection.
Recounting times, roles and opportunities slipped away, Esposito initially felt jealous, but learned to trust the process. He believed certain roles were meant to be lost so others could have the potential to excel in.
“The key is to find the way that’s right for you,” Esposito said.
By the end of Esposito’s lecture, many students felt inspired, taking them out of the isolating feeling of searching for a career and aiming for success. Sharing his own takeaways from the lecture, Grobowski plans to apply Esposito’s work ethic to his own life.
“The most … pertinent thing to me was … you have to do it,” Grabowski said.
As the lecture came to a close, Esposito reminded the audience that although failure is challenging, it’s a necessary step in their growth. Through failure, they can discover their own pathway to success, he said.
“There’s not only one way,” Esposito said. “There are many different ways. The key is to find the way that’s right for you.”
