Before his career-reviving role on "Breaking Bad," Giancarlo Esposito was well-known in certain circles of the film industry. He was mostly known for his work in films directed by Spike Lee, such as "Do The Right Thing!" and "Malcolm X," as well as TV shows like "Homicide: Life on the Street." Since his breakout role as Gus Fring on "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul," Giancarlo has been typecast as villains throughout Hollywood, from "The Mandalorian," to, coincidentally, "Far Cry 6," the same video game franchise Michael Mando cut his teeth in.
Gus Fring was hardly Esposito's first antagonist role, however. He had a similar role in the 2001 film "Monkeybone," directed by Henry Selick and starring Brendan Fraser. The film follows Fraser as Stu, a cartoonist who ends up in an alternate land known as "Down Town," where he is invited to a party by Hypnos, the god of sleep. Esposito plays Hypnos, the malicious antagonist who tries to control Stu's cartoon, Monkeybone, during their adventures in Down Town.
Unfortunately, "Monkeybone" was a box office bomb, garnering a critical response that labeled it "overblown" and "a bit of a mess" (via The New York Times). The film pales in comparison to many others in its medium-bending genre, such as "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and "Space Jam." However, maybe it's best that viewers don't remember Esposito's wacky role in this confusing film.
