10 Best Performances In Breaking Bad

3. Giancarlo Esposito - Gus Frings

You really have to marvel at how far Giancarlo Esposito had come when he was hired to play the fearsome force of nature Gus Frings in Breaking Bad. This was, after all, the same man who once played Big Bird's camp counselor on Sesame Street. But he improves pretty much everything he's cast in, so it's fair that he's considered so well these days.

As Gus Frings, he offers probably the most layered performance of anyone in Breaking Bad, because he's essentially playing two characters - just like Bryan Cranston. The difference though, and the true genius of Esposito's performance is that while he appears completely harmless and perfectly mundane as a restaurant manager, when you know he's a villain, you can see the marks of it in his calm, everyday persona.

When he switches to his criminal emperor mode, it seems simple, but it's utterly transformative. His eyes seem to do shark-like, his rigid posture makes more sense as a mark of poise, and as you realise more of how dangerous he truly is, his performance gets even better.