Giancarlo Esposito, the 67-year-old actor best known for playing terrifying drug kingpin Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, is calling for revolution in the wake of deadly ICE violence in Minneapolis.
“This is time for a revolution—and they don’t even know that’s what they’re starting,” Esposito told Variety at the Sundance premiere of his new crime thriller The Only Living Pickpocket in New York.
WHAT’S GOING ON: Esposito didn’t mince words about who he blames for the current unrest. “Some very rich old white men are exerting their power to suppress our own people, thus creating a feeling of civil war in the streets, preparing the haters to hate, teaching them how to shoot,” he said.
The actor was among several stars wearing “ICE Out” pins at Sundance, joining co-star Tatiana Maslany in the protest fashion statement. Similar pins appeared at the Golden Globes, along with “Be Good” pins—a reference to Renee Good, the 37-year-old mother of three killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on January 7.
THE DETAILS: Esposito got graphic about what he thinks it might take to create change. “We have to stand up to it. They can’t take us all down. If the whole world showed up on Putin’s doorstep or the Iranians’ doorstep or in Washington, they’d kill 500 or 50 million or however [many], but the rest of us would survive with a new [world],” he said.
“We will not be ICE’d out. This is not going to happen.”
ZOOM OUT: Esposito’s comments come as over 500 cities have staged anti-ICE protests in the past month, many in solidarity with Minneapolis, where federal agents have now fatally shot two U.S. citizens—Good and ICU nurse Alex Pretti. A national shutdown is planned for January 30 to protest ICE.
The political fallout has been significant. Democrats are threatening another government shutdown, demanding DHS funding reforms including a ban on masks, body camera requirements, and a prohibition on ICE patrols. Meanwhile, Trump’s approval rating is tanking, with a majority of Americans now saying his immigration crackdown has gone too far.
Of course, Trump couldn’t help himself. Despite sending border czar Tom Homan to “de-escalate” tensions, the president threatened Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Truth Social after Frey stated the city won’t enforce federal immigration laws: “This statement is a very serious violation of the Law, and that he is PLAYING WITH FIRE!”
WHY IT MATTERS: When one of Hollywood’s most recognizable character actors starts openly calling for revolution at a major film festival, it signals just how dramatically the national mood has shifted. Federal agents have killed two American citizens in one city, protests are erupting nationwide, and even Trump voters are turning on his crackdown. The question now isn’t whether there will be pushback—it’s how far it will go.