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reaction that he inevitably inspired.
How did you end up onWestworld?I love Sir Anthony Hopkins.
I really loved the original movie about this particular subject matter.
And then I got a call.
Thats how it always happens!
You know, people know other people.
Are there rules that govern playing a robot, like acting rules?
Did anybody talk to you about that?No, no one talked to me about that.
So I know exactly what you mean.
I hope that I would have the opportunity to be in one of those scenes!
The people who control the hosts are showrunners, and they can reprogram them to play different parts.
[Laughs] Well, thats the ultimate producers dream, thats what Ill say!
And not pay the residuals?
]Yeah, baby!
Thats a good one, dude!
Listen, you came up with it, not me.
But that would be the dream!
Theyre actors, basically, who are still haunted by their last roles.
I wonder if anything like that has ever happened for you?
Have you ever played a part that got under your skin in a way that was traumatizing or unpleasant?
What happens is, some characters meld with who we are as people more than others.
He was a gang member, and he had remorse over it.
Thats one of the characters that resounds for me, one that stuck with me for a long time.
YoYo inNight on Earthdid the same thing.
Yeah, there are many different characters who affected me like that.
FromDo the Right Thing,Buggin Out did that for me.
And, of course, lets not forget Gus Fring.
Never?I let them go, man!
I let you guys remember the characters that way.
People are smarter than me in the world.
But thats okay, because thats what I do.
Ive had to become good at letting go.
Was that always true?It hasnt always been that way.
Our brains are computers, are dictionaries, are books.
They hold information, but you might only hold so much information.
Its kind of the same with an actor.
You know what I mean?
Yeah, I do.I find that particular part of the show to be the magical part.
Often the characters onWestworldare looked at only in terms of being science.
In my world, theyre looked at as being spiritual, as experiences you carry on.
It would be fascinating for the show to explore that more.
That means the wash is not clean, right?
I mean, could the washeverreally be clean?
When you delete something from your hard drive, its not actually gone.
It just means youve given the computer permission to write over it.
That would be very much like life, in many ways.
Even when something traumatic happens and you have to do something to recover ourselves.
I wanted to also ask about your narration ofDear White People.
It has a very distinctive timbre, a certain way of framing things.
Did you have any particular models?I do quite a bit of voice-over and I really enjoy it.
I venture to let the material dictate what it should be.
I know for this series, I wanted avoice.
It was sort of an homage to Spike.
I really appreciate when people recognize what certain artists have brought to what we do, you know?
And I wanted to do that here.
But I dont want to make it sound like it was just an homage.
I love how it sounds like youre narrating from a century removed.
Like youre kind of amused by it all.
That history is what drives it.
You dont look at it as being racist, or in any way insecure in what its saying.
It could be set in Africa with African people.
Are you back onBetter Call Saulthis season?I am.
Do people talk to you about Gus Fring on the street?
Do they quote Gus to you?Oh yeah, that always happens.
People know some of the lines that go back to me being Gus inBreaking Bad.
People relate to that show quite a bit.
As a chameleonic character actor, are you okay with being so recognizable as Gus Fring?
Its interesting to see the cross sections of people whove seen me from different things.
And I go, Wow, really?
Its always exciting to hear about the obscure things again.
The ones that people dont know about.
Ive got one for you:Fresh.A great movie, and a really wonderful filmmaker, Boaz Yakin.
Very urban and very gritty, and yet very truthful and honest in what it captured.
I love that guy!
You use the wordspirituala lot when you talk about movies and your roles.
That word seems important to you.It is.
Or at least they have mythical overtones.
