Esteemed actor Giancarlo Esposito has donned the mo-cap for the upcoming Far Cry 6, and now that the game has had its official reveal, the Breaking Bad and The Mandalorian star has revealed more about his character, El Presidenté.
Speaking with IGN, Esposito explained that the character isn’t as bad as the newly-revealed trailer makes out, claiming he “really means good.”
“[El Presidenté really means good,” he told the publication. “But he’s in a world that’s moving progressively forward faster than he is. And he has to find the assets that his people have to be able to exploit those assets and allow his people to believe in him, all this in the midst of a civil revolution that’s happening in his country by several different factions that he’s got to put down…and he’s trying to raise a son.”
Delving more into the character’s relationship with his son, Esposito added: “His relationship [with his son] is he’s impatient. His son isn’t as grown as he wants him to be.
“He wants him to grow up faster, he wants to give him the skills and empower him to know that he has the power over life and death. Very difficult thing for a young man, just going through puberty to get wrapped around. How do you turn your back on being youthful and grow up quickly to be groomed, to take over a small island nation?”
In related news, fans are criticising Ubisoft’s decision to cast Esposito in the role in lieu of a Latinx actor.
“Can we talk about the fact that Giancarlo Esposito is not Latinx,” tweeted one gamer. “Great actor I enjoy watching, but why is he taking Latinx roles? This is erasure. This is not good casting. Games need to do better.”
Another of the many tweets on the topic reads: “Latinx: We need more Latinx characters in games.
“Gaming: Here’s Giancarlo Esposito as a dictator.”
Ubisoft has not yet commented on the controversy.
Far Cry 6 will release in February 2021.
Featured Image Credit: AMC/Ubisoft