Summary
Giancarlo Esposito recreates aDo The Right Thingscene years later. A Spike Lee movie from 1989,Do the Right Thingfeatured a standout ensemble castthat included Lee himself, Samuel L. Jackson, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Martin Lawrence, Rosie Perez, Ruby Dee, John Turturro, Bill Dunn, and Richard Edson, among others. One of such cast members wasBreaking Bad’s Esposito, who played Mookie’s eccentric friend Buggin’ Out.
In an Instagram video fromlethalshooter,Esposito recreates an iconic Buggin’ Out scene. In the video, Esposito sees his white Air Jordan shoes run over by a bicycle, who in this case, is plodding slowly along the sidewalk.The actor repeats several of the real lines fromDo The Right Thing, including sentences like “what are you doing in my block, in my neighborhood, on my side of the street?”
Esposito does a great job capturing the essence of his characteristic Buggin’ Out character. Certain details from the original film are altered, including doubling the price of the Air Jordans from $100 to $200. The redone scene also leaves out the gentrification lines fromDo the Right Thing, for the original scene, unlike the new video, sees a white man in a Larry Bird t-shirt running over the shoes.
Where Has Giancarlo Esposito Been Since Do the Right Thing?
The Actor Consistently Plays Iconic Roles
Even decades later, Esposito’s articulately delivered monologue is a great reminder of his beloved character.Do the Right Thingcame early in Esposito’s career, when he was just establishing himself as an artist. Prior to the Lee film, Esposito was recognized for his recurring role as Mickey in a few episodes of the hit PBS seriesSesame Street. He also collaborated with Lee beforeDo the Right Thingin the 1988 featureSchool Daze.
Do the Right Thingsubstantially helped to propelEsposito’s careerforward.He worked with Lee again on the filmsMo’ Better BluesandMalcolm Xshortly after the success ofDo the Right Thing. Throughout the 1990s, Esposito had a role in many other films and TV series, includingThe Usual Suspects.
10 Best Giancarlo Esposito’s Characters (Movies Or TV), Ranked
Through Spike Lee movies and Breaking Bad, Giancarlo Esposito has become a household name. Here are the actor’s best movie and TV roles.
Esposito got his biggest mainstream break when he played the chillingly calculatedGus Fring in the hit seriesBreaking Bad. Esposito was nominated for an Emmy for the role, which he later reprised in the spinoff seriesBetter Call Saul. Now, Esposito is one of the most sought-after actors working on television, contributing to popular series such asThe BoysandThe Mandalorian. As the veteran actor continues his hugely successful career, it is charming to see him revisit theDo the Right Thingrole that first gained him attention.
Do The Right Thingis available to rent or purchase on VOD.
Do the Right Thing
Cast
Do the Right Thing is Spike Lee’s Oscar-nominated film starring himself, Giancarlo Esposito, Bull Nunn, John Turturro, and Ossie Davis. The comedy drama revolves around Spike Lee’s young character Mookie, who is stuck in Brooklyn on the hottest day of summer, where bigotry and hate build before exploding into violence.
