That work ethic has made him a standout character on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul., Arciniegas character was killed by actor Bryan Cranstons Walter White during season one of Breaking Bad and reappears during season two of Better Call Saul., I think the impact of Krazy-8 in the basement with Walter White was the fact that this was Whites first physical kill, Arciniega said. Mike knows all about revenge since he killed his two fellow Philadelphia police officers who had murdered his son Matt. Actor Max Arciniega can tell you the exact number of times casting directors told him no before he got his first acting gig in Hollywood: 76. In an age of misinformation, why are there so few librarians at Chicago Public Schools? People dont understand is how much we have to audition before we get our first job.. In a flashback to the late 1980s, Max and Gus go to Don Eladio's home to proposition the Mexican drug cartel to start selling their meth in addition to the cocaine the cartel regularly peddles. Gus is visiting Salamanca in his current bound state. As the pair make their pitch, they tell Eladio that he is losing lots of money and they can help him establish better business with a high-quality product and less risk. | Getty Images. To know who Max Arciniega (Domingo Molina) is in Better Call Saul, we must as is often the case turn back to the origins of it all: Breaking Bad. It is a shocking moment, yet it is a formula that both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul utilise to stun and startle the viewer while hitting home the emotions (or lack thereof) from many of the characters. Gus sends Mike there to recover, with a little assistance of his on-call doctor Barry Goodman (no relation to Saul). Don Eladio was insulted by Gus' methods of gaining his attention, leading Max to plead for Gus' life. And in the way that he did it is how White broke bad. . And, as Breaking Bad showed, Gus avenging his "dear friend" Max's death will eventually be his undoing. Gus tells the DEA and police that Gale was awarded a chemistry scholarship that was started by Gus to honor Maximino Arciniega, and that the fingerprints were there because the two had dinner recently at Gales house. Gus has never confirmed these rumors and neither has the actor who portrays him. More specifically, how Max Arciniega died is why Gus is hellbent on destroying the Salamancas in the Breaking Bad universe. After Gus excuses himself to vomit up the poisoned tequila in the bathroom, he returns poolside to see that his plan came to fruition. Earlier in the episode, Maxs name comes up as Gus is questioned about the murder of meth chemist Gale (David Costabile) because Guss fingerprints are at his house. Its funny because no one actually knows that, Arciniega said. Hayley Squires Love Life Is Something Of A Mystery, 8 TV Shows Like The Bear To Stream Right Now, An Ultimate Guide To The Music Of Rap Sh!t, KaMillion Is Ready For Rap Sh!t To Make Her A Household Name, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. We get a flashback where Max and Gus are in Mexico meeting with Salamanca, as well as Don Eladio, and they pitch the idea of their scheme to get involved in the meth game and go into business with the cartel, selling the product out of Los Pollos Hermanos. The sixth and final season of Better Call Saul premiered on Netflix and AMC this week, where both episodes one and two are now available to watch streaming. The impetus for the school came from a group he would put together with fellow actors who found themselves in stereotypical acting gigs. Spoilers ahead for Better Call Saul Season 5. The school, which is scheduled to be located within the Dream Team Talent Inc. building at 7515 West Belmont Ave., will have a four-part curriculum called In the Rooms, which is designed to help actors succeed in the most important part of getting a job in the TV industry the audition: Its going to walk them through that whole process so if they choose to either stay in Chicago, that now has a TV market, or go to New York or Los Angeles if they want to get into television, Arciniega said. Max attempts to speak up and make things better before it escalates further and puts Gus in danger, but instead the tide turns against him, as Eladio shots Max in the head, killing him as Gus watches on in horror. Giancarlo Esposito told The A.V. On the set of Better Call Saul, Arciniega and Naperville North grad Bob Odenkirk often bond over their love for their favorite baseball team: the Cubs. The mob, said Kinzinger, at Thursdays Jan. 6 committee hearing, was accomplishing President Trumps purpose. The boy was in the 7200 block of South Union Avenue about 6:20 p.m. when he was shot in the arm. It was the gangbanger, the thug, the gardener; you name it, Arciniega said. 2022 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Why the bad blood exists between the two isnt totally clear to the audience until season four of Breaking Bad, when during the eighth episode of the season, called Hermanos, we get clued in on just what went down, on both sides. But as Max defended Gus, Hector Salamanca shot Max in the head and forced Gus to watch his dead partner. Its something that I wish I would have had prior to going to L.A. because I grew up in the theater and I went to theater school, said Arciniega, a Columbia College theater alumnus. One surviving henchman shoots Mike (Jonathan Banks), Gus right-hand man, who survives. When I auditioned for television, it was a different medium, so it took me a long time to get comfortable.. The memory of his former Los Pollos Hermanos partner is what fuels Gus Fring. But it's by a fountain memorial with the words "Dedicado a Max" ("dedicated to Max") inscribed on it in the center of the village where Gus appeals to Mike's sense of vengeance. To make matters crushingly worse, Eladio makes it clear that Max is dead because of Gus, and after Gus is shoved to the ground, Eladio puts a foot on his neck and forces a devastated Gus to look his dead friend in the eyes. Between takes of a scene where Arciniegas character reluctantly agrees to be represented by Odenkirks character, attorney Saul Goodman, during a DEA interrogation, they had a crew member get an iPad for them to watch a Cubs game. During Hermanos in the current time period, Gus visits Hector in his nursing home as he is watching news coverage of a shooting that killed two of his family members, knwon as The Cousins. The well-known and now-iconic Los Pollos Hermanos chicken restaurant owned and run by Gus was a partnership at the start with a man named Max Arciniega, who Gus was so close to that it was like they were brothers, hence the name of the restaurant that translates to The Chicken Brothers.. As the two make peace after what is now decades of being bitter rivals, Gus offers a toast of fine, rare tequila, and drinks it himself first to prove that it is safe for everyone to drink. The school was supposed to open in May, until the ongoing coronavirus pandemic pushed back the launch date. So of course he didnt intervene., I have so many messages from people from Belgium, Julie Allemand said. Eladio is offended that they used samples of their product to earn the meeting, and furthermore, views Max as the more valuable member of the two as the cook, with Gus not having a role in the scheme. Arciniega, who grew up in the Hermosa neighborhood and attended Steinmetz High School, credits his parents, who immigrated from Mexico, for developing his work ethic. Girls Inc. of Chicagos summer camp members visit Quinn Fire Academy to get hands-on training from pros.

I dont know them personally, but they say, Were coming here [to see you play]. Its amazing for them as it is for us.. We dont really have much of a choice, Arciniega said. Warning: The following contains spoilers for Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad. It is, however, spiked with poison. The MA School of Acting has a tentative start date of June 1, said Arciniega, the schools co-owner (with Vilma Llaguno). The true nature of Gus and Max's relationship has never been specified, but fans have speculated that Gus might be gay and Hector has very rudely made it known that he believes Max and Gus were sexually involved. As fans of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul know, Gus becomes hellbent on revenge against everyone involved on the side that led to the demise of his partner and closest friend. During the prequel series, though, we see Salamanca as he was before the incident that took away most of his motor functions and speaking ability. This brings it all full circle to explain how Guss plans, motivations, and actions, even when involving people on his own side, revolve around getting full and complete revenge for Maxs murder. As Breaking Bad progresses we get to know the periphery characters better and better, until they become main characters themselves. By subscribing, you agree with Revues Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. The Hermanos episode is our first foray into learning more about Gus through his backstory. As Gus and Mike are talking, its shown that theyre standing near a fountain with the inscription Dedicada a Max, or dedicated to Max, all while talking about revenge as Gus tries to convince Mike to be part of his mission because he understands his need for revenge. (Gale Boetticher was a notable recipient.) Mike doesn't know the details of Gus' history with Hector Salamanca. Mike, who is healing thanks to care arranged by Gus, tries to connect with Gus but is blown off, before Gus comes to Mike to ask for help in his quest for revenge (remember, as Better Call Saul timeline comes before Breaking Bad, Gus has yet to get his revenge for Max.). Actor Max Arciniega, a Columbia College theater alumnus, credits his parents, who immigrated from Mexico, for developing his work ethic. Arciniega has high hopes for the school a school he tailored specifically to an actors career as he sees it. It turns out that Max was also a chemical engineer and biochemist, and able to cook up some pretty mean meth, not unlike Walter Whites (Bryan Cranston) circuitous route into meth making. We were like, this is a great opportunity to get this experience which is going to be a much more specific experience than the other schools that are in the city, he said. One storyline that increases in depth during Breaking Bad and even more so as Better Call Saul unfolds is that of Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito.). This brings us back to the fifth episode in season five of Better Call Saul, called Dedicado a Max., This episode also involves an injured Mike, who at the beginning is healing from stab wounds suffered in the previous episode. Vince Gilligan, director and producer for both shows, named a character after Arciniega, Maximino Max Arciniega, who was an associate of Gustavo Fring (actor Giancarlo Esposito) and co-founder of the Los Pollos Hermanos fried chicken franchise. Gus goes on to tell Hector how it went down and makes it clear that he is the one responsible for their deaths, as Salamanca grows with trembling rage that hes unable to do anything about because of his mostly paralyzed state. No matter if it was romantic or platonic, this Better Call Saul Season 5 episode is more proof that Gus' entire life since his partner's death has been "dedicado a Max." The "Dedicado a Max" episode of Better Call Saul shows that Gus has also been inspired to do some good in Max's honor. | Provided Photo. But the exact details of their relationship aren't really what matters. And now, Gus has Mike to help him in his pursuit of vengeance, so it's only going to become more bloody from here. The top entertainment stories, features and must-read reviews sent to you weekly. During Breaking Bad, Gus has a rivalry with Don Eladio (Steven Bauer) as well as the Salamanca family, namely Hector Salamanca (Mark Margolis), who is bound to a wheelchair and unable to speak. He gets a little bit of that revenge in the very same episode. We bonded and I talked to him about his experience of going home and throwing out the first pitch and singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame.. Actor Max Arciniega (second from right) is on the set of Better Call Saul with Dean Norris (left), Steven Michael Quezada and Bob Odenkirk. If they came from a different country and not speaking the language and created a life for themselves in the States, it gave me no reason to not pursue something that I was passionate about, Arciniega said. HUD accuses city of Chicago of environmental racism by moving polluters to Black, Latino neighborhoods, 6 takeaways from Jan. 6 hearing: Kinzinger said Trump did not fail to act ..he chose not to act, Belgium is celebrated everywhere the Sky go, Girls gear up to be firefighters for a day and take steps toward a possible career path. The cost for classes will be posted when the website goes live Monday at maschoolofacting.com, Arciniega said. Gus was responsible for their deaths by proxy, as he alerted DEA agent Hank (Dean Norris) that they were coming to kill him moments before they arrived, giving Hank a chance to (just barely) kill the pair. Club in 2011 that a "genuine love" existed between Gus and Max, but the actor wrote how it's left for the audience to interpret their relationship as romantic or not in a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) in 2012. Max Arciniega (left, with Better Call Saul co-star Michael Mando) wants to prepare actors to avoid the pitfalls associated with Hollywood auditions. But Better Call Saul revealed that Gus has also anonymously funded a small village free of drugs and violence in Mexico in memory of Max. This seems to be the view of the Salamanca family since while speaking to Juan Bolsa in the Better Call Saul Season 5 premiere, Lalo referred to Max as Gus' boyfriend. But as he recruits Mike to work full-time for him, Gus' fixation on bloody revenge is the real way he shows his dedication to Max. After making a name for himself on the acclaimed series Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul as Domingo Krazy-8 Molina, the Northwest Side native wants to prepare would-be actors by opening an acting school, so they can avoid the pitfalls associated with Hollywood casting directors. This leads to the 10th episode Breaking Bad season four finale when Gus gets to execute a plan of revenge and kill Eladio at his home, by the very same pool where Max was killed. Maximino Arciniega was only ever in one episode of Breaking Bad Season 4's "Hermanos." He was listed in good condition, police said.

As Better Call Saul goes deeper into these Breaking Bad characters, there's a possibility that the series will provide clarification especially if James Martinez's Max were to return (as fans have asked Martinez to do in replies to his social media posts).

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