Q&A: Mark Margolis on the return of ‘Breaking Bad’ villain for ‘Better Call Saul’

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This article was published 15/03/2016 (3835 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO – There was precious little to glean from “Breaking Bad” about one of its greatest villains, Hector (Tio) Salamanca.

But with just one appearance on “Better Call Saul,” we’ve already got a taste of a rich backstory that adds some shading to later storylines.

Warning: read no further to avoid spoilers for either AMC series.

Actor Mark Margolis was surprised when he heard his cartel character was being revived for the “Breaking Bad” prequel, which focuses on the origins of Bob Odenkirk’s slippery lawyer character Saul Goodman.

But he relished the chance to return to New Mexico and reteam with creator Vince Gilligan, who killed Tio off with a spectacular TV death that also took out vengeful drug boss Gus Fring, played by Giancarlo Esposito.

Wheelchair bound, mute, and possibly brain damaged, Tio Salamanca commanded his murderously loyal nephews with just the tap of a bell.

On Monday’s episode of “Better Call Saul” — which takes place roughly six years before the events of “Breaking Bad” — he turned up able-bodied, English-speaking and sharp as a tack. He strongly encouraged former dirty cop Mike Ehrmantraut (played by Jonathan Banks) to help spare his nephew Tuco some jail time.

Margolis, whose other dark roles have included an assassin on “Scarface” and a prison-bound Italian mob boss on HBO’s “Oz,” chatted recently by phone about revisiting his “monstrous” character.

Mark Margolis: Where are you in Canada?

The Canadian Press: I’m in Toronto.

Margolis: In the summer I was there for a month working on “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.”

CP: Yes, I was going to ask you about that.

Margolis: They are the same cast from the original movie. I’m an addition who comes over from Greece…. I don’t even know if I should reveal that much. I’m in the last third of the movie, but I have a very important part. A Greek character named Panos who’s a brother of one of the main characters.

CP: And for once are you not playing a heavy?

Margolis: See, people always say that to me. If I sat down with you and we had like an hour I would show you that in my whole life I probably have 150 things, played 21 heavies and the other 129 were not heavies. But that’s the way everybody seems to see me.

CP: You make an impact.

Margolis: Yeah, but I don’t want to be known as a heavy, I never thought of myself that way. Like, there are people who also think I only play Mafia guys and in my whole life I’ve only done five of those. But I guess I’m stuck with what I’m stuck with…. I just want to be known as pert and perky and sweet.

CP: On “Better Call Saul” we get to hear Tio Salamanca speak English for the first time, albeit with a thick Mexican accent.

Margolis: The first episode (of “Breaking Bad”) I was ever in they thought I was kind of catatonic or brain dead sitting in front of a TV with a novela playing, and Jesse and Walt were conspiring to poison my nephew. Granted, a lot of what’s going on I can see visually but they were also speaking about what they wanted to do. So you could make an assumption that I do understand some of what they’re saying as well.

CP: It must be nice to know your character is guaranteed to survive this series.

Margolis: But at any moment (Vince) can have me fall over and be completely without the ability to speak and I’m sure he has that in mind somewhere. With Vince it can happen at any moment … I could be struck by a bullet, I could be hit by a car, I could have a sudden stroke, a seizure, lightning might come down and strike me from heaven.

CP: Tell me about learning Tio would be killed.

Margolis: I had contacted (Vince) months and months before about a way in which I thought he could kill me off…. I had some idea for Giancarlo Esposito’s character to take me out into the hills and crucify me…. I mentioned it to Vince and then, it must have been about eight months later, I got this call. And I think I immediately said, “You’re calling because you’re going to kill me.” And he said, “Yeah, but wait until I tell you how we’re going to do it!”

CP: And it was pretty spectacular. One of the great TV deaths.

Margolis: People always talk to me about killing myself. And I say, I wasn’t really killing myself, I was killing Gus and I happened to be collateral damage. But it was worth it.

— This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.