Longtime Breaking Bad fans have been aware of Lalo Salamanca ever since the season 2 episode “Better Call Saul,” when lawyer Saul Goodman mentioned the cartel member in a throwaway bit of dialogue. That line has now come full circle, and with spinoff Better Call Saul now in its fifth season, Lalo has become a main character on the show. Tony Dalton joined the cast in a supporting role last season, and has since been promoted to series regular. In addition to providing viewers with more insight into Gus’ enduring feud with the Salamancas, Lalo’s role is fleshing out that aforementioned Breaking Bad line, filling in a mysterious chapter in Jimmy McGill’s history.
Season 5 continued with this week’s explosive episode, “Bagman,” setting the stage for a riveting last few episodes. As fans await to see what happens next, we got the opportunity to speak with Dalton about his experience playing Lalo and what’s surprised him most about season 5 (so far).
Lalo was a character who was mentioned back in Breaking Bad season two. What was your view of the character from that one line of dialogue in that episode, and how does it compare to the character as written in Better Call Saul?
Tony Dalton: Well, as far as that one line in Breaking Bad, he seems to be a pretty terrifying guy. I mean, Saul’s got a gun pointed to his head with a grave in front of him, and he’s terrified of Lalo. When they say that he’s not Lalo, even though they’re still pointing guns and he still is in the middle of the desert at night, he’s relieved. So, that kind of points to somebody who… This guy who never gets scared of anything, who kind of gets his way out of anything, is terrified of this man.
We see him now on Better Call Saul, and I think it kind of lives up to it. The fact that Lalo is so charming, and a little bit smiley and kind of elegant in a certain way, kind of makes it so that he’s a little scarier because you don’t know where he’s coming from. And since you already know that bit of information that terrifies Saul, it makes it even scarier that it’s not some guy like Tuco who kind of shows up and looks scary as hell. This guy kind of looks like – if you didn’t know that he was a killer and that he was a Salamanca, you’d pretty much say, “Yeah, sit down. Let’s have a beer together.”
Coming into the show last season, what did you know about the character’s long term arc?
Tony Dalton: Oh, they don’t tell us anything. I mean, they don’t tell us what’s going to happen on the next episode. So, I don’t even know. You kind of wing it, as far as an actor, with the arc. You get an idea that you can’t show all your cards until you need to, as far as acting is concerned. As far as when does he get angry and when he doesn’t, when something really affects him or something doesn’t – you kind of get a feel of it.
But no, they don’t tell us that.
What about season five so far has surprised you the most?
Tony Dalton: Well, I don’t know. How much have you seen? Because I can’t say.
I watched the “Bagman” episode.
Tony Dalton: I think that the fact that he meets Kim in jail is huge. I mean, for me, it surprised me a lot. I didn’t see that coming, because she doesn’t mean any of the bad guys. She’s sort of safe ground; she’s the Holy Grail. So, the fact that she sits down in jail cell with the guy that Saul is terrified of in Breaking Bad – for me, that surprised me a lot.
How does knowing about Kim and her relationship with Jimmy change Lalo’s plans moving forward?
Tony Dalton: I don’t know about changing his plans, because the guy just wants his bail. You know, he just wants the money. I think it just makes him, to begin with, at ease that Jimmy’s not going anywhere, especially if he’s got a wife. And also, it’s just more information. You know, information is power. So, the fact that Lalo now knows Saul’s wife is powerful.
Do you think Lalo was behind the attack on Jimmy when he was coming back with the bail money, or was that someone else?
Tony Dalton: I don’t know. We’re gonna have to keep watching the next episode to find out about that.
What do you think is the most interesting aspect of the dynamic between Gus and the Salamancas?
Tony Dalton: It kind of reminds me of – I don’t know if you’ve watched that series, Tiger King. It just came out on Netflix. You should watch it; it’s pretty interesting. It’s just these two old, like, the Hatfields and the McCoys. It’s this old school rivalry from years behind; they’ll just never stop. They’ll hate each other until the end. In this huge universe of so many possibilities, they’re just kind of set on each other, just staring each other down.
The word in English escapes me for this sort of stubbornness. Just let it go, man. It’s gonna be your downfall. That’s what I find interesting, which you see in real life. For example, in that television series that I was telling you about.
Do you think Lalo has any redeeming traits, like other characters in the Breaking Bad universe, or is he just a straight up bad guy?
Tony Dalton: Well, I don’t know what you would call redeeming, but I think the guy’s a pretty charming guy. That’s pretty redeeming.
Do you think Lalo’s charming personality is a front, or is that the real Lalo?
Tony Dalton: No, I really do think it’s him. I think the guy lives sort of a carefree kind of life. You don’t know, any day you could die. He’s in the dying business. Probably most of the people he knows are dead or in jail, so he knows he’s gonna either end up in jail or dead. He’s just one of those guys that takes it easy and says, “Whatever comes, comes.”
Are there any other Breaking Bad characters that you would like to see Lalo interact with if you get the chance?
Tony Dalton: Yeah,. I guess all of them, you know? It’d be great. It’d be great to have been able to do a scene with Walter White or something like that. Or Jesse, or even Tuco. I bet it’d be interesting to see how these two cousins get along, being so opposite from each other, you know? Tuco is somebody who doesn’t like the big, grinny, smiley guy – and his cousin is exactly that. So, I bet it’d be interesting to see how these two would interact with each other.
What are some of the other big differences between Lalo and the rest of the Salamanca guys?
Tony Dalton: Well, like I said, I think that one of the things that happens with Lalo is Lalo is a little more carefree. I think he’s a smart guy. Even from the first time you meet him, he says, “I got a good head for numbers.”
So, he was the guy that probably started… as the [cartel accountant] or something, and he was good. And since he’s a family member, he just started going up. Right now, they sent him to Albuquerque because Hector’s in a wheelchair. So, he’s kind of just moving up the ladder of the business side of this. I think the other guys have a little more of a chip on their shoulder.
What was it like joining the main cast of the show so late into its run?
Tony Dalton: It was great. I mean, what can I tell you? This is the thing that, as far as an actor is concerned, you kind of dream of. Being able to nail a good character in a good series with amazing, amazing writers and directors, crew and actors, also that’s kind of well known from the past. So, I feel very fortunate to be able to be part of this ensemble.
Were you a fan of Breaking Bad before you got cast?
Tony Dalton: Yeah, and I think every single person in this world is a fan. Either they’re a fan, or they haven’t seen it, you know?
When you’re reading the scripts, do you pick up on all the Breaking Bad Easter eggs that get peppered throughout Better Call Saul?
Tony Dalton: Yeah, most of them. I just recently – not recently, but when I first got the job, which was like a year and a half ago – I watched it all over again. So, I get to see some of these things.
For example, I think it was the episode that came out last week, where he said that he’d already been married two times when he married Kim. I was like, “Oh, my God. That’s right.” He did say to Walter White that he had three ex-wives or something like that.
Do you have any other Breaking Bad Easter eggs that fans might not have picked up on the first time around?
Tony Dalton: Well, all the time, there’s a whole bunch of them. For example, the Lalo one, or the one I just told you about the wives. I like that one.
I don’t know if you’re gonna be able to answer this, but I have to ask. Is Lalo in season six?
Tony Dalton: No, I can’t tell you that, man. I’m sorry.
