There are certain performers that are on many fans' wish list to be in an MCU project, and one of them is Giancarlo Esposito. The actor has made a name for himself in Hollywood with his distinctively serious performances, delivering stoic, yet engagingly frightening antagonists. Esposito has experienced a rise in popularity in the pop-culture space thanks to his roles as Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian and Stan Edgar in The Boys.
As mentioned, his performances have made him a fan-favorite candidate to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the actor himself is interested in becoming a part of the franchise. Esposito was recently in the news after expressing his desire to play Professor Charles Xavier in Marvel Studios eventual (but not officially announced) X-Men reboot, and discussing a meeting that took place between himself and the House of Ideas.
Now, Esposito has opened up about both revelations. During a Fan Expo Boston Panel (via Comicbook.com), the Better Call Saul actor detailed how he would approach Charles Xavier, who recently appeared in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, played by Patrick Stewart: "I'd play that character with force, grace, and a calm. [...] Someone who controls the chaos but who also has the ability to uplift and inspire."
Force, grace and calm are attributes of most of Esposito's recent performances. Going by the actor's description, if he were to take on the role of Xavier, it would likely be similar to his performances in The Boys and The Mandalorian, save, of course, for their intimidating nature.
Meeting With Marvel Studios
As mentioned, Esposito previously revealed he had had a meeting with Marvel Studios about a project. In his appearance at Fan Expo Boston (via Comicbook.com), the actor stated that, as he remembered, the meeting was about Disney+'s Loki:
"In the Marvel Universe, if you do something in television — one character — you can't switch and play a different character. [...] So, out of that meeting, which was really wonderful, I had some interest in doing something with them which they've since done, I think it was Loki at that time, and someone else has done Loki — that's great — in television, and I'd like to be invited to the table to do something in film, because I have a big persona, and I've been in the television world for a while, and I've still got some movies each year."
By "you can't switch and play a different character," Esposito was likely not referring to a television actor being unable to switch over to film, given that a major selling point for Disney+'s MCU series is being in the same universe and carrying the same importance as its films. Esposito was probably talking about how, since the MCU is a unified franchise, portraying a character in one project disqualifies a performer from playing another one in another film or series.
The question is whether Esposito will indeed end up playing Charles Xavier, or if Marvel Studios will pick another actor for the past. It's unusual for such a high-profile performer to openly express their desire to join the MCU. Marvel Studios is famously secretive approach to its franchise, especially when it comes to casting.
Details about castings are usually kept tightly under wraps, with actors in consideration for specific roles even lying about their involvement with Marvel up until an official announcement is made (e.g., Paul Rudd for Ant-Man, Tatiana Maslany for She-Hulk and Andrew Garfield for Spider-Man). Esposito is being quite vocal about his desire to play Charles Xavier, which could indicate that the studio has not reached out to him for the part, nor is it interested in having him play the hero, given that the company would have likely asked him to keep his involvement a secret.
As mentioned, Charles Xavier most recently appeared in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, now streaming on Disney+.