Warning: This article contains spoilers for Monday’s episode ofBetter Call Saul, “Point and Shoot.”
And now, Lalo lies low six feet under, to be exact.
It was actually a decoy move, so he could head over to his curiosity spot, a.k.a.
Tony Dalton as Lalo Salamanca on ‘Better Call Saul’.Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television
Lavanderia Brillante, and capture video-cam proof of Gus Fring’s construction project.
And suddenly the sinister standout Salamanca was sunk but not before he could let out one final blood-gurgling laugh-smile.Nice!
Wondering how Dalton felt about Lalo’s demise?
What exactly was Lalo thinking at the bitter end?
What was the most challenging moment to pull off in the episode?
You’ll find those answers and more in this Q&A with Dalton.
Start reading because, well, who are you to look a gift horse in the mouth?
Drumroll, like….
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Sorry about, you know, dying.
How long have you known that Lalo was marked for death?
TONY DALTON:I got a call during the height of the pandemic, before they started filming.
And I go, “How do I die?”
and they didn’t want to tell me.
I was like, “Come on.”
They’re like, “I’m not going to tell you.”
I was like, “Tell mesomething.”
They’re like, “All right, you kill a bunch of guys before you die.”
I was like, “That’s awesome!”
We were filming the episode before that,the one where I kill Howard.
I’m in sort of a truck stop, in a shower.
It was, like, one in the morning.
I knew I was going to die, but I didn’t know what was going to happen.
Also, the episode’s amazing just in general.
Everything that happens with Kim going to the house, it was kind of cathartic, you know?
But it was like, “Wow, man, this is it.
Gotta go look for a job now.
[Laughs] I’m unemployed again!”
These [writers] do such a good job with everything.
Just the way that everything happened, at the end, taking them down.
I was thinking about that, too.
I want to rewatch “Fly.”
The one with the fly.
That’s exactly what I was talking about a little while ago.
Question about your death scene: Lalo lets out this bloody laugh-smile before he dies.
Was Lalo almost entertained by his own death at the hands of Gus?
What was going through Lalo’s mind?
Oh, Gordon said that, did he?
You know, funny you should mention that.
Because Gordon gave birth to Lalo, he wrote the episode where you first meet Lalo.
So it was very fitting that he killed him as well.
But what he wrote in the script was Lalo breathes his lastuglybreath.
And I was like, “What the hell are you talking about, ‘ugly’?
Why would you even think about putting that word there?”
He goes, “No, no, no.
The breath is ugly.”
And I go, “How do you want me to act an ‘ugly’ breath?
I don’t even know what that means.”
We’ve been going at that for months now.
So we did it.
But don’t smile laughing, smile like, ‘You lucky bastard, man.
This could have gone the other way.
I’ll see you in hell, Gus Fring.'"
And he goes, “No, man, that was a beautiful death.
I wrote it wrong.”
What was the biggest challenge for you in making this episode?
Was there a particular scene that required a lot of calibration and discussion?
Laying in that puddle of blood for hours and hours and hours and hours.
And Vince saying, “More blood!
I was like, “Oh my God.”
It wasn’t even a puddle it was just mud at that moment.
But then again, you’re very uncomfortable.
But then again, when they stop filming, you gotta go find a job, you know?
You are finished, my man!
Well, speaking of lying down, what did you and Patrick talk about while in the ditch?
It was personal and romantic.
Only Patrick and I know was what was said and done in that ditch.
I didn’t think I was going to make it past season 4, to be honest with you.
Every day that I’d get an episode and I would be still alive, I was thankful.
I was like, “Okay, one more day.”
Like alcoholics: “One more day.”
I’m not dying today.
How did it feel to know that Lalo still has reach from beyond the grave?
This guy has to really believe that Lalo is coming back!”
“They’d already told me he was dead before one time.
Why would I believe them this time?”
He goes, “Stare him down, man.
Just see to it that it gets all the way into his head.”
And Bob was the one who was like, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.
This has got to be in my mind for rest of my life.”
Lalo had such a wicked sense of humor and a casual cheeriness that was terrifying.
Did you draw from any particular influence when creating this character in your head?
Yeah, Jules Winnfield fromPulp Fiction.
That’s the guy.
I had a picture of him in my trailer.
It was just this [quoting Jules], “I’m sorry.
Did that break your concentration?”
Just this sort ofeaseto this killer who was just having a good ol’ time, you know?
Nothing [fazes] him.
I grabbed a lot of Jules Winnfield from that.
Yeah, sure.Drive nice.
You know,drive nice!
[Laughs] Absolutely.
How many different ways did you try that line, or did it just come naturally?
Not many, to be honest with you.
Vince and Tom [Schnauz, executive producer] and everybody, they’re very respectful of the actors.
So everybody shows up and puts up their A game.
I did it in my [spare time].
In Albuquerque I’d go on hikes, and that’s a big, long scene I have there.
You’re doing all the different kind of ways until you know.
As a matter of fact, what they do is they correct you if you f— up.
But if you don’t f— up, they’re just like, “That’s perfect.
Just keep going.”
I think I did just one take of that.
What was your favorite scene to shoot over the last few seasons?
Oh, come on!
Don’t ask me that.
It’s like asking what your favorite movie is.
There’s so many.
That was a fun day.
That was really good.
But then again, I mean, working with Mark Margolis.
Mark is amazing guy.
Working with Michael Mando, I mean, he’s such a great guy.
And my favorite is Jon[athan] Banks.
So I don’t know, it would feel unfair for me to pick one over another one.
“Tell me again” was legendary.
You’re going todie!"
Might Lalo pop up in a flashback before the end of the season?
Oh, nice try!
You’re so sneaky.
What the hell, you think I’m going to tell you that?
I’m not gonna sayanythingabout that.
[Laughs]
Lalo became such a fan favorite.
What was the most frequent comment you’d hear from fans?
What did they respond to the most?
So many things, man!
Lalo!Verner Zeeeglerrr!
I was like, “That’s the thing?”
She goes, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I was like, “Okay.”
I mean, I get all kinds of different stuff.
What has this role meant for your career?
But I could sure tell you that it doesn’t get better than this, you know?
I mean, you don’t even plan this kind of stuff.
Everything kind of just fell into place.
You never think that it’s going to happen until it does.
And it was exactly the opposite.
It was a great job with a great character and I’ll always be thankful for that.
What should be engraved on Lalo’s tombstone?
“Just a nice guy.”
