Giancarlo Esposito is making headlines for something far removed from Los Pollos Hermanos.
Video shared by Saudi official Turki Al-Sheikh shows the Breaking Bad star reciting the Shahada and praying alongside members of a film crew while working in Saudi Arabia. The footage, which quickly spread across social media, captured the actor inside a mosque with other men as they collectively recited the Islamic declaration of faith.
Al-Sheikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, announced the moment on X. "Giancarlo Esposito, the movie and Breaking Bad star, recites the Shahada and joins the crew for prayer yesterday at the mosque after feeling at ease dealing with Muslims during filming in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," he wrote in Arabic. "The video from yesterday with Salh company employees. Praise be to God."
Al-Sheikh suggested that Esposito's experience working in the Kingdom played a role in the moment. In his post, he said the actor had "felt at ease dealing with Muslims during filming in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."
The Shahada is the foundational declaration of faith in Islam and translates to, "I bear witness that there is no god but God, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God." The statement occupies a central place in Islamic practice and is recited during daily prayers.
Esposito was in Saudi Arabia filming 7 Dogs, one of the Kingdom's biggest movie projects. Saudi Arabia has spent the past several years pouring resources into its entertainment industry as part of its Vision 2030 initiative, attracting major sporting events, concerts, and international film productions.
The actor has enjoyed a career spanning more than four decades and is best known for playing the calculating drug kingpin Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. He's also appeared in Do the Right Thing, The Mandalorian, and The Boys, establishing himself as one of Hollywood's most recognizable character actors.
