Better Call Saul star Tony Dalton breaks down that Lalo shocker

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Monday’s episode of Better Call Saul, “Point and Shoot.”

And now, Lalo lies low — six feet under, to be exact.

The final season of Better Call Saul has proven lethal for many key characters in AMC’s Breaking Bad prequel, and just one episode after the brains of the Salamanca operation blew out those of Howard (Patrick Fabian), he, too, wound up taking a dirt nap. Right alongside Howard.

The merciless murderous drug cartel player — whose chipper, smooth demeanor only made him more menacing — had been on a revenge mission ever since that botched attempt on his life in Mexico. And in the final season’s midseason premiere, “Point and Shoot,” Lalo (Tony Dalton) held Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) and Kim (Rhea Seehorn) captive, giving (one of) them one hour to go to Gus’ house and shoot him point blank. It was actually a decoy move, so he could head over to his curiosity spot, a.k.a. Lavanderia Brillante, and capture video-cam proof of Gus Fring’s construction project. After Kim’s failed attack, Gus (Giancarlo Esposito) played a hunch and showed up at the lab with his men, only to be ambushed by Lalo. Smiley McTerror forced Gus to provide a guided tour of the superlab, before the Chicken Man kicked out the lights and turned the tables with his own gun that he had hidden down there, just in case. 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, please….

Tony Dalton as Lalo Salamanca – Better Call Saul _ Season 6, Episode 8 – Photo Credit: Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television

Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television Tony Dalton as Lalo Salamanca on ‘Better Call Saul’

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 it was Vince [Gilligan] and Pete [Gould, who created the show with Gilligan] and it was kind of the death call, where they say, “Okay, at [episode] 608, that’s far as you go.” 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 me something.” They’re like, “All right, you kill a bunch of guys before you die.” I was like, “That’s awesome!”

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And what was your first reaction when you read in the script more specifically how he would die — with Gus turning the tables on Lalo and Lalo foreshadowing his own death by calling the superlab a tomb?

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 a night shoot, and I got the episode, and I got a little chair and I took it out. 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? I didn’t think I was going to care that much, to be honest with you, because, you know, it’s not real. 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 mean, just the fact that when you’re watching Breaking Bad from now on, for the rest of your life, they’re walking on top of Howard and Lalo, you know?

I was thinking about that, too. I want to rewatch “Fly.”

Exactly. 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. Gordon said the gurgle was in the script but not the rest; that was something you came up with. 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 last ugly breath. 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 when we filmed it, I was like, “I’m going to show you ugly, man.” So we did it. And then I smiled and Vince [who directed the episode] goes, “That’s good, that’s good. 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.'” We shot it and it was great, and I got up, the first person I went to was Gordon and I go, “Was that ugly?” 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?

Yes. Laying in that puddle of blood for hours and hours and hours and hours. And Vince saying, “More blood! More blood!” I was like, “Oh my God.” It wasn’t even a puddle — it was just mud at that moment. I mean, it’s very uncomfortable, but it’s kind of bittersweet because you want to keep filming. But then again, you’re very uncomfortable. But then again, when they stop filming, you gotta go find a job, you know? You’re done! 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. [Laughs.]

Making it deep into the final season is an accomplishment in this world, but did part of you wonder if Lalo would make it even closer to the end?

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.” Not today. Not today. I’m not dying today. Until you do.

Viewers learned more about why Saul mentioned Lalo to Walt [Bryan Cranston] and Jesse [Aaron Paul] in Breaking Bad. Even though Jimmy was essentially told by Mike that Lalo was dead twice now, it’s clear that he still remained haunted by him. How did it feel to know that Lalo still has reach from beyond the grave?

We actually talked about it when we were filming that scene with Bob and I, where I tie him up and I say, “I’m going to be right back.” We didn’t want to overdo it, but Bob was even adamant about, “No, no, no. This guy has to really believe that Lalo is coming back!” So much so that it happens in [Breaking Bad] — the first time somebody grabs him, he goes, “F—, it’s Lalo!” “They’d already told me he was dead before one time. Why would I believe them this time?”

It was written sort of like, “I’m going to be right back and you can tell me…” And then we got into it and Vince goes, “No, no, just stare him in the face and say, ‘You’re going to tell me everything and I’m going to be right back.'” He goes, “Stare him down, man. Just make sure 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 from Pulp Fiction. That’s the guy. I had a picture of him in my trailer. Sam Jackson? It was just this [quoting Jules], “I’m sorry. Did that break your concentration?” Just this sort of ease to this killer who was just having a good ol’ time, you know? Nothing [fazes] him. It’s like water on a duck, he cares about nothing, just having a good ol’ time. I grabbed a lot of Jules Winnfield from that.

Are you open to doing a public service announcement for a municipal or state department of transportation that would remind people to “drive nice”?

Yeah, sure. Drive nice. 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. And you just [read] it over and over and over, and you just keep finding and finding until you just know that that’s the way to do it, you know? 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. That was it.

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. I like the scene where I sit down with Jimmy and Kim, and I tell them to tell me the story again. 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. Everybody was amazing. And my favorite is Jon[athan] Banks. I didn’t get to work with him much, but we became really, really close, good friends to this day, and we talk all the time. So I don’t know, it would feel unfair for me to pick one over another one.

“Tell me again” was legendary. One of my favorites is when Lalo first meets Nacho in the restaurant kitchen and says, “You gotta try this. You’re going to die!”

Yeah!

Might Lalo pop up in a flashback before the end of the season?

Oh, nice try! Nice try. You’re so sneaky. You wait till the end, you butter me up, you give me some chocolates, you give me some donuts and then you get all nasty on me. What the hell, you think I’m going to tell you that? Of course not! I’m not gonna say anything about 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?

Oh my God! So many things, man! When I went to Tribeca [Film Festival], I was at Immigration at the airport, flying in. And the woman who tells you to take off your mask to take a picture of you, she’s like, “Oh my God! Lalo! Verner Zeeeglerrr! I was like, “That’s the thing?” She goes, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. Verner Zeeeglerrr! I was like, “Okay.” I mean, I get all kinds of different stuff.

What has this role meant for your career?

I think that that’s something I’ll find out later on, because I’m still sort of in the middle of it. 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. It’s just such a chance of luck, but I had the casting and they had the character and I had the time and it worked out and everybody liked it. Everything kind of just fell into place. That’s one of the reasons why you become an actor in the first place, is to be able to do this kind of stuff. You never think that it’s going to happen until it does. I could have been doing a s— job with a s— character somewhere else, you know? 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.” [Demented laugh]

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