Giancarlo Esposito, 68, Recalls the Shame of Declaring Bankruptcy

Giancarlo Esposito, best known for playing Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, declared bankruptcy in 2008, the year he turned 50, but he struggled to let others see what was happening.

“Never talked about it, right? Never shared it because of the shame and anxiety surrounding allowing people to know that I had failed,” he said on the Nov. 10 episode of Mythical Kitchen’s Last Meals podcast.

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The actor, 68, was asked whether acknowledging his financial trouble had felt like admitting failure.

“I think the challenge in our lives is to accept that we failed at something and have to recreate ourselves,” Esposito said. “If we don’t ever agree that that just didn’t work, and because we’re so wrapped up in what it looks like, then there’s a lot of shame surrounding it, as it was for me.”

That reckoning went beyond his finances to what he wanted his life to look like.

“Because in part of my world, everyone looked at me like I was a success. What is the measure of success?” he said. “It’s growth, it’s challenge, it’s moving through the fire to get where you need to go. But it’s also being honest. And that’s something I wasn’t back then.”

Esposito traced his turning point to a gift: the book Who Moved My Cheese? He recalled asking the person who gave him the book to give him the money they spent on it instead.

“I don’t need a book about a mouse finding cheese,” Esposito recalled telling the person.

But the giver urged him to open it, and he began reading.

“If you go to the same spot to find the cheese, cheese ain’t there anymore because all the mice know it’s there. You got to go somewhere else. You got to figure it out anew,” he said, explaining what he took from the book.

“That was the impetus for me thinking there is something else, and I will find it,” Esposito said. “And I did, and I’m thankful for it. But it wasn’t until I could talk about it.”

Facing financial trouble after 50

Nearly two decades after Esposito’s bankruptcy, more Americans are seeking financial relief through the courts. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts reported 594,057 nonbusiness cases in the 12 months ending Sept. 30, 2026, up 11.4 percent from 533,337 a year earlier.

Older adults make up a substantial share of filers. According to AARP’s Policy Book, people 50 and older accounted for 46 percent of new bankruptcy filings in the third quarter of 2024.

Financial strain remains a concern for many older workers. Eight in 10 workers 50 and older carry debt from month to month, according to AARP research published Nov. 3. Among those with debt, 41 percent say they owe somewhat more or far more than they can comfortably manage.

Regardless of whether you’re considering filing for bankruptcy, getting a clear picture of your finances is a place to start. Thomas Faupl, a licensed marriage and family therapist and former consumer credit counselor in San Francisco, advises taking stock of your income, expenses, debts and savings.

“Knowing your situation puts you in a better position to explore resources and address it,” he told AARP.