Spoiler Alert! This article contains Better Call Saul spoilers.
As the final sixth season of AMC hit Better Call Saul took off this year, the slow burn Vince Gillian and Peter Gould offered in the past five seasons finally pays off in one major showdown. Michael Mando's character, Nacho Varga, plays a critical role in it, as he serves as the moral compass that affects other characters' fate. His evolution from a kid who gets caught up with the bad company to an all-out outspoken rebel and the Salamancas' ultimate hidden nemesis deserves all the praises.
With that being said, it's about time Mando gets the praise that he deserves throughout the season. His stellar run this season marks a bittersweet goodbye and a well-deserved send-off for the character - a cinematic and game-changing sacrifice, to say at least. The actor, however, has been around for quite some time before landing the role of his lifetime. This article will dig deeper into his life and career outside Better Call Saul.
8 Michael Mando's Early Life And Childhood
Michael Mando was born in the early 1980s in a family of three brothers and one chemist father in Quebec, Canada. Growing up, Mando's family used to live from one place to another, totaling over 35 homes in ten cities and four continents, including in the Ivory Coast and Ghana, Africa, before eventually settling in Montreal.
He grew up wanting to be an athlete but suffered a horrible knee injury in his mid-20s hence stopping his athletic ambitions.
7 When Michael Mando Started Performing
Growing up, acting wasn't initially in the cards for Michael Mando. Following his failure as an athlete, he switched his future career option and tried many things, even enrolling at l’Université de Montréal and studying psychology and international relations. During his university breaks, he would go on to audition for Dawson College’s renowned Dome Theater Program in 2004 and graduated three years after that.
"I landed my first three auditions while still at a theater program I had joined, and quickly realized that I could do this for a living. Life is like a pinball machine, and I am very, very grateful for my bounces… I am humbled by all that is happening," he recalled in an interview.
6 Michael Mando's TV Appearacnes Before Better Call Saul
Shortly after graduating, Michael Mando jumped into production houses and was involved in a lot of projects. He's collected a lot of cameo appearances in shows like The Bridge, Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures, The Border, and Lost Girl in his home country.
"You get to see people of various cultures and languages living in different environments. The negative aspect is that there is no place to call home… I always feel like my roots are floating around somewhere," he said.
5 Michael Mando's Character Nacho Vargo During The First Seasons Of Better Call Saul
Mando landed the role of Ignacio Varga in Better Call Saul shortly after sending his audition tape in. Throughout the first two seasons, his character was written more like an antagonist against Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk), but showrunners had a second thought, put his character arc's progression on a slower pace, and developed Chuck (Michael McKean) as the season's "Big Bad" instead.
“It was love at first sight,” he told ABQ Journal. “I fell in love with the way they (showrunners Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould) work and the communication. I knew in my heart, no matter what happened, I would be grateful.”
4 How Michael Mando Prepared For His Better Call Saul Role
For a month, Michael Mando would spend hours watching a lot of crime documentaries to understand how a criminal mind works, in addition to keeping up with Breaking Bad because he hadn't finished the show.
“You begin to discover your character as you are shooting,” he says. “You feel like your eyes are bandaged. You have to walk with extreme confidence and totally trust Vince and Peter, and it’s an exhilarating experience … it’s like walking on a tight rope."
3 Who Was Michael Mando In Spider-Man: Homecoming?
During the same period, Michael Mando secured his role as supervillain Mac Gargan in Spider-Man: Homecoming. He reunited with his Better Call Saul co-star Kerry Condon in the film, in which she voices Tony Stark's artificial intelligence F.R.I.D.A.Y. Will he return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Only time will tell.
"I think that would be fascinating – a detective who goes rogue. Mac Gargan kind of goes a little bit insane, and there’s also this other story where he becomes Venom as well," the actor said in a 2020 interview with ScreenRant about the possibility of his return.
2 Michael Mando Is A Popular Face Among Far Cry Fans
In the early 2010s, Michael Mando joined the villainous force of the Far Cry universe as Vaas Montenegro. His first appearance came in the 2012's critically-acclaimed Far Cry 3 as an early game antagonist and reprised his role in Far Cry 6, which interestingly, features his Better Call Saul co-star Giancarlo Esposito as the main antagonist and a dictator.
1 What's Next For Michael Mando?
So, what's next for Michael Mando? For his latest role in Better Call Saul, the actor garnered a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Hollywood Critics Association despite losing to Giancarlo Esposito who plays Gustavo "Gus" Fring in the show.
He doesn't have any upcoming film or TV projects, but there's no doubting that his talent showcase in Better Call Saul is taking him places!
