Michael Mando on Why Nacho Is a ‘Romantic Character’

TL;DR:

Better Call Saul Season 6 brought Nacho Varga’s story to a close.
Michael Mando revealed why Nacho is “such a romantic character.”

Michael Mando as Nacho Varga in 'Better Call Saul' Season 6. He's wearing a white T-shirt and has cuts on his face. — Michael Mando in ‘Better Call Saul’ | Greg Lewis/AMC/Sony Pictures Television

Better Call Saul Season 6 recently bid farewell to Nacho Varga (Michael Mando), a character who’s played a pivotal role in the AMC prequel since its beginning. Nacho’s journey is no doubt one of the series’ more devastating ones, but it also offers a glimmer of hope. Despite his character arc ending in tragedy, Nacho stays true to himself throughout the entire show. That’s why Michael Mando believes his story is as “romantic” and “heroic” as it is tragic.

‘Better Call Saul’ bid farewell to Nacho Varga

Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 3 brought Nacho Varga’s storyline to a close, killing the character in a surprising scene that will go down as one of the prequel’s greatest.

After helping Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) with his assassination attempt on Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton), Nacho finds himself in a sticky situation. The Salamancas know he was involved with the attempt on Lalo’s life. And Gus and Mike (Jonathan Banks) can’t do much to help him. The two agree to protect his father from retaliation, but even that comes with a price: Nacho’s life.

In exchange for his father’s protection, Nacho agrees to take the fall for what happened to Lalo — and shift the blame away from Gus. Mando’s character plays his part well, but he doesn’t do exactly what Mike and Gus tell him. After giving an impressive speech, Nacho finds a way to go out on his own terms.

Michael Mando revealed why Nacho is ‘such a romantic character’

During the Better Call Saul Season 6 premiere, Michael Mando reflected on his time playing Nacho Varga. Speaking with Variety on the red carpet, the actor admitted there’s no other role he’d want. He also emphasized what a “heroic” arc his character has:

“Nacho’s my dream role, brother. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Especially [with] the way it ends, it’s just such a romantic character. And I love that he’s trying to do the right thing, that he refuses to give into the dark side as much as he can. He’s trying to save his father’s life. His father represents sort of like a saint to his eyes. I just find that so romantic and heroic. And I think we need more characters like that, you know?”

He’s right that Nacho is one of Better Call Saul‘s more compelling characters, likely because he manages to stay true to himself. And Mando broke down his character’s big moment further, explaining why he chose to die rather than fight the Salamancas.

Michael Mando breaks down his ‘Better Call Saul’ fate

Following Nacho’s final moments in Better Call Saul Season 6, Michael Mando spoke to Entertainment Weekly about his character’s decision. He explained Nacho’s thought process as he decides to take the fall for Gus, emphasizing once again what an important role his father plays in the choice:

“Nacho has made the decision to die during the phone call with his father. I believe it is in that moment that he understood his father wasn’t going to escape with him and that his father didn’t understand the severity [of the situation] in which his son was in. And I think in that moment, Nacho understood that I am going to secure my father’s life by sacrificing mine.”

With Mando’s analysis in mind, rewatching Nacho’s final Better Call Saul episode will no doubt prove even more emotional.

New episodes of Better Call Saul Season 6 premiere on AMC on Mondays at 9 p.m.

Michael Mando on Why Nacho Is a ‘Romantic Character’

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Michael Mando on Why Nacho Is a ‘Romantic Character’

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