We Finally Know Who The Far Cry 6 Villain Is Based On
"Far Cry 6" is just over the horizon, and the bombastic shooter is sure to be the chaotic thrill-ride fans of Ubisoft's long-running series have been pining for. And while the game's protagonist, Dani Rojas, looks like a proper badass, it's the game's big bad that has fans going wild. Portrayed by "The Mandalorian" actor Giancarlo Esposito, Anton Castillo is the dictator at the center of "Far Cry 6." In a recent interview with video game journalist Geoff Keighley, Esposito opened up about the not-so-surprising historical figures that his ruthless dictator is based on.
During an early segment of the 2021 Summer Game Fest kickoff event, Esposito told Keighley that Castillo's actions and attitude are influenced by his "love of his community and country," a claim that he then supported when Keighley asked him what it was like playing a villain in a video game.
"I'm not a villain," Esposito said, laughing. He explained, "This guy loves his country. He wants to empower you to stand up and speak your truth." When asked to reveal who Esposito had studied in order to embody Anton Castillo, the "Breaking Bad" actor revealed, "The obvious choice to study is Fidel Castro," referring, of course, to the late Cuban leader infamous for surviving hundreds of assassination attempts.
However, Esposito also name-dropped Adolf Hitler and Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, citing them as examples of individuals wanting "power over others."
But don't worry — Far Cry 6 isn't making a political statement
Giancarlo Esposito's impassioned examination of the desire for power and the moral ambiguity of dictator Anton Castillo definitely makes the hype for "Far Cry 6" even stronger. Fans can't wait to jump into the boots of revolutionary renegade Dani Rojas and serve up some guerrilla justice to Castillo and his soldiers. That said, while the themes and characters on "Far Cry 6" appear steeped in political commentary, the position that the game is taking might be a bit more complex than it seems — at least, according to the game's developers.
To say that "Far Cry 6" has a weird stance on politics would be an understatement. In an interview with TheGamer, "Far Cry 6" narrative director Navid Khavari explained that the game doesn't aim to comment on the political landscape of Cuba (the country that inspired the game's fictional Caribbean nation of Yara). Expressing that Cuba is a "complicated island," Khavari claimed that the game "doesn't want to make a political statement about what's happening" in the nation — a position that many fans found befuddling, especially considering the game's obvious political bent.
Ubisoft would later "[acknowledge] the game is inherently political" and "[stress] that the game isn't a comment on Cuba specifically," as reported by an update added to the original TheGamer article. Still, it's hard not to jump to that exact conclusion — especially now that fans know that Giancarlo Esposito took inspiration from Fidel Castro when crafting the chilling dictator at the heart of "Far Cry 6."
Also, that's a pretty "far cry" from the figure Esposito originally claimed inspired his character, huh?