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In Breaking Bad episode Hermanos, we take a peek to the past of Gus Fring where his partner gets killed by Hector.

I know it is not unusual for a character (or a real human being) to be sad and hold a grudge about it.

In episode Abiquiú, where he invites Walter for dinner he says "This is a Chilean dish that I love. But I never get to make it. Kids won't eat it." and we also see some toys in his house that suggests he has kids, however we never see Gustavo with kids, a wife or a family. Hank or other cops never mention his family. It looks more like an image he tries to create that he has a family to cloud the reality.

Of course someone making good dinner, being alone or not having kids doesn't directly mean he is gay but when combined with his desire to avenge his old cook, and his reaction when he was killed, it suggests he had feelings for him.

Are there any other hints or interviews by directors, actors, producers that support this claim?

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    A somewhat related question
    – Walt
    Jan 31, 2016 at 13:11
  • Seems to me that Gus' feelings toward his partner somewhat mirror the relationship between Walter and Jesse>
    – Tom
    Jan 31, 2016 at 21:55
  • @Tom Cool theory but I don't think it is very accurate. I always think they in between a father-son and teacher-student.
    – SarpSTA
    Jan 31, 2016 at 22:10
  • Father-son definitely. Since we don't know much about Gus and Max' relationship there's no telling. The answer below indicates it's intentionally vague. I'm just saying that in both situations it had developed far beyond just partners in crime and doesn't require a romantic interest. Gus understands how strong the relationship can be and often uses it to his advantage against Walter.
    – Tom
    Jan 31, 2016 at 22:17

1 Answer 1

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This was left intentionally vague. Says Giancarlo Esposito (who played Gus):

Q: What is the nature of Gus’ relationship to his old partner? There was a lot of speculation that perhaps there was a romantic connection in their past.

GE: [...] I loved the fact that that came up so strongly, because there was genuine love there between Max Arciniega and Gustavo Fring, and I just adored James Martinez, the actor who played that with such grace and aplomb. It certainly came to my mind, because in my early hopes for Gus, we were at his home... I really get the idea that Gus is married to his work. Again, my theory is that nothing’s black and white, and the love he shows for nurturing another human being could very well be misconstrued as a love affair, and it’s not written so it could be a love affair. My job as an actor is to give you all the possibilities and you figure it out.

He elaborated about it on a live reddit Q&A session:

There was never any indication at all that Gus had any homosexual tendencies, other than episode 408. And I personally believe that nothing is ever black and white and I believe Gus had a way of cultivating people, whether chemists, school teachers, or as businessmen. I had long discussions with Vince Gilligan that it shouldn't be pointed up either way (and he agreed). And the audience should have to decide.

Gilligan himself offered a similar opinion on the show's podcast. From Boston.com:

The flashback to the murder of his “partner’’ has raised questions online about whether or not Gus is gay. Show creator Vince Gilligan’s response, from the “Breaking Bad’’ podcast: "It’s open to interpretation. It’s whatever the audience wants it to be."

As for his family, Esposito says this was a possibility that was never developed. See the clip below (it's relevant to the end of season 4, but his family was never mentioned in the final season as well):

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    Hello, Heisenberg. Jan 31, 2016 at 16:55

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