Some actors spend years imagining what it might be like to work with Vince Gilligan. For Samba Schutte, the idea felt almost impossible. Born in Mauritius to a Mauritian mother and Dutch father, raised in Ethiopia, and later launching a successful stand-up comedy career in the Netherlands, Schutte’s path to Hollywood was anything but traditional. Long before he arrived in Los Angeles, he was performing on comedy tours across Europe and serving as a correspondent on the Dutch version of “The Daily Show.” Hollywood wasn’t part of his daily reality. As he tells Awards Focus, “Hollywood couldn’t seem further away. It was always a dream, but so far away.”
That makes his arrival in Apple TV+’s “Pluribus” all the more remarkable. Created by Vince Gilligan, the Emmy-winning mastermind behind “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” the series stars Emmy nominee Rhea Seehorn as Carol, one of the few immune survivors struggling to navigate a world transformed by a mysterious phenomenon. The ensemble also includes Carlos-Manuel Vesga as the increasingly isolated and radicalized Manos, Karolina Wydra as Carol’s enigmatic companion Zosia, and a collection of eccentric survivors attempting to find their place in an unfamiliar reality. Among them is Schutte’s Mr. Koumba Diabaté, a charismatic Mauritian entrepreneur who has embraced the luxuries of the new world while trying to convince everyone else that coexistence remains possible.
That complexity becomes especially clear in Episode 6, “HDP,” which contains one of the season’s most memorable sequences. As Carol travels to Las Vegas to meet Mr. Koumba Diabaté, viewers are given a glimpse into the lavish world he has created for himself atop a casino penthouse. The episode opens like a James Bond fantasy, with Diabaté coolly staring down a poker rival sporting an eye patch before revealing a royal flush and earning thunderous applause from the surrounding crowd. What follows is even more outrageous: a growing entourage of admirers, private luxury at every turn, and a bubble bath shared with a harem that includes the card dealer who had just watched his victory unfold. It’s an undeniably hilarious sequence, but Schutte never viewed the character as a stereotypical billionaire reveling in excess. Instead, he saw “a kid who has access to everything he ever dreamt of,” a man embracing a world that once seemed completely out of reach.
That idea stems in part from Schutte’s own upbringing. Growing up in parts of Africa where luxury was far from guaranteed, he understood the psychology of suddenly gaining access to things that once felt unattainable. In our conversation, he laughs about becoming a lifelong chocoholic after moving to Europe because chocolate had been such a rare commodity during his childhood. The wealth, the parties, the lifestyle, and even the entourage are not simply status symbols to Diabaté. They represent a world he once believed he would never be allowed to enter. Beneath the confidence and charm is someone who understands what it means to feel excluded and who is determined not to waste the opportunities now in front of him.
The role also carries personal significance. Gilligan ultimately made the character Mauritian, allowing Schutte to bring elements of his own heritage into the performance. During production, the actor even discovered an unexpected cultural connection hidden within the character’s name, a detail that became part of the character’s evolving backstory. For Schutte, the opportunity to portray what may be one of the first Mauritian characters on American television was both deeply personal and a reflection of Gilligan’s collaborative approach to storytelling.
As “Pluribus” moves toward its already-announced second season, Mr. Diabaté occupies a fascinating position within the story. Unlike Carol or Manos, who increasingly represent opposing visions for humanity’s future, he remains committed to finding a middle path. Whether he’s hosting meetings aboard Air Force One, defending Carol to his absent entourage, or attempting to persuade others that compassion remains possible, Diabaté operates from a fundamentally different worldview. As Schutte puts it, “Let’s have compassion for them and let’s find a way to live in harmony.” That outlook may prove increasingly difficult to maintain as the conflicts at the center of “Pluribus” continue to escalate.
Schutte recently spoke with Awards Focus about his unlikely journey from Mauritius and Ethiopia to a Vince Gilligan series, the seven-month audition process that landed him the role, the surprising inspirations behind Mr. Koumba Diabaté, and why loneliness may be the character’s defining trait. He also discussed working opposite Rhea Seehorn and Carlos-Manuel Vesga, performing some of the show’s funniest silent moments, and why he’s already lobbying Gilligan to send the cast to Hawaii or Japan in Season 2.
Awards Focus: You have a very different journey than most actors in Hollywood. What was your path to “Pluribus,” and how did you ultimately find yourself on a Vince Gilligan series?
Samba Schutte: Gosh, the journey has been… it feels like a lifetime because I was born in Mauritius. My mom’s from there. My dad is Dutch, and I was raised in Ethiopia, so I grew up in Africa until I was 18. Hollywood couldn’t seem further away. It was always a dream, but so far away.
But I did know I wanted to perform. So when I moved to Holland to study theater in college, I started my stand-up comedy career, and that went really well. I got onto a few comedy shows there, did some comedy tours, and was a correspondent on the Dutch version of “The Daily Show.”
Then I found a way to move to America. I wanted to work in America in English. Finally I got my visa, got here, and it took forever to get my green card. Once I finally got the chance to work in Hollywood, things started moving. As soon as I landed here, I think it was 2011, I was taking an acting class and someone brought up “Breaking Bad.” I was like, “What the heck is ‘Breaking Bad’?” They said, “Oh, Walter White.” And I was like, we didn’t have access to AMC in Europe. So I started watching it and thought, this is such good television. Vince Gilligan just became such an iconic name.
To fast forward 15 years and be associated with a Vince Gilligan show is ridiculous. It was impossible in my mind, and it’s ridiculous that it has manifested. So I love how I came onto the show because I got the audition for it, but it was dummy sides. It was like a music producer trying to poach another music producer’s client, which made me think, “Oh, that’s an interesting direction Vince is taking after ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Better Call Saul.’ He’s going into the music business.”
But I learned that they were dummy sides. Then I got the callback five months later. I heard from our casting director, Sharon Bialy, that it took that long because they were looking all over the world for the guy to play my character. They came back around to me because there was something they saw in my tape that brought an innocence to the guy, whereas everyone else was playing him very sleazy and kind of creepy. That was the trap. Mr. Koumba Diabaté is a hedonist at heart, but I played him more like a kid who has access to everything he ever dreamt of. I think that’s what they saw.
Getting the part seven months after auditioning was so wild and so beautiful.
AF: Does any part of your own background inform the way you approached Mr. Koumba Diabaté? I understand there’s even a bit of an Easter egg hidden within the character’s name.
Schutte: Yes, a hundred percent.
In the dummy sides, actually, he was called Mr. Koumba, and I thought that was fascinating. I was like, “Oh, Mr. Koumba. Koumba is a woman’s name in my culture.” The only reason a guy takes on a woman’s name in my culture is if the mother has died during childbirth. I thought that was such an interesting detail. I was like, wow, Vince is a genius. That’s such informative information. When I got the part, I told Vince, “It’s amazing that you did your research on Koumba being a woman’s name.” And he was like, “I have no idea. I just Googled a Mauritian name.” I was like, “Well, no, take credit, Vince, because that’s an amazing character detail.” So we kept that.
What I loved is that Vince made him specifically a Mauritian man, which is lovely. I don’t think there’s been a Mauritian character on American television ever. So it was an honor and so collaborative of Vince to make him have my heritage and allow me to play a character from there.
Like I said, I was born in Mauritius and grew up in Africa. It’s not a rich part of the world. What really informed me was asking why someone would behave the way Mr. Diabaté behaves in this new world. He suddenly has access to luxury, access to the best and brightest, access to everything. It’s because he did not come from a good life.
I always give this example. I did not have access to a lot of treats like chocolate growing up because it was a precious commodity. Once I finally moved to Holland and the West, suddenly I had access to it all. To this day, I’m a chocoholic, Ben. I eat chocolate every day. That’s what made me approach this character that way. Yes, he’s a kid in a candy store, but he’s also someone who now has access to everything he’s been denied.
Another layer we added was loneliness. If you did not come from a good life and you’ve dreamed of the world’s riches, you were probably very lonely. Now you have access to the best company and the finest company. Having that makes you not want to let it go. So there’s a clinginess to wanting this lifestyle too, which we added to the character, and I thought that was great.
AF: Speaking of that loneliness, I recently revisited Episode 6 and was curious about the phone call scene. Do we ever learn who Mr. Koumba Diabaté is speaking to when Carol falls asleep?
Schutte: Can you imagine he’s talking to Selena Gomez or some person that he thinks is still out there? No, I think who he is talking to is his entourage, his supermodel entourage, because he has made them his family, his community. He does not have any family like the other surviving humans. They have their parents, their sisters, their daughters, everything. And he just shows up with a bunch of supermodels, which shows me that, yes, with a name like Koumba, meaning he had no mom growing up, he probably also didn’t have a dad growing up or a family growing up. So I love that he has made the others his direct family.
When he’s on the phone, yes, he’s talking to them. “I miss you guys and I want you guys to come back, but I understand you can’t because Carol’s there.” But at the same time, he’s vouching for Carol. He’s saying, “Can she please come back? She’s so lonely.” He has a compassion for her. He’s the only one really understanding her plight and trying to sympathize with her and be rational. He’s calling the others and saying, “Can you please help her out?” So I think he’s talking to the others, who could also be Zosia, who could also be John Cena, could be whoever it is. It’s like, “Can you please help her out? I feel really sorry for her.”
I love that we see in that moment a duality. He misses his rich lifestyle, but at the same time he has compassion for Carol because I think he recognizes her loneliness.
AF: There’s another immune character who has chosen a very different path and isolated himself from everyone else, Manos. Without giving anything away, do you have any thoughts on what a future meeting between those two characters might look like?
Schutte: I wish I had access to what their thoughts are for Season 2. Literally, our office is down the street. I go there once every two weeks with Vegas treats as an excuse to try and see what they’ve written, but they won’t tell us anything. Much like Season 1, we’re going to discover it with the audience while we’re filming it. But I really hope there are scenes with Manos because I think the dynamic between Mr. Koumba Diabaté and Manos is going to be amazing.
Manos is extreme loneliness, isolation, “don’t talk to the others,” “the others are the enemy.” Whereas Mr. Koumba Diabaté is, “Yes, I understand your plight, but at the same time, let’s be rational about this. These guys are human underneath. Let’s have compassion for them and let’s find a way to live in harmony.” I don’t think Mr. Diabaté wants to give up his lifestyle at all. I think he wants to keep his luxurious lifestyle.
But what I love about Vince Gilligan’s writing is that there’s always layers. So yes, he wants all of those things, but at the end of the day he’s also a humanist. It’ll be fun to see that dynamic. I’m sure as soon as he meets Manos, he’ll offer him a massage and a drink and just be like, “Dude, unwind. You’re a lot.” And I think once that’s happened, they can have a conversation.
I can’t wait because Carlos himself is so good and so fun to act with, and with Rhea too. That dynamic between the three of them meeting… gosh, it’s going to be a clash of the Titans. I think they have such strong opinions to the point that they have an atom bomb, whereas this guy is like, “Guys, kumbaya. Let’s all live together. We have Zooms. We have meetings. Let’s just find a way.”
AF: To that point, how do you think Diabaté developed such a different worldview from the other immune characters we’ve met?
Schutte: Well, I think growing up in Africa, there’s a level of street smarts that comes with being aware of the rules of the game, how systems work, and how society works. So I think he’s very intelligent. Yes, he’s putting on this “I’m a gentleman. I’m the president of the world” persona, literally flying on Air Force One and saying, “Let’s come together. Let’s talk about what’s happened and see how we can move forward.” There’s an element of diplomacy to him, which is, this is the situation and let’s see how we can survive.
But at the same time, he’s way ahead of Carol in his investigations and understanding how the rules of this game work. He knows they’re eating humans. He knows they can’t turn you without access to your stem cells. He’s figuring out how to survive in this world while still maintaining his free will, his identity, and his luxurious lifestyle. That’s what I love about the character.
AF: It sounds like you’re discovering the story much the same way the audience is. As an actor, have you developed your own long-term ideas about what Mr. Koumba Diabaté ultimately wants, or do you try to stay entirely in the present moment?
Schutte: Yeah, it’s interesting because I created a backstory for this character. I needed something to hold onto because we don’t know much about him at all. But what’s interesting about working with Vince Gilligan is that you get the script for the next episode literally two weeks before you start filming it. So you have no idea where your character is going or what the story is. What’s so refreshing about that as an actor is that you’re playing for the present moment. There’s nothing going on in your mind saying, “Let me hold onto this to plan for future episodes.” You don’t know what’s going to happen. All I can do is be presented with the script and understand, okay, these are the motivations he has in the script. Play those motivations as honestly and as presently as possible.
For example, in Episode 2, it’s, “Let’s get together. But hey, I don’t want to change the world.” In Episode 6, it’s, “Carol, I sympathize with you. Let me give you some information so you can be on your merry way and just enjoy living life in this new world.” Playing those things as honestly and as presently as possible is all I can do. I don’t know where they’re going to go. I can have my ideas and think, maybe he will join Carol and Manos, or maybe he’ll be the ultimate villain and be the one who leads everyone else against them. I don’t know where it’s going to go. All I can do is be presented with what I have and play that. That’s what’s so fun about working with Vince Gilligan. You don’t get to plan as an actor. You just get to be and play here and now.
AF: Much of the show operates in silence. Your character has more dialogue than some of the others, but many of your funniest and most revealing moments happen before you even say a word. How challenging is it to build a performance through those silent reactions and expressions?
Schutte: That’s a great question because I was worried when I first got into this. I come from a comedic background entering a dramatic world. I told Vince, “I don’t want this guy to come across as clownish.”
He was like, “Take care of that. Don’t worry. We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.”
He and Ganja were there for us because we started with Episode 6, so we were still finding this guy. What was great about their direction was that in the silent moments they would help you by giving you different things to play. We did a thousand takes, but each time we’d try something new. For example, in the James Bond scene where it’s a lot of silence before I even say a first word, they would say, “Now really feel like you’re James Bond. Let’s do the smoldering.” Then, “Now play it like you know this is a game and you’re enjoying the giddiness of it. You’re going to win, so just know that it’s role play and enjoy that it’s role play.”
We’d find different ways of playing the scene. What ends up happening is that you start having all these thoughts as you’re in the scene, and then that translates through your eyes, your facial expressions, and those little moments. Then they make it work in the editing room. It was really fun to be guided through those silent moments because some scenes are so visual. You don’t need words. You just need an expression, a glance, a reaction, whatever it is. When the villain with the eye patch puts down his cards and it looks like he’s going to win the game, for it to be funny I have to believe that I’m going to lose in that moment. Or I play that feeling of, “Oh, okay, this is the moment where it’s drama for the audience. So let me, as Mr. Diabaté, play the drama.” It was really fun finding those moments and figuring out how to approach them. And yeah, that’s through their amazing direction.
AF: Outside of a Las Vegas casino, where would the real Samba Schutte choose to live if he suddenly had access to the kind of luxury Mr. Koumba Diabaté enjoys?
Schutte: I’m already pitching this to Vince. Hawaii or Japan for Season 2. Let’s go.
Let’s have more tropical island bliss. Let’s have more amazing cultural food and all those kinds of things, with his entourage still. I think he’s still going to be partying it up because, like I said, I did not have access to chocolate. I’m a chocoholic now. I’m still eating chocolate 14 years later. I don’t think he’s going to get tired of this amazing lifestyle yet. So yes, I’m pitching Hawaii. I’m pitching Japan. Let’s have more international moments before we get to dealing with the two divas that are Carol and Manos.
AF: Let’s see it. Congratulations again on the show. It was lovely talking with you, and I hope our paths cross again in the future.
Schutte: Thank you, Ben. Appreciate you.