The Poster Memorabilia blog

Meeting Walter White and Jesse Pinkman in Real Life

Two roommates, two poster tubes, and the El Camino premiere in Westwood.

By an anonymous Hollywood insider

There will never be a TV show quite like Breaking Bad. Everything about it was perfect, from the intense storylines to the realistic grittiness of its entire world. But in my personal view, the best part was undoubtedly the cast. The show gave us some of the best performances on the small screen, especially its two iconic leads, Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul.

After watching all five seasons on TV, I just had to see its movie, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, when it went to theaters in 2019. And since I was already living in Los Angeles at the time, I figured it wouldn't hurt to go to the premiere to see the cast in person.

My roommate had the same idea, and he even went a step further. Why not bring a poster and ask the cast to sign it? Again, it wouldn't hurt to try, right? I've always thought Cranston, Paul, and the rest of the cast seemed like good people, so they'd probably give us their autographs if we asked them to.

✦ ✦ ✦

So that day, we put on our cleanest clothes, packed the posters in cylindrical containers, and made our way to Regency Village Theatre in Westwood, where the premiere was held. The place looked awesome! They designed it to look like Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the series and movie were set, complete with a desert-like red carpet and broken-down cars. The bright California sun added to the bit, too.

I was so taken by everything that I barely caught the cast starting to appear on the red carpet. It was when I heard the fans start to scream that I realized they finally arrived.

Most of the cast attended the premiere, including Betsy Brandt, Dean Norris, Jesse Plemons, Giancarlo Esposito, and Jonathan Banks. They all signed my poster, too, which was pretty cool. However, all I could focus on were Cranston and Paul. I mean, I like the rest of the cast, but as I said before, those two made the show into what it was. Their autographs were what I really wanted.

“I was shaking, practically shivering, as those two posed for the cameras right in front of me.”

When they finally came, I was gobsmacked. I was shaking, practically shivering, as those two posed for the cameras right in front of me. I had been watching these two men for five years, riveted by what they showed on screen. To actually see them in real life was crazy, and I only managed to get it together for a couple of minutes as I asked for their autographs.

I'm happy to report that Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul are good people in real life. They're far from the morally dubious characters we saw on screen. In the very short interactions I had with them, I could tell they were truly nice people who are easy to get along with. Their interactions with the rest of the cast also told me as much.

They didn't even hesitate to give their autographs. They signed as many things as they could when they approached the fan pit, including my poster. And when I told Paul that I love his work on the show and couldn't wait to see the movie, he flashed me the brightest smile and said, “Thanks, man!” I was ready to turn gay for him right then and there!

✦ ✦ ✦

It was a bit of a shame that Bob Odenkirk and Anna Gunn weren't at the premiere. I would've loved to have seen all of them there. Fortunately, those two did go to the SAG Awards in 2024, reuniting with the rest of the cast to present an award. I finally got their autographs on the very same poster that night.

Some things you watch. This one you keep.

Guaranteed authentic for life • 90-day returns, any reason