When Bryan Cranston heard the news that Walter White’s Breaking Bad underwear sold for thousands of dollars, his reaction was priceless. In the classic cold opening scene of the show’s pilot episode, Walter White is seen careening an RV-converted mobile meth lab in the New Mexico desert wearing nothing but a gas mask and his signature tighty-whitey underwear. Cranston portrayed this iconic role for five seasons, garnering four Emmy Awards for his performance. This piece of clothing remains with him throughout the series as an homage to its unique storytelling style that hooked viewers from day one.
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The iconic white briefs from Breaking Bad, worn by Walter White himself in the show’s pilot episode, recently fetched an astonishing $32,500 according to Screenrant. That’s a steep sum to pay for one pair of tighty-whiteys.
Despite the fact that this underwear was only used for set decoration and never worn by Cranston himself, it still fetched an extraordinary cost when put up for auction. When asked about the outrageous price tag during a recent interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Cranston could hardly contain his disbelief. The star humorously noted that the particular underwear had never been donned and quipped that his dirty drawers would fetch even more.
“Those were never worn,” Cranston told Fallon. “The ones that are soiled go for much higher… I wish I didn’t say that… I mean, people are crazy! Who, in their right mind, is buying a pair of tighty-whitey underwear for 30 grand?”
‘Breaking Bad’ continues to be a cultural touchstone 10 years after it wrapped
However, it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that a hardcore Breaking Bad fan would shell serious dough for the iconic prop. The show remains a pop culture juggernaut fifteen years after its debut. Even after fifteen years, Breaking Bad remains one of the most iconic television dramas. Bryan Cranston thought he had left Walt White behind when the series ended in 2013. Yet he has been continuously drawn back to portray him multiple times since then. Now here he is on The Tonight Show still talking about Walter’s legendary tighty-whiteys.
It’s not like Cranston is shy about his Breaking Bad legacy, though. After the series wrapped in 2013, it spawned a successful spin-off (Better Call Saul) and a movie for Netflix (El Camino). Cranston made appearances at Walter White in both. Cranston even reprised the role for a recent PopCorners Super Bowl commercial. Finally, the Godzilla star even attended a statue unveiling on his character last summer in Albuquerque.
Meanwhile, Cranston is eyeing a different type of role. In a recent interview with NME, he was asked if there’s a musician he’d like to portray in a film. “Willie Nelson comes to mind,” Cranston told the outlet. He pointed to a few physical characteristics he shares with Willie. “The hair and the beard. I think there’s some physical resemblance. He’s very old and wrinkled, and I can relate to that,” the star quipped. ” So I wouldn’t have to wear a lot of makeup.”