Long before Don Draper’s brooding look and Walter White’s meth empire took over TV, two of the most famous characters on television had a very strange photoshoot together. That one shoot showed just how different their paths would be.
Jon Hamm, who was already playing the sharp-dressed ad man from ‘Mad Men‘, recently talked about the first time he met Bryan Cranston. It happened at an early AMC promotional shoot when both shows were still new and trying to find an audience. “We did an early AMC photoshoot when Mad Men was already taking off, but Breaking Bad hadn’t broken through yet,” Hamm said. “I was in a tailored suit with a cigarette and slicked-back hair.“
Jon Hamm Reflects on the Awkward AMC Photoshoot
At that time, Cranston walked in. And that moment pretty much summed up their first meeting. “Bryan Cranston walked out in tighty-whities, desert boots, a chemist apron and safety goggles,” Hamm remembered, laughing about it. The difference between them was huge. “He looked at me and said, ‘I feel like I got the wrong end of this deal’.“
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In 2013, Hamm wrote a piece for TIME magazine about Cranston being named to the TIME 100 Most Influential People list. In that tribute, he shared more about that day. “The first time I met Bryan Cranston, he was standing in his underwear,” Hamm wrote. “We were doing a photo shoot for a little-known network called AMC, and he was in a rubber chemistry apron, tighty whities and desert boots, while I was in an impeccably tailored 1960s suit, with slicked-back hair and a cigarette dangling from my mouth.“
The photo was likely taken by famous portrait photographer Frank Ockenfels 3. Over time, it has become a cool piece of TV history. It shows the exact moment when two shows that would go on to define prestige television crossed paths in the strangest way.
Even with the awkward setup, Hamm really liked Cranston right away. “He was friendly, funny, gregarious, humble and lovely,” Hamm said. “Our shows hadn’t premiered yet. We were simply two actors, in costume and out of context.”
How Walter White’s Underwear Became a ‘Breaking Bad’ Icon
Those tighty-whities Cranston wore that day would later become a big part of Walter White’s story. They showed his shift from a quiet chemistry teacher to a dangerous drug lord. In the very first episode of ‘Breaking Bad‘, the show opens with a pair of khakis falling to the desert ground as Cranston appears in just his underwear and a gas mask.
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Cranston has also talked about what those underwear meant. “Every aspect of Walt was an expression of the fact that he’d given up,” he wrote in his book ‘A Life in Parts.’ The underwear showed “emotional stuntedness,” a quick way to show a man who had stopped moving forward in life.
Comparing ‘Mad Men’ and ‘Breaking Bad’ Costume Evolution
Don Draper on ‘Mad Men‘ stayed sharply dressed for all seven seasons. But Walter White’s clothing changed as the show went on. The green apron Cranston wore that day was part of Breaking Bad’s careful color choices. That color represented growth, wanting more, and finally, the dark side of ambition.
“It’s truly about a man who is basically good, who is making bad decisions,” Cranston said about his character. The mix of good and bad, along with his willingness to look weak even in his underwear, helped make ‘Breaking Bad‘ the huge hit it became.
Hamm has often talked about how different the two shows were. “Breaking Bad was on such a breakneck hurtling train ride to the end,” he said in a later interview. “You’re like, ‘What is this guy going to do?’ That’s never been our show.“
From Awkward Photoshoot to Prestige TV Success
At that photoshoot, it might have seemed like Cranston got the short end of the stick. But in the end, he had the last laugh. ‘Breaking Bad‘ went on to win a lot of praise and many Emmy awards. Cranston’s performance is still considered one of the best in TV history.
“He has remained friendly, funny, gregarious, humble and lovely,” Hamm wrote in his TIME tribute at that time. “I know I’m not alone in my ravenous anticipation for the final episodes of Breaking Bad. I also know I’m not alone in waiting with bated breath to see what Bryan does next.“
For two actors who helped put AMC on the map for high-quality television, that first meeting is still a great memory. And it’s a good reminder that sometimes the best stories start in the most unexpected outfits.
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