Cranston told that story chuckling every step of the way, clearly reveling in the chance to give fans such once-in-a-lifetime encounters. He added that said fans are typically taken aback when he first approached them. “They kind of recoil and go, ‘who’s this?'” adding that when they realized who they were talking to, he casually put a finger to his lips implying that they should keep quiet.
As Cranston continued to recount such encounters, he laughed, “And then I walk away as quick as possible.” He went on to say, “I have this fantasy in my mind that they go to their friends and go, ‘You’re never gonna believe what I just saw, it was Bryan Cranston!'” And as Cranston’s fantasy goes, said stories are met with utter disbelief.
Conan promptly pointed out Cranston has a history of mugging “Breaking Bad” fans in public, reminding the actor of his 2013 trip to San Diego Comic-Con in which he walked the floors in a prosthetic Walter White mask. Cranston claimed that the almost comically absurd tactic worked out pretty well and allowed him to do something few stars get a chance to do — walk relatively unabated amongst their fans. If you know anything about “Breaking Bad” fans, you know they are indeed a devoted lot. And it’s nice to see Cranston is not shy about giving a little of that love back to them.