Cool Keepsakes Actors Stole Off The Set Of A Show

Published on March 23, 2018. Updated March 25, 2020

When an actor stars on a television series the set becomes like a second home to them and their fellow cast mates often feel like family. Unlike in the film industry, television stars spend years of their life working on one set, so when the series comes to an end, it’s not unusual for the cast and crew to take a souvenir home. Sometimes it’s allowed, but other times they have to be sneaky about it! Here are 16 cool keepsakes actors stole from the set of a show!

16. Aaron Paul – Jesse Pinkman’s License Plate

There are so many iconic souvenirs that could have been collected from the set of Breaking Bad, but for Aaron Paul, who played the character of Jesse Pinkman, the most important was a license plate. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said: “I took Jesse Pinkman’s license plate from his first car: THE CAPN.” He also said he took one of Heisenberg’s hats. In that same interview Bryan Cranston revealed he also has a Heisenberg hat and sunglasses, while Dean Norris, who played the character of Hank, has Tuco’s grill.

Everett Collection

15. Lea Michele – Finn Hudson’s Football Jersey

Lea Michele really became a mainstream star after she appeared on the TV show Glee as Rachel Berry. Her performance on this show earned her an Emmy and two Golden Globe nominations. While starring on the show she dated her on-screen love interest, Cory Monteith, who played high school quarterback Finn Hudson. Sadly, Monteith passed away in 2013 while they were both still starring on the show. Not surprisingly, when the series came to an end, Michele walked away with something extremely sentimental — Finn’s framed football jersey.

Mike Yarish / © Fox / Courtesy: Everett Collection

14. Hugh Bonneville – Letter

You’d think Hugh Bonneville, who played the character of Lord Grantham on Downton Abbey, would take something a little more iconic to his character, but nope! During an appearance on Live! with Kelly and Michael, he said the only souvenir he took was a letter! “I did liberate a letter from a character [played by Matthew Goode] called Henry Talbot, who really emerges quite clearly in Season 6, inviting [the Crawleys] to race a car or something,” said Bonneville. The letter is now framed in his house in the “downstairs loo.” He also revealed he snuck “the telegram from Season 1 announcing that we were going to war with Germany.”

Nick Briggs / © Carnival Films for Masterpiece/PBS / Courtesy: Everett Collection

13. January Jones – Betty’s Silverware

According to January Jones, the cast of Mad Men wasn’t allowed to take any of the amazing clothes they wore, but that didn’t stop her from leaving empty handed! “We weren’t allowed to [keep the clothing], it’s in the museum down in Queens,” she said. “I have her silver, we weren’t supposed to take anything that was valued over $100. The one she like polishes, I have that. I don’t know what I’m going to do with it, but I have it. I would never use it.”

Carin Baer / © AMC / Courtesy: Everett Collection

12. Darren Criss – Trophies, Wall Tiles, and Warbler Jacket

Another former Glee cast member walked away with more than a few souvenirs from the set. Darren Criss, who played the role of Blaine Anderson on Glee, told The Hollywood Reporter that he walked away with a few trophies, like the McKinley High School 2002 speech-and-debate trophy, which he now uses as a bookend in his house. In addition to that, he said: “Chord and I literally ripped pieces of the wall out. The soundproofing behind the choir room, which is this red Styrofoam — we took tiles of that off and added that to our own respective home studios…I’ve been waiting forever to take Figgins’ couch. It’s this beautiful green leather couch that I took many naps on. That office is where me, Mark Salling, Cory and Chord would hang out. I have a lot of fond memories of that couch. And last but not least, I took the Warbler jacket. No one was taking that but me,” he joked.

11. Tyler Posey – Scott’s Motorcycle

Tyler Posey was the leading man on MTV’s Teen Wolf, so it’s not surprising he had first dibs on any of the props related to his character and he took full advantage. Posey picked one of the biggest and most expensive props from the set — Scott’s motorcycle. “I’m gonna wheelie away,” he said. At the time of the interview, he said he’d already cleared it with executive producer Jeff Davis who had told him, “It’s okay, there’s, like, three of them.” So technically Posey didn’t steal this souvenir, but we’re guessing it’s not typically allowed for actors to walk away with such expensive mementos!

10. Alyson Hannigan – Lily’s Art Stuff

SheKnows caught up with the cast of How I Met Your Mother on the red carpet for PaleyFest back in 2014 and uncovered a few interesting tidbits about what props some of the main characters had taken from the set after the series finale. “I got one thing I really wanted, which was the red English telephone booth that was on the piano,” said Alyson Hannigan. “And I took Lily’s art stuff and one of her paintings. And a sign from the bar.”

9. Josh Radnor – Blue French Horn

Another great keepsake from How I Met Your Mother is the blue French horn that Ted stole from a restaurant to give to Robin after she said she’d like one for her apartment. It first appeared during the pilot episode and makes a few other appearances throughout the series. When asked what happened to this iconic prop, Josh Radnor said, “Yes. I had one request and Carter and Craig very kindly gave it to me. I asked for the blue French horn and I got the blue French horn.”

CBS

8. Norman Reedus – Rick’s Beard

When the entire show revolves around being stuck in a zombie apocalypse world, there aren’t many options for souvenirs. Norman Reedus revealed he’s been taking keepsakes from The Walking Dead for a long time. He grabs one after every season. “It’s funny, because I have…they shaved Andy [Lincoln’s] beard off for one of the episodes,” said Reedus to Yahoo TV. “[A]nd I actually have his beard in my refrigerator in a Ziploc bag right now. I try to keep as much stuff as possible. The fun stuff.” In another interview, he revealed he’s also taken a crossbow, the ear necklace, and a vest from each season.

Gene Page/©AMC/courtesy Everett Collection

7. Rider Strong – Leather Jacket

Boy Meets World is one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time. It has far outlived its cancellation by having such a loyal fanbase who continue to tune in and watch reruns which still air regularly. Rider Strong had the privilege of playing one of the fans favorite characters, Shawn Hunter. In an interview with CNN, Strong said he took Hunter’s leather jacket. “I stole the jacket from the show — Disney wouldn’t let us take anything, but I had a leather jacket that I had bought on my own, and I swapped it,” said Strong. Unfortunately (and ironically), the jacket was eventually stolen from his car.

Source: girlmeetsworldreviewed.blogspot.ca

6. Friends Cast – Sidewalk

The final taping of NBC’s Friends was incredibly emotional, not only for the cast members but also the viewers! Even though the show ended over a decade ago it’s still one of the most beloved shows that lives on through its huge fanbase. According to Uproxx, after the final taping of the show, each member of the cast and crew walked away with a piece of the sidewalk from outside Central Perk.

Source: friends.wikia.com

5. Sarah Jessica Parker – Clothes

One of the things Sex and the City was most well known for was its fashion, especially when it came to Sarah Jessica Parker’s character, Carrie Bradshaw. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who isn’t jealous of that wardrobe! In an interview at New York’s Vulture Festival Parker revealed she kept 95 percent of the clothing from the show. She has it all archived. “I have it all. I don’t touch it or wear it, but all of that is really meaningful.” Parker’s most prized possession from the show is the iconic Carrie nameplate necklace. “I have the Carrie necklace still. I love it and it’s tucked away somewhere safe.”

4. Jerry Seinfeld – Door

It was revealed in the book “Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Good: Larry David and the Making of Seinfeld” by Josh Levine that Jerry Seinfeld walked away with the apartment door from the show’s stage. When Larry David filmed the reunion show for Curb Your Enthusiasm, he was able to use the old Seinfeld set, all he had to do was replace two props: the fridge and the apartment door which was what Jerry had taken as a souvenir.

(c)Castle Rock Entertainment/courtesy Everett Collection

3. Michael C. Hall – Blood Spatter Images

Dexter was such a dark and twisted series, so we’d expect it might be hard to find an appropriate souvenir to walk away with, but Michael C. Hall, who played the character of Dexter, found a few keepsakes to remind him of his time on the show. He told the TODAY show that he walked away with Dexter’s watch, his Miami Metro police lanyard, and even a few blood spatter images from his lab.

2. John Slattery – Lamp

John Slattery played the role of Roger Sterling on Mad Men for all seven seasons. In an interview in New York, Slattery revealed exactly what he took from his character’s office, and it might not be what you’d expect! “Then I took a souvenir…you know, there was a lamp, that was like two wooden boxes with a frame in the middle that had been sitting on my desk for years and I walked away with that,” he said.

1. Matthew Weiner – Don Draper Clio Award

It’s not just the actors who take souvenirs from a TV show, the show creators take them too! Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner said he took stuff from the set, but that’s mainly because a lot of it was his own possessions! “I kept a lot of stuff! First of all, I gave a lot of my stuff to the show to put in. If you go to the museum in Queens and you’ll see the chip and dip set that’s in the show, that was my parents’ wedding present,” said Weiner. In addition to that, he also took one item from each character. For example, he took Peggy Olson’s tape dispenser, Roger’s bar, and Don Draper’s CLIO award. Jon Hamm, who played the leading role of Don Draper, said he snagged a few items as well, but wouldn’t disclose exactly what.