I’m a slim, middle-aged, white guy, with a lined face, and squarish wire-rimmed glasses. My resting face is a bit of a scowl. When I shave my head and wear a goatee, which is about 1/2 of the year, people constantly tell me I look like Walter White. When Breaking Bad was wrapping up a couple years ago, I got “Walter White!!” just about daily. The first time I shaved my head, my closest friend told me he couldn’t have a conversation with me because he was too distracted by the resemblance. (I’ve never actually watched the show).
A bit of boredom and daydreaming today has begun to convince me that I should parlay my gift into fame and fortune as a Walter White celebrity lookalike. The rational side of my brain reminds me that I have no acting skills and that I live in a small town where the market for ersatz meth kingpins is surely limited. And, it’s also saying that I have two children and a wife who would be less than supportive of me heading out on Friday and Saturday nights to entertain bachelor parties and frats instead of staying home and reading to the kids. Bah! My rational mind won’t hold back my rich fantasy life!
Well, actually it probably will. But for today anyway, this dream makes perfect sense. So, have you or anyone you known ever been a celebrity lookalike or impersonator? Ever hired one? If you’re a magician or comedian or other kind of independent performer, feel free to chime in as well. What was the job like? What was good and bad about it? How did you charge? Did you use a booking agency? Etc…
Funny. There was a lady on Millionaire today who looked just like Jane Curtin. I thought, “If I looked like her, I would totally…uh… Well, I would do a great Jane Curtin impression and make people laugh.” Couldn’t figure out how to actually monetize that.
I think the demand for a Walter White impersonator would be pretty limited, especially since the show ended, but probably not as limited as a Jane Curtain impersonator.
You’d have to familiarize yourself with the character and tv show. Learn his typical wardrobe and catch phrases. Knowledge of the shows plot lines would be essential. Easily done. Rent the episodes from NetFlix. Fans at parties will expect to meet Walter White.
Most cities have a booking agency for clowns, magicians, look a likes etc. They can be booked for birthday parties, bridal showers, etc. They might help the OP develop an act.
We used a slew of lookalikes for an ad I worked on, including an American - he “was” David Letterman - who was flown in for the occasion. There was also a Brad Pitt, a Paris Hilton, and perhaps one or two others. Great fun.
Its funny how people react to lookalikes. They genuinely want to meet famous people or characters. They’re willing to suspend their disbelief. That makes the lookalike entertainers job easier. Especially if the goal is to interact with guests, pose with them for photos, and discuss the tv show.
It’s similar to a magician. Their act works best in a crowd that wants to be entertained. People know its all staged. But they play along because its fun.
Yeah, I’d poked around a little yesterday and found some of those places. They seem to be more common in the UK, for some reason. Maybe it’s a more popular form of entertainment there. Mostly what I found were booking agencies for people who already had an act ready. My “act” is, let’s say, unpolished right now.
What got me started on this daydream was, I was browsing Criagslist and saw an ad for celebrity lookalikes in the talent section. I thought, hmmm, just take a look… and it’s an ad looking for people to be in porn. While I’m sure there is a market for Breaking Bad porn, it’s going to have to get made without me.
But the idea of being an impersonator in a non-porn setting might still be worth thinking about.
These guys are still in business nearly eight years after the final episode. However, they no longer offer lookalikes for some of the secondary characters. IIRC, showing up at parties and public events pretending to be Artie Bucco was once an actual paying job.
There was a joke similar to this on Saturday Night Live. Tony Rosato was playing the head of a celebrity lookalike agency and Tim Kazurinsky was one his clients who was complaining about not being able to get jobs as a Tim Kazurinsky lookalike. Rosato told him “It’s amazing how much you look and sound like him. But quite frankly, there’s not much demand even for the real Tim Kazurinsky.”
Not yet. That and a hazmat suit should be easy enough to come by. The porkpie hat might be tough, though. I mean, who still sells porkpies?
Another thing attracting me to this is the opportunity to pretend to be a badass. I’m really a complete weenie in real life. Not even my kids listen to me. After sitting at a desk all day writing emails no one reads, it would be fun to demand that people say my name.
First, explain to your kids and wife you want to be an actor. Good luck with that.
Then go to a Denny’s in your hazmat suit and order pancakes and eggs over-easy with bacon with which you arrange a smiley over the eggs. Pretend to visit the restroom then come back and leave a $100 tip without eating your meal.
Be sure your wife has bail money handy.
Oh, the porkpie hat only comes into play after you kill about 3 or 4 bad guys.
