'Breaking Bad' Stars Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul Stop By Norwalk Store

NORWALK, CT — Fans of "Breaking Bad" were able to meet the show's two stars, Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, face-to-face during an event Wednesday morning at Stew Leonard's Wines & Spirits in Norwalk.

The two actors made an appearance at the store to promote their mezcal line, Dos Hombres, by signing bottles and taking pictures with fans.

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Wednesday marked the second time Cranston, the Emmy-winning star of hit TV shows and films like "Malcolm in the Middle," "Argo" and "Little Miss Sunshine," had appeared at the Norwalk store, having previously signed bottles for fans during an event last summer.

Stew Leonard's spokesperson Meghan Bell said the entire team was excited to see Cranston return, along with his famous co-star.

"Even though 'Breaking Bad' has been off the air for a few years now," Bell said, "we know how much people still love Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul and really have grown to love Dos Hombres. If you haven't had it, it is a really terrific mezcal."

Bell also noted the line to get into the event, which stretched behind the strip mall where the store is located on Westport Avenue, was above and beyond what they expected.

"We're so excited," Bell said. "We think it will be our best event yet."

The excitement was palpable among the huge crowd outside the store prior to opening. Miriam Alterman and her father, Stuart, were first in line after leaving their home in East Brunswick, N.J., at 1 a.m. and camping outside the front door.

According to Miriam Alterman, it was "very quiet" outside until the next person showed up around 4:30 a.m.

"We're just really big fans of 'Breaking Bad' and Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston," Miriam Alterman said, "and we're just super excited for the opportunity to see them in person and hopefully talk to them a little bit."

Her father noted it was his daughter's idea to come to the event in Connecticut after missing a similar one in Glen Rock, N.J.

"I didn't think we'd be first [in line]," Stuart Alterman said. "It's so cool."

Zach Bell, a 13-year-old "Breaking Bad" fan, said he got permission to miss school Wednesday morning so he could wait in line with his father, Ryan, to meet the stars.

While the hit television program ran on AMC from 2008 to 2013 and became a global phenomenon, the young fan said he fell in love with the show after watching it on Netflix.

Ryan Bell noted he and his son did not initially watch "Breaking Bad" together, but their viewing habits eventually overlapped and the show became something they could share together.

"It's a really good show," Ryan Bell said. "Great acting, great casting and writing; we just kind of enjoyed it together."

After getting their bottle signed around 11 a.m., the pair agreed it was well worth standing in line for since 7:30 a.m.

"They were very nice guys," Ryan Bell said. "They took time to chat with us a bit. Very approachable, just good guys. It was worth the wait."

He also noted it will be a while until his son gets to actually sample the Dos Hombres they purchased that day.

"We are going to keep this [bottle] closed until Zach's 21st birthday," Ryan Bell said.

Cranston and Paul's visit to the Norwalk store was part of a nationwide tour. The duo also stopped at Total Wine & More on Main Avenue shortly after the Stews event and are scheduled to appear at Fortina in Stamford Wednesday night.

On "Breaking Bad," Cranston played Walter White, a chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin, while Paul played Jesse Pinkman, a former student of White's who helped establish a crystal meth empire.

Paul is also an Emmy-award winning actor who has appeared in a number of hit films and TV shows, including "Big Love," "Need for Speed," "Central Intelligence" and the animated "BoJack Horseman."

During last summer's event, store owner Stew Leonard Jr. and his daughter, Blake, who runs all of the Stew Leonard's wine shops, said the popular grocery chain has helped promote products from a number of celebrities, including "GoodFellas" star Lorraine Bracco and Danny DeVito of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" fame.

"We love it when these celebrities come out with a wine or spirit," Stew Leonard Jr. said. "Some of them do well and some of them don't do well, but we just try to make it exciting...it's just fun, and that's what Stew Leonard's is about: fun."

Blake Leonard also emphasized the difference between a mezcal like Dos Hombres and tequila, both of which are made from the agave plant.

"The difference with mezcal is that they take the same plant, but they actually smoke it in these open pit fires," Blake Leonard said. "That's why mezcal has this smokiness to it, and it's delicious. You can make a smoky mezcal margarita, or you can really do anything with it that you would a tequila."

According to their website, Dos Hombres is the "product of multiple generations of proud Mezcal producers from the small village of San Luis del Rio, in a remote section of Oaxaca. With the blessing of the rich soil and adequate rainfall, the best agaves in the world are cultivated."