Famous Actors and the Set Pieces They Kept
Put in years on a show or movie and you’ll probably want something to remember it by. Lots of actors walk off set with a little piece of that world, whether it’s a tiny trinket or a full costume. What they take often depends on their role and what they think they can get away with. Sometimes the crew even gifts them something as a thank-you for all the hard work.
Daniel's Headband and Other Karate Kid Keepsakes
Ralph Macchio made Daniel LaRusso an icon, and he apparently wanted mementos to match. Reportedly he walked away with Daniel’s headband, the tournament trophy, and even the car used in the famous wax on, wax off scene. Those items mark the film that launched his career. They’re the kind of souvenirs a star would keep for life.
Deadpool Suit, Ryan Reynolds' Red Armor
Ryan Reynolds turned Deadpool into a smash hit in 2016 and also helped produce the film. He spent so much time in that tight red suit it reportedly felt like a second skin. After filming wrapped, Reynolds took the suit home, a fitting memento for his breakout superhero moment. Fans have wondered how often he actually puts it on when he’s off set.
Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man Suit Keepsake
Andrew Garfield wore the Spider-Man suit for two films and clearly grew attached to the role. When production ended on the sequel, he reportedly made the costume his parting gift to himself. He followed Tobey Maguire into the role and left before Tom Holland took over, so that suit represents his era as the web-slinger. Whether later Spider-Men do the same remains to be seen.
Daniel Radcliffe's Harry Potter Glasses
Daniel Radcliffe spent his childhood becoming Harry Potter, and he still keeps reminders of that time. He reportedly owns two pairs of Harry’s glasses, one from the first film and one from the last. The glasses are simple, personal tokens of a role that shaped his life and career. They’re small items with a big emotional weight.
Bella’s engagement ring from Twilight
Speaking of Harry Potter, another of its stars also had a life-changing role on the big screen, albeit not in the magical film series. Robert Pattinson, who played Cedric Diggory in the fourth Potter film, became known to millions around the world as Edward Cullen when he appeared in Twilight and its subsequent sequels. He took center stage alongside Kristen Stewart who played his on-again, off-again love interest, Bella Swan. For a lot of viewers, these two were relationship goals, so there was a feeling of great celebration when the couple got engaged and later married. It seems Stewart felt equally as moved by the relationship between her and Pattinson’s characters, so she took several keepsakes from the set to remember their love. This apparently included her engagement ring, wedding ring, and other pieces of jewelry that Bella wore.
Wedding program from The Crown
Matt Smith might have made a name for himself playing the titular character in several seasons of sci-fi series Doctor Who, but he’s since proven he’s more than just a traveling time lord. Back in 2016, he filled the role of Prince Philip in the highly acclaimed historical drama The Crown. This was a part he played for two successive seasons. The show was a massive change of pace for the actor, and he reportedly marked his time on the series by taking home one of the programs from his character’s wedding.
Rory’s banner from Gilmore Girls
When Gilmore Girls came to an end in 2007, we thought that was the last time we’d ever see the iconic partnership of Alexis Bledel and Lauren Graham on screen. However, Stars Hollow’s best mother and daughter duo returned to us once more in 2016 with a special four-part series. The dramedy’s return allowed loose ends to be tied up and gave us one final look at the characters lives. It also apparently gave Bledel an opportunity to snag one of Rory’s Yale banners when she was back on set.
Robin Sparkle’s jacket from How I Met Your Mother
In the early days of the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, Robin Scherbatsky was embarrassed when her friends found out about her alter-ego, Robin Sparkles. During her teenage years, Scherbatsky had been a Canadian pop star whose music and image were a little on the cringy side. It was a source of great shame for the character, but for the actress who played her, it was one of her most memorable moments on the show. That’s why Cobie Smulders took home Robin Sparkles’ jacket after the series ended.
Henry’s letter from Downton Abbey
It’s not often that a period drama captivates the world the way Downton Abbey did, but then that show always did have something special about it. For six seasons, we were obsessed with the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their devoted staff, and that’s why it was so hard to say goodbye to it in 2015. The actors found it equally difficult to leave the show which is perhaps why Hugh Bonneville kept one of the letters written to his character by his son-in-law, Henry Talbot.
Pam’s hair clip from The Office
If there was one thing that seemed to be synonymous with Pam in the sitcom The Office, it was her hair clip. Jenna Fischer wore that little accessory nearly every day she was on set across all nine seasons of the show. It’s no wonder the actress reportedly kept the clip for herself once the series came to an end. She was so used to wearing it in her hair that maybe she just forgot to take it out on that last day. It’s not exactly the most noticeable thing.
Katniss’ hunting jacket from The Hunger Games
When The Hunger Games hit the big screen in 2008, millions of young adults around the world got excited. They couldn’t wait to see how Jennifer Lawrence brought Katniss Everdeen to life, and they weren’t disappointed by her portrayal. The role came while Lawrence was still forging a path for herself as an actress, and there’s no denying how influential it was in making her a star. While she was still filming the movie series, she supposedly stole several things from the set, including her character’s hunting jacket and boots.
Thor’s hammer from Thor
There’s only one person who’s supposed to be able to carry Thor’s hammer, and that’s the god himself. Maybe that’s why actor Chris Hemsworth has so many of the weapons in his home. The star reportedly keeps taking his character’s hammers from the set to the point that he even has one sitting proudly in his bathroom. If he steals one every time he plays Thor in a movie, then he must have more than half a dozen by now. That’s a lot of hammers for one man to own!
Joey’s Magna Doodle from Friends
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 15 years since Friends aired its final episode. It seems like only yesterday we were obsessing over the lives of these six friends and their many romances. One thing we’ll never forget about the sitcom is the Magna Doodle that was attached to the back of Joey and Chandler’s apartment door. There was always a new message on the little whiteboard, and it was fun seeing what had been written. It’s no wonder Matt LeBlanc took it home with home when Friends concluded.
The giant ‘A’ from The Avengers
Everyone remembers the iconic letter ‘A’ that topped Stark Tower in 2012 superhero film The Avengers. Robert Downey Jr., who played Ironman in the movie, thought that it would look pretty cool in his office in Venice. Don’t worry – Downey didn’t try to sneak the massive ‘A’ off the set. Instead, he jokingly asked for it. Two weeks later, he got a mysterious delivery which turned out to be the letter! It’s not your average office decoration, that’s for sure.
A Starfleet badge from Star Trek: Into Darkness
For a kid who grew up watching Star Trek on television and making his own phasers, appearing in a Star Trek movie is a dream come true. That’s exactly what happened to actor Simon Pegg. He was cast as Scotty in the 2009 Star Trek reboot, and showed up again in the sequel. He had his eye on his Starfleet badge from the beginning, but security was too tight on the first film. Finally during filming of Star Trek: Into Darkness, he managed to sneak the badge into his bag.
Kimoyo beads from Black Panther
Black Panther was one of the biggest movies of 2018, and star Chadwick Boseman will always be known as T’Challa. But even he snuck something off the set. During an interview, he admitted that he had stolen the Kimoyo beads, an advanced technological device used in the fictional Wakanda, that were part of his costume. They don’t sit around on display in his home either – he was actually wearing them when he admitted that he took them!
Arya’s jacket from Game of Thrones
Maisie Williams owes her career to fantasy drama Game of Thrones given she was only a teenager when she started playing Arya Stark. The character has grown up with the show, and now she’s one of the last people left as the series enters its final season. It’s safe to say the actress is going to miss Game of Thrones after all it’s done for her, but she’ll always have something to remember the show by. She apparently took home her character’s brown jacket when filming was over.
Star-Lord’s jacket from Guardians of the Galaxy
Chris Pratt used to be all about the comedic roles when he starred in shows like teen drama The O.C. and political satire Parks and Recreation. However, the 2014 superhero film Guardians of the Galaxy showed a new side of the actor, and it helped him become the Hollywood star he is today. Although he’s still appearing as the character in both the Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers series, he’s already grabbed a memento of his time as Star-Lord. Apparently, he’s got the character’s red jacket at home.
Millie’s check from One Tree Hill
Season five of teen drama One Tree Hill marked a significant change for the show thanks to its massive time jump. The characters went from being high school students to young adults trying to find their way in life, all to varying degrees of success. At the start of the season, Brooke Davis decided to set up a Clothes Over Bros shop in Tree Hill, but she faced an uphill battle. However, she was able to persevere thanks to a check from her assistant, something that actress Sophia Bush supposedly still has.
Bilbo’s house key from The Hobbit
Ian McKellen has played a variety of characters over the last few decades, but Gandalf is undoubtedly one of his most memorable. He portrayed the great wizard in the epic fantasy film series The Lord of the Rings, later returning to the part for the franchise’s second trilogy, The Hobbit. Throughout his time as Gandalf, McKellen reportedly picked up a number of keepsakes from the set, including the keys to Bilbo Baggins’ house. Let’s hope he never mixes them up with his own set of keys.
Who Actually Owns Those Props
Most of the time the studio owns the costumes and props. Actors end up with items either because the production gifted them, a prop master quietly let them have one, or the actor asked and got permission. We see that pattern with Daniel Radcliffe keeping two pairs of Harry's glasses and Simon Pegg eventually snagging a Starfleet badge after security eased up. Take something without approval and you could be on shaky legal ground, so many keepsakes come with a backstory about how they were acquired.
Small Things, Big Meaning
More often than not actors pocket smaller, personal pieces, not entire sets. Think of Ralph Macchio walking off with Daniel’s headband and trophy, or Jenna Fischer keeping Pam’s familiar hair clip after nine seasons. Those little items become touchstones, reminders of long shoots, close crews, and the characters they lived in for months or years. They rarely change the look of a room, but they change how the actor remembers the work.
How Actors Live With Their Props
Some keepsakes go on display, some get worn back into real life. Chadwick Boseman famously admitted he was wearing his Kimoyo beads during an interview, and Robert Downey Jr. ended up with the giant A from The Avengers delivered to his office. Chris Hemsworth seems to collect versions of Thor’s hammer, and other actors keep jackets or boots ready to pull out at a moment’s notice. These objects often end up as conversation pieces, not closet clutter.
Not Every Prop Is What It Seems
Props can look heavy or dangerous on screen and still be surprisingly light in real life. That explains why weapons and armor often make their way into actors’ homes without turning into a practical problem. Other items are just plain big, like the Magna Doodle from Friends or the giant letter A, so moving them takes planning. When studios want items back they can and sometimes do reclaim or reassign them, which is why actors who are given something usually get documentation.
Why Fans Care About These Souvenirs
Fans treat these objects like pieces of the story they loved, and that keeps interest alive long after a show or movie wraps. Props and costumes often wind up in storage, museums, or charity auctions, and occasional public showings turn them into tourist draws. For actors these items are personal bookmarks of intense creative periods, and for viewers they are physical links back to favorite moments. That shared value is why a headband or a jacket can feel worth holding onto.
