Bryan Cranston Reveals On-Set Challenges and Potential Return to Malcolm in the Middle

Bryan Cranston, the star of the acclaimed crime drama Breaking Bad, opened up about the challenges he faced on the set of Malcolm in the Middle, the often overlooked sitcom where he played a comically clumsy father figure named Hal. The American actor, known for his iconic portrayal of drug kingpin Walter White, gave insights into the physically demanding stunts he had to perform for the show. Cranston’s commitment to his character led the crew to come up with increasingly extreme challenges to test his limits.

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Malcolm in the Middle, which premiered in 2000, chronicled the misadventures of a working-class family striving to make ends meet. Cranston’s character often found himself in peculiar situations that required him to do his own stunts. These ranged from rollerblading to even wearing a suit of bees. However, the toll of these physically strenuous acts began to take a toll on Cranston.

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During an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Cranston shared, “They started to think, ‘What can we write that he won’t do?’ I was strapped on a moving bus, had 60,000 stinging bees on me, and I did a thing where my character was covered from head to toe in blue paint.” The actor further confessed that these stunts were far from safe and affected him to the point that he needed to be thrown into a shower to recover.

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Observant fans of the show, which ran for seven seasons and spanned over 150 episodes, have previously noted the increasing extremity of Cranston’s stunts. It is said that the crew continuously pushed the boundaries, hoping to find something Cranston would refuse to do. Yet, time and again, Cranston would embrace whatever they threw at him.

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Interestingly, in a recent interview, Cranston confirmed that he would be open to reprising his role as Hal in Malcolm in the Middle. The actor expressed his love for the show and considered it the comedic counterpart to Breaking Bad, praising the quality of writing by its creator, Linwood Boomer. Cranston revealed that Boomer was seriously considering the possibility of a revival, emphasizing that if a great idea garnered excitement among the team, he would seriously contemplate returning to his lovable character. The thought of slipping back into Hal’s shoes after all these years thrilled Cranston.

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Bryan Cranston will be making an appearance on The Graham Norton Show on Friday, alongside actress Jessica Chastain, actor Daniel Kaluuya, and comedian Kevin Bridges.