Bryan Cranston Embraced Every Opportunity on ‘Malcolm in the Middle’: ‘I Went to Work to Play’
Bryan Cranston is one of the most acclaimed character actors in Hollywood. His award-winning turn as Walter White in the AMC series Breaking Bad ensured his place in pop culture history. However, before Cranston made waves as the illicit meth kingpin, he played a much more wholesome character — Hal in the family comedy series Malcolm in the Middle. In a recent interview with GQ, the actor opened up about the process he went through to form the character, admitting that he had a lot of fun on set every single day.
Bryan Cranston played Hal in ‘Malcolm in the Middle’
By the time Cranston landed the role as Hal in Malcolm in the Middle, he was already a very successful stage, television, and film actor. Cranston worked prolifically throughout the ’90s, acting in projects from Seinfeld to The X-Files. However, the role of Hal was his big breakout. When the series debuted in 2000, it was an instant hit.
Hal, as played by Cranston, is a well-meaning husband and father, deeply in love with his wife, Lois, and always eager to spend time with his children. Fans loved Hal’s sense of fun and willingness to tackle outrageous hobbies, and both critics and fans praised Cranston’s ability to bring dimension and depth to what could have been a standard “sitcom dad” role. Cranston appeared on Malcolm in the Middle until 2006, when it went off the air.
What did Bryan Cranston say about creating the character of Hal in ‘Malcolm in the Middle’?
Cranston had a great time playing Hal, and he relished the chance to play such a lovable character. In a recent interview with GQ, the star opened up about his time on Malcolm in the Middle. “The distinction here for Hal, playing off of this bombastic, aggressive woman, Lois, don’t compete with her. Do not try to match her,” Cranston said. “So I started to think what would be a complimentary characteristic for Hal would be perhaps the opposite of her.”
He added, “I made a distinction that Hal was not disinterested in his family. He was distracted by things. And I love the fact that we were a married couple and my character was madly in love with his wife. That was a nice thing to see on television.” Cranston also discussed all the pretty outrageous things he did as Hal, including learning to roller skate and getting covered in blue paint. “It was just a glorious time because who gets to do that? I got to play. I went to work to play.”
Is Bryan Cranston up for a ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ reunion?
Not only did Cranston have a great time making Malcolm in the Middle, but he’s up for a cast reunion. “I first proposed the idea of a reunion movie,” Cranston said. “The creator of the show, Linwood Boomer, is warming to it. If we come across an idea that all of us feel is really valid…not just, I have no interest to keep busy or pick up a paycheck, I want to do something that, man, that’s a great idea. And we get to see these people 20 years later.”
Even Frankie Muniz, who played the title character in Malcolm in the Middle, wants to have a reunion. The actor admitted in late 2022 that he would love to see some sort of reunion project, even though there’s nothing concrete to announce to date.
