While Malcolm in the Middle may spotlight a laughably dysfunctional family, star Bryan Cranston said filming the forthcoming limited revival for Disney+ was nothing short of “so rewarding.”
Wrapping production earlier this month on the four-episode run, announced back in December ahead of the single-cam sitcom’s 25th anniversary, Cranston told People he was looking forward to stepping back into the role of patriarch Hal.
“Slipping back into that character of Hal for me was so rewarding — I missed him,” The Studio actor said. “It’s been almost 20 years since we said goodbye. And he’s a sweet, lovable man. He’s really a lovable guy, and it was fun to see all my whole family back together. It was great.”
Adding of how he got back into character, the Breaking Bad alum said, “It’s a short-sleeve shirt that Hal would wear, a patterned short-sleeve shirt that screams out he’s not going anywhere.”
Malcolm in the Middle was both a hit for Fox and admired by critics, winning a total of seven Emmys across the same number of seasons when it aired from 2000 to 2006. Also garnering a Grammy and Peabody, the show centered on a gifted teen trying to come of age in a chaotic household full of loud and oft-dimwitted grownups and siblings. The forthcoming reboot will follow Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) and his daughter (newcomer Keeley Karsten) as they are drawn back into the boisterous family’s chaos when Hal and Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) demand his presence at their 40th wedding anniversary festivities.
Also reprising their roles are Christopher Masterson and Justin Berfield, who portrayed Malcolm’s older brothers, Francis and Reese, respectively. Caleb Ellsworth-Clark is taking over the role of genius Malcolm’s younger brother, Dewey, an unsurprising casting change given that Erik Per Sullivan, who originated the role, was not expected to return as he quit acting in 2010 and has not participated in any of the show’s reunions.
Additional newcomers include Kiana Madeira as Malcolm’s girlfriend; Anthony Timpano, cast as Malcolm’s youngest brother, Jamie, who was seen as a baby and toddler on the original series; and Vaughan Murrae as Malcolm’s youngest sibling, Kelly (who, like the character’s actor, is nonbinary), whose existence was revealed in the series finale when Lois revealed her positive pregnancy test.
Muniz — who had initially stepped away from acting — also shared similar sentiments of the filming process, saying, “This experience was straight-up incredible — like stepping back into Malcolm’s wild world but with all the love and chaos cranked to 11. Reuniting with the cast, getting to know some new characters, laughing till it hurt, and making new memories on set felt like a dream I didn’t want to wake up from.”
