"Taking my clothes off is my whole life!" declares Bryan Cranston with characteristic self-deprecation when discussing the return of Malcolm in the Middle. And honestly? The man has a point.
In a delightful interview with The Guardian, Cranston opened up about revisiting Hal—the lovably incompetent dad who roller-skated in his tighty-whities and made being a suburban father look like performance art. The revival, which brings back the Wilkerson family for a limited series, promises to recapture the anarchic energy that made the original a cult favorite.
"The beauty of Malcolm was that it was never afraid to be uncomfortable," Cranston explains. "Hal was this disaster of a human being, but you loved him anyway because he was trying so damn hard." It's that combination of gross-out comedy and genuine heart that distinguished Malcolm in the Middle from the sanitized family sitcoms of its era.
Of course, Cranston became an international icon as Walter White in Breaking Bad—a role that showcased his dramatic range and made him one of the most celebrated actors on television. But there's something wonderfully full-circle about returning to Hal, the character that first proved Cranston was more than just a sitcom player.
The revival reportedly picks up with the family in the present day, with Malcolm (played again by Frankie Muniz) now an adult dealing with his own parenting challenges. If the original show taught us anything, it's that dysfunction is hereditary—and hilarious.
Cranston is clearly relishing the opportunity to embrace physical comedy again after years of dramatic work. "There's something liberating about knowing the worst thing that can happen is you look ridiculous," he says. "With , looking ridiculous is the starting point."
