There is no doubt that the series Malcolm in the middle was one of the sitcoms most representative of those of the 2000s and surely there are many things you did not know about her. It is well known that she was one of the pioneers in the single-camera format and that she did not use the classic recorded laughs and also that she catapulted one of the best-known child actors to stardom: Frankie Muniz. However, surely there are many facts and things about Malcolm in the middle that you didn’t know
In addition to this, one of the aspects by which the Show is so acclaimed is because it allowed viewers the great talent that Bryan Cranston had for humor, a facet that he has not explored for some time.
Possessor of scenes that have marked the history of prime time both in the United States and in Latin America, the program has been the center of many memes, as well as endearing reunions and, above all, many awards. In addition, as we previously reported, there has even been talk of a movie based on Malcolm in the middle .
Next, we present our list with 10 things you didn’t know about Malcolm in the middle .
The family name was never relevant Apparently, they were the Wilkersons. This is never mentioned within the released episodes (in fact, its omission is a running gag), but there was a scene cut from the pilot where it was said by a cast member.
Wow, the joke of keeping this information hidden was taken so far that when in later chapters the protagonists were required to carry some identification or label, these read “Nolastname” (No last name), as in the credential that is seen in the photo, cover by Francis, the eldest son.
They filmed scenes in real houses When the production team needed to portray a facade or interior that was not on set, they rented their homes to citizens who accepted the deal.
To portray the home of the protagonists, for example, a house was rented in Studio City, California for an amount that ranged between $3,000 and $4,000 dollars.
The best? There was one time when, during a scene, a ceiling tile went missing. Given this, the upper part was completely replaced. Undoubtedly, the family that lives –or lived– there must be very grateful for the existence of the serial.
The costume designer’s niece devised one of the episodes The young woman, then 11 years old, wrote a two-page draft for a story in which Lois, the mother, imagined having girls instead of boys.
Series creator Linwood Boomer read the idea, was fascinated, and even bought the girl’s work, who got a “story by…” screen credit. The episode was part of the fourth season and was called If Boys Were Girls .
The series is based on the life of the creator As well as the stellar Show Boomer also had a fairly high IQ (although he mentions that his mother never wanted to reveal the exact level) and was – as the name of the show implies – the middle one, that is, the second youngest of four children.
Plus, many of the creative’s quirky experiences were reflected in the narrative at some point (yes, he also saw his mom shaving his dad’s body hair at the dining room table).
Frankie Muniz thought he hadn’t been successful at the audition When he left the room casting the actor gave his mom a thumbs down in disappointment, as he thought that, at 13, he was too old to play the titular character, who was written as a nine-year-old.
However, the creator and producers decided to adapt the plot to the young man’s age in order to recruit him. When Muniz found out about this, he started jumping on the bed of the hotel where he was staying.
Jane Kaczmarek kept several items from her wardrobe There are times when actors can ask the production for a prop or costume item that they liked and want to keep as a memento.
That was the case of whoever gave life to Lois, but it seems that she herself did not remember it, since she recounted that one day, while she was watching an episode of the sitcom she was surprised to realize that the character was wearing the same outfit that she had chosen in reality to wear that day.
Bryan Cranston did his own stunts Except for the performance of a double for a cartwheel and one occasion that his character stood up while skating, the rest of the sequence where he is seen rolling was done by himself.
He also dispensed with help when, after joking with one of the producers about the possibility of wearing a suit covered in bees, he concluded that he did want to. For that reason, she wrote a special script for an episode in which this would happen. In the end, it was achieved and the interpreter only received one bite despite being surrounded by 10,000 insects.
Aaron Paul auditioned to be Francis There was a chance to see Jesse Pinkman hanging out with Walter Whi—sorry, Hal even before the acclaimed AMC drama was created. Paul was apparently “desperate” to land the role of the teen-turned-soldier. However, the producers didn’t take it too seriously and instead cast actor Christopher Masterson.
Curiously, time intervened, since both actors were destined to share the screen… and create a brand of tequila.
Filming was delayed because Cranston made his colleagues laugh On one occasion, Masterson commented in an interview with the BBC that the scenes he filmed with his fictional father were the ones that took the longest to finish because the actor constantly made everyone laugh out loud. This said:
“It is impossible to stop laughing. These scenes take a long time to shoot as Bryan makes everyone laugh.”
On the other hand, there is the anecdote that when the actor nominated for an Academy Award auditioned for the series, Boomer almost fell out of his chair laughing so much when he watched Cranston improvise some dialogue with a pipe in his mouth. As expected, he was hired immediately.
There was a crossover with Breaking Bad An extra in the box set on DVD of the series created by Vince Gilligan was a clip in which it was revealed that all the events of Breaking Bad were Hal’s dream.
Jane Jane Kaczmarek is back to play Lois and delivers some of the most hilarious dialogue of all time. sketch When the fearful Hal confesses to his wife that he dreamed he was a meth dealer, she simply replies:
“I knew this would happen, you just let your beard grow and you already think you’re Osama Bin Laden.”
You can see the snippet here.
Jose Roberto Landaverde
Movie buff and music lover. I am fascinated by writing, listening, reading and commenting on everything related to the seventh art. I’m a fan of Rocky and Back to the Future and obviously one day I’ll climb the “Philly Steps” and drive a DeLorean. Faithful believer that cinema is the best teleportation machine, and also that on the big screen we can all see ourselves represented. I constantly, like Scott Pilgrim, ask myself: “Does bread make you fat?”