years before breaking bad, bryan cranston won pride of place on television thanks to his role as Hal on the series Malcolm in the middle. His character, a noble-hearted family man, was full of comedic vices and unexpected talents that provided fans with some of the most memorable scenes on the small screen, not to mention some hilarious dialogue for posterity. But what was behind the construction of the character to make it so iconic?
In a recent video of G.Q.Bryan Cranston is given the task of reflecting on the most emblematic roles of his career and spends five minutes talking about Malcolm and the process to understand how Hal should be in this show.
On the one hand, he sensed that his character was destined to possess some attributes that Lois, his controlling and brusque wife, lacked. So from there he shaped the clueless father of Francis, Reese, Malcolm, Dewey and Jamie.
“I started to think about what their complementary characteristics would be. Was it perhaps the opposite of her? And what is she missing? It lacks subtlety, softness, sweetness, tranquility. And she is brave! So [Hal] he is afraid of everything. I started to abstract all of this and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s a character,’” Cranston comments in the video.
On the other hand, in addition to showing him as a man “madly in love” with the mother of his children, it became important for the actor to emphasize that Hal was an attentive father, although with slips:
“No one wants to see a person indifferent to their family, someone who couldn’t care less about who does what. So I made the decision that Hal not be uninterested in his family. [sino que simplemente] get distracted by other things.”
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For Bryan Cranston, being a part of all seven seasons of Malcolm in the middle It ended up being an experience closer to that of a stimulating playground:
“I was naked and covered in blue paint; strapped to the front of a moving truck; hanging upside down while being tortured; I once had ten thousand bees on me… This went on and on and on. They said to me: ‘What would you do? [para el programa]?’ I learned to skate and did an episode of skating. It was just a glorious time because who gets to do all this? I was able to play… I went to work to play”.
in the chat with G.Q.Cranston also brought up the subject that has stolen headlines in recent months: the possibility of a sequel film, set two decades after the final events of the original series.
“I first pitched the idea of a reunion movie and the creator of the show, Linwood Boomer, has taken a liking to it,” says the sixty-year-old comedian. “[Podría suceder] if we come up with an idea that we all feel really valid. I have no interest in keeping busy or picking up a check. I want to do something where we’re like, ‘Man, that’s a great idea.’”
And adds:
“We will be able to see these people 20 years later. All the guys are now in their 30s, at least. They have all grown up and are married or with children. It is an extraordinary situation for me. In fact, a couple of them are close to the age I was when I played the father of those kids.”
The complete series of Malcolm in the middle is currently available through Disney Plus.
Antonio G. Spindola I have very bad memory. Out of solidarity with my memories, I choose to lose myself too. Preferably in a movie theater.
