Bryan Cranston Almost Lost Breaking Bad Over One Malcolm In The Middle Scene

“Malcolm in the Middle” is one of the best sitcoms of the 21st century, a chaotic good time with a darker humor than other family comedies from the time and the most brutally real parents on TV. Though the entire cast is pitch-perfect, the clear highlight is watching Bryan Cranston deliver one of the best slapstick performances in a modern sitcom, whether it’s his roller skating, his power walking, or his blue paint stunt that suddenly became very dangerous.

After the end of “Malcolm in the Middle,” the next big project Cranston joined was “Breaking Bad,” but it seems that turning Hal Wilkerson into Walter White was an even harder endeavor than going from Mr. Chips to Scarface. According to The Hollywood Reporter, executives had trouble believing a former sitcom star could lead their big new prestige drama. “We all still had the image of Bryan shaving his body in ‘Malcolm in the Middle.’ We were like, ‘Really? Isn’t there anybody else?'” a former executive said. It really wasn’t until creator Vince Gilligan himself, who was set on casting Cranston as the lead in his show, urged the executives to watch the “X-Files” episode Cranston is in that they began to be convinced. 

The episode in question has Cranston playing a man suffering from radiation exposure, allowing him to showcase his acting range. “That was a tricky part to cast on ‘X-Files,'” Gilligan said (who served as a writer. producer, and occasional director on the series years before “Breaking Bad”). “We needed somebody who could be dramatic and scary yet have an underlying humanity so when he dies, you felt sorry for him. Bryan nailed it.”

It was thanks to that episode that the executives were persuaded to cast Cranston as Walter White.

Being cast in “Breaking Bad” came at the perfect time for Bryan Cranston, who was looking for a new challenge and for creative freedom like he didn’t get on a network sitcom. “I wanted a change of pace, and whether that meant a comedy or drama, it was going to be different because I didn’t need the money anymore,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “And I never wanted to be in a position where I should make a creative decision based on financial need. I didn’t want a ‘job.’ I didn’t need to work ever again.”

Executives hesitating to cast comedic actors in dramatic roles has been an issue for decades. Michael Keaton, primarily known for “Mr. Mom” and “Beetlejuice,” caused a backlash when he was cast in Burton’s “Batman” (a backlash that has accompanied virtually every actor that has joined the franchise since). Indeed, that same skepticism followed Adam Sandler when he got his first dramatic role. And yet, at every turn, these actors prove that comedic performers can deliver great dramatic roles, too. Take Cranston, who not only proved the naysayers wrong, but also earned plenty of acclaim and awards to prove him and Gilligan right. In fact, the “Breaking Bad” franchise pulled the same magic trick again when Bob Odenkirk led his own spin-off series in “Better Call Saul,” which combined the actor’s comedic chops while at the same time allowing him to deliver some heart-wrenching dramatic moments.

As for Cranston, he previously returned to reprise Walter White in the “Better Call Saul” finale. Now, it seems he wants to do the same thing with Hal Wilkerson, having apparently started writing a “Malcom in the Middle” reboot himself.