Over two decades have passed since Malcolm in the Middle came out and it’s still one of the best shows ever made.
What could possibly make the show about an eccentric family and their crazy adventures even better, you ask? The fact that Bryan Cranston’s role as a TV dad continued off-screen as well.
The beloved actor, 67, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in July 2013 and he was joined by his family, including wife, Robin Dearden, and co-stars from different stages in his career to celebrate.
Cranston’s Malcolm in the Middle co-star and TV wife, Jane Kaczmarek, gave a speech at the ceremony where she shared some of her fondest memories of working together.
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The acclaimed Fox sitcom aired seven seasons between 2000-2006 and focused on the wildly dysfunctional Wilkerson family - yes, they did have a surname - and their genius son, Malcolm (Frankie Muniz). It also starred Christopher Masteron, Justin Berfield and Erik Per Sullivan as Malcom’s brothers Francis, Reese and Dewey respectively.
“Some of my fondest memories of working with Bryan on Malcolm in the Middle are of Bryan taking care of those boys, the kids who played our naughty children”, Kaczmarek said at the beginning of her speech at the ceremony, which was recorded and shared by YouTuber Will the Autograph Guy.
“He took care of them on the stage and off. He counseled them, he encouraged them, he’d coax them to stop goofing around when enough was enough. But most especially, Bryan frequently invited Erik Per Sullivan, the little boy who played Dewey, to come home and spend weekends with the Cranston family. Now, this may not seem like a big deal until you know that Erik lived with his mum in the Oakwood Apartments for the entire time that we filmed Malcolm in the Middle.
“So, coming home with Bryan at the weekend meant that Erik’s mum, Ann, could fly back to Boston to see her husband and Erik, who was an only child, could come spend some normal time with a normal family - well, sort of normal family!”
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Per Sullivan, who was around seven when he started acting on the show, would play with Cranston’s daughter, actress Taylor Dearden, during his weekends at his TV dad’s house and he even enjoyed a lot of Halloween’s together.
The Simpsons star quipped: “Evidence to the contrary, I liked those TV kids as much as any TV mum would, but there was no way I was bringing one of them home with me for the weekend! But Bryan did and he did it a lot.”
This is so wholesome!
The Breaking Bad star’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star is located at 1717 Vine Street.
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The clip of the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony was shared on Reddit, leaving fans in awe after hearing about Cranston's deed.
"This is the kind of stuff I like to hear about celebrities," one commenter gushed.
Another Reddit user commented: "I bet he fed him so much breakfast."
A third penned: "Bryan Cranston's role as Walter White becomes even more impressive once you realize he's the nicest guy in real life."
Topics: TV and Film, Celebrity, Bryan Cranston
Gregory Robinson