Why Bryan Cranston Needed A Body Double For The Malcolm In The Middle Pilot

Years before landing the dramatic television role of a lifetime on "Breaking Bad," Bryan Cranston made millions of viewers laugh on "Malcolm in the Middle" as Hal, the eccentric and clumsy husband and father. When viewers are first introduced to Hal in the series pilot, he immediately leaves quite a hairy impression, appearing naked while reading the newspaper as his wife, Lois (played by Jane Kaczmarek), shaves his body hair during breakfast. Fans may be surprised to learn that Cranston needed a body double to film this infamous introduction to Hal.

Bryan Cranston acknowledged that he really loved the opening gag featuring Hal's extremely hairy body. "That was the first thing that caught me in the script," Cranston told the Los Angeles Times.

When filming the scene, the crew attempted to give Cranston the aggressive hairiness described in the script, with two makeup artists applying yak hair to his body for three hours, but the effort ultimately failed. "Then when we did the shaving scene — the close-up of Jane shaving my back is not me," Cranston reflected. "They tried to do it, but the glue on the hair wouldn't let the razor go through it. So they actually had a casting session for hairy backs. They picked a guy whose body shape was somewhat similar to mine. Then they shaved his back."

In "Malcolm in the Middle," the titular protagonist (Frankie Muniz) navigates the misadventures of growing up in a dysfunctional middle-class family. Although Malcolm is a child prodigy with a photographic memory, he is often hindered by the eccentricities and instability of his family dynamic. His father, Hal, is often a contributing factor to the unpredictable nature of his coming-of-age. While Hal loves his wife and sons, he is often a victim of his own childish nature, remaining subservient and deeply dependent on his wife, Lois, the true leader of the family.

In a family already filled with eccentricities, leaving Malcolm squarely in the middle of it all, Hal's impulsive and neurotic tendencies are perfectly established in the pilot. The fact that his first scene involves him standing in the kitchen naked, getting shaved by his wife to the disgust of his sons, is a showcase of his oddball, childish nature and lack of boundaries. From the outside looking in, the scene is emasculating, but from Hal's perspective, it carries no shame, as he is deeply smitten with his wife.

Bryan Cranston is set to reprise his role as Hal in the upcoming revival, "Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair." All four episodes will premiere simultaneously on Hulu on April 10, 2026.