Bryan Cranston is one of the most revered actors thanks to “Breaking Bad” and the iconic Fox sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle.” Now, ahead of the revival of the beloved series, Cranston is sharing rare, vulnerable thoughts about his father abandoning his family when he was young.
Cranston appeared on the “Table Manners” podcast on January 27 and discussed his childhood with the hosts. He said, “Parents are always teaching their children. In the best-case scenario, it’s how to be. What is a good family, what is a respectful, loving environment.
Under the best circumstances, your parents are [teaching] by example. They’re not telling you, ‘this is how you should live,’ they’re just living it.” The “Malcolm in the Middle” star added that his childhood was really great until it wasn’t.”
Bryan Cranston Reveals How His Father Uprooted His Life
Cranston’s conversation on the “Table Manners” podcast continued with him discussing that his father abandoned the family when he was 11. He says the sudden change made him feel like he “fell off a cliff.”
He continued, “A lot of confusion going on, at 11 years old — all of a sudden, you don’t see your father anymore. And I didn’t see him again until I was 22. He was just gone.” After his father left, Cranston says the family home went into foreclosure. After this, he and his brother moved in with their maternal grandparents. Their mother and sister went to live with their father’s mother.
Regarding Cranston’s life with his grandparents, they lived on a small California farm. He recalled, “We slept either on the floor in the living room during the winter, or on the patio during the spring and summer.”
The actor revealed that he still deals with feelings of abandonment. According to him, “They’ve come out in my work later. This is my own therapy. Doing what I do is my own therapeutic experience.
The ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ Reboot Premieres Soon
Cranston’s role as Hal in “Malcolm in the Middle” is one of his most beloved. According to Deadline, the revival series, “Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair,” will premiere on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ on April 10, 2026. The show will consist of four episodes.
Before the premiere date reveal, Cranston spoke to Deadline in May 2025 about the show. He said, “Slipping back into that character of Hal for me was so rewarding — I missed him. It’s been almost 20 years since we said goodbye. And he’s a sweet, lovable man. He’s really a lovable guy, and it was fun to see all my whole family back together. It was great.”
He also spoke about getting back into character after so long, saying, “It’s a short-sleeve shirt that Hal would wear, a patterned short-sleeve shirt that screams out he’s not going anywhere.”
