Bryan Cranston Recalls Bee Sting Incident During Malcolm in the Middle Filming

Actor Bryan Cranston recently shared a behind the scenes story from the production of the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday, April 8, the 70 year old actor discussed his time playing the character Hal. He confirmed that for a specific season one episode, he was covered in 60,000 live bees to film a scene where his character is swarmed by insects.

Cranston explained that the production team utilized pheromones from a queen bee to attract the swarm to his body. To protect his face, the crew applied insect repellent, ensuring the bees stayed away from that area while covering the rest of him. Despite the precautions, the actor noted that being covered in such a large volume of bees carried inherent risks.

He confirmed that he was stung twice during the filming process.

When Cranston realized he had been stung, he alerted the on set bee wrangler. The actor recalled the interaction, stating, I went, Oh, I think I got stung. And the bee wrangler said he is ready to scrape it off, right? He goes, Where is it? And I go, On my scrotum. Cranston noted that the wrangler declined to assist with that specific sting, telling the actor he was on his own.

Beyond the bee incident, Cranston and co star Jane Kaczmarek recently discussed their on screen marriage and the upcoming revival, Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair. Cranston described the relationship between their characters as one defined by a deep, rooted love that kept them together despite the chaos of their household. Kaczmarek joked that the pair would remain together until one of them murders the other one.

Frankie Muniz, who starred as the titular character, also commented on the revival. He recently attended the premiere of the new project on Tuesday, April 7, accompanied by his 4 year old son. Muniz expressed pride in his work on the original series and noted that he enjoyed sharing the experience with his child.

Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair is scheduled to premiere on Friday, April 10, on Hulu and Hulu on Disney plus.