Cranston and Muniz had an emotional reunion in December.
Bryan Cranston is still a father figure to his on-screen sons from Malcolm in the Middle -- especially Frankie Muniz.
In December, Cranston had an emotional reunion with Muniz after the actor surprised him during an event for Cranston and Aaron Paul's Dos Hombres Mezcal. In a clip that went viral on social media, Muniz carries a case of the mezcal to a table, surprising an unsuspecting Cranston.
When he notices his on-screen son, Cranston becomes emotional as he reaches across the table to hug him.
"Playing a father on television was easy for me because I'm a father in real life and, and so on Malcolm [in the Middle] for seven years, these boys were my boys," he tells ET's Nischelle Turner about reconnecting with Muniz. "And that doesn't stop when the camera stops. You still have this love and affinity for them. And I'm very very proud of them as now, adults. They're all adults and they're all doing very well. And that makes me the happiest because they made it through the gauntlet of child actordom."
Cranston's TV sons included Muniz (who played the series' lead character and child prodigy, Malcolm), Christopher Masterson (Frankie), Justin Berfield (Reese) and Erik Per Sullivan (Dewey).
The series, which followed a dysfunctional lower-middle-class family, also featured Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek as Malcolm's parents, Hal and Lois.
Cranston credits his time with the boys with helping each of them through their childhood careers, and setting them up for life after Malcolm in the Middle ended.
"You could be set on the wrong path very easily," Cranston says. "So you have to have a lot of influence around them. I felt that when I was working with them that that's my job too. Is to talk to them. You know, about how to grow up, how to behave, how to be respectful and especially to appreciate the moment they're in. It's hard for kids to really be able to understand that."
He adds, "And now in retrospect, I talked to them all the time, and they're saying, 'Yeah, you know, I wish I had remembered, you know, the fun that we had.' I go, 'You do in your way as a child. It's OK.' Yeah, it was a lot of fun."
Cranston has heard the calls from social media and beyond for a Malcolm in the Middle revival, and he's all for jumping back into the role.
"It would be fun to explore now," he tells ET. "All these boys who are now grown-ups and on their own with kids of their own, and it'd be fun to explore that. I'm open to that."
He adds, "I'm going to lock it down."
Last June, Cranston revealed that a script for the revival was in the works. During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, the Breaking Bad star was asked about the odds of the show happening. And they were high.
"Yes, I would say that on a scale of one to 10, I'd say an eight that we'll do a reunion, movie or show or something," Cranston answered when asked about the probability of the show's return. "And yes, we have been working on concepts of story, plots and things like that."
In 2022, Muniz teased the reunion and said that he and Cranston have ideas for the next generation of Malcolm and his family.
"When I was filming the show, I obviously was a kid," Muniz said on Fox News at the time. "We did seven seasons, 151 episodes. I didn't really watch the show when it was on, but I've now since watched the show with my wife. All 151 episodes. I realized, 'Wow, that's what we were making.' I can separate myself from being on it and watching it as a fan. I would love to know what the family's up to."
Now, Cranston is focused on the upcoming spy thriller, Argylle, which features an ensemble cast including Bryce Dallas Howard, Henry Cavill, Sam Rockwell and Dua Lipa. While Cranston is open about a Malcolm reunion, he doesn't have much to tell ET about the spy thriller.
"That's the game of the spy," he tells ET. "I won't say a word."
Argylle hits theaters Feb. 2.
RELATED CONTENT:
