A Bee Stung You On The WHAT, Bryan Cranston?!

Malcolm in the Middle: Life is Still Unfair is the latest nostalgic reboot-slash-sequel to arrive on our screens. The Hulu miniseries revival of the classic Fox sitcom has brought together most of the original cast, including Bryan Cranston. It’s easy to forget that, before he was the king of prestige TV and a multi-Emmy winner with Breaking Bad, Cranston was largely known as a pratfalling goofball. As Hal, he gave one of the best TV comic performances of the century, embodying the manic guilelessness of a man ill-equipped for normalcy. I still remember the genuine sense of awe I felt when I watched Breaking Bad for the first time and realized Cranston was capable of THAT. Range, kids. It’s a gift.

Hal really went through it on Malcolm in the Middle, from rollerskate recitals to competitive walking (complete with the full body leotard.) In season one, Hal ended up covered in bees. Cranston was his own stuntman, and, as he told Stephen Colbert, he suffered for his art.

“I had 60,000 bees on me and I was stung twice,” he shared. “And a couple things that you realize when you’re wearing 60,000 bees, you should not be surprised if you get stung. I went, ‘Oh, I think I got stung.’ And the bee wrangler said he’s ready to scrape it off, right? He goes, ‘Where is it?’ And I go, ‘On my scrotum.’” Unsurprisingly, the wrangler told Cranston to deal with that one himself.

For those of you wondering how you get 60,000 bees on your person, should the occasion call for it (I’ve no idea how you spend your weekends), the answer is queen bee pheromones. Just remember to spray bug repellent on sensitive areas, like your face. Or bawbag.