Bryan Cranston shared a harrowing experience from his time on the hit sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle,” where a stunt nearly proved fatal, during an appearance on “The Graham Norton Show” Friday.
In an appearance on the show posted on YouTube, Cranston recounted an episode from the second season where his character, in a bout of depression, immerses himself in painting, leading to Cranston being completely enveloped in blue paint. “I was completely covered in blue paint. Completely, head to toe, in blue paint,” he recalled.
The actor drew parallels to the debunked myth of Shirley Eaton’s demise during the filming of the 1964 James Bond classic “Goldfinger,” where it was rumored she suffocated after being painted gold. Contrary to the legend, Eaton is alive, debunking the myth of death by body paint. (RELATED:’Breaking Bad,’ ‘Better Call Saul’ Creator Teases His Next Big Project, And It Sounds Freaking Amazing!)
Bryan Cranston says his body began to ‘shut down’ while he was covered in blue paint to shoot a ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ scene : ‘It’s not safe.’ https://t.co/fnL4CJNTGf
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) January 27, 2024
“I was gonna say, that’s not safe, Bryan,” said Bryce Dallas Howard, who also appeared on the “The Graham Norton Show” episode.
“It’s not safe,” the “Breaking Bad” star responded. “Because your body can’t regulate the heat if you’re covering up all your pores.”
“As you shoot, you’re moving around, and then there was a part of me, at one point, I was like starting to shut down the circuits,” Cranston explained. “And they went boom, and they grabbed me, and they threw me in the shower and they just… It was weird.”
“It’s a very slow way to murder someone,” host Graham Norton commented.