It is impossible to imagine Malcolm in the Middle without Panettiere’s Jessica. The actress also seems unable to imagine her life without the role. In a recent interview, she revealed how she still fondly looks back at the iconic character and credits Bryan Cranston for helping her get the role.
Hayden Panettiere believes Bryan Cranston got her cast in Malcolm in the Middle
Hayden Panettiere was barely 14 when she started her Malcolm in the Middle journey. Despite being so young, she boasted quite an impressive resume. She had seven film appearances and a couple of daily soap ones. Though she was qualified for the role, she still credits Bryan Cranston’s directing for playing a huge part in her selection.
Recalling the time, Panettiere told EW, They had back-combed my hair like crazy the first time I was on there. To get it brushed out at the end of the day was a nightmare,” she added. “I loved being able to play a character that was so different from the way I knew people saw me.”
Speaking about the audition process, Panettiere recalled, “I remember the whole audition process. I only got the role because Bryan Cranston was directing. That is my true belief, because he was an actor. He looked at me and said, ‘You’re so wrong for this. But we’re going to make it work.’ That was the first time I had ever experienced someone really taking a chance on me.”
Audiences still regard Jessica, the babysitter played by Panettiere, as a key part of the show. She made her debut in Season 4. In the same interview with EW, Panettiere also shared a touching story about meeting Cranston.
“My mom also played his wife in Loving, the soap opera Loving, way back when,” she explained. When Cranston finally met Panettiere’s mother, she added, “And he saw my mom, and my mom just said, ‘Hi, Bryan.’ It took him a second, but just to see his face go from, ‘Who are you? How do I know you?’ to ‘Oh my God,’ it was really special.”
Panettiere went on to deliver one of her most offbeat and successful characters on the show. She has never looked back since.
Originally reported by Sourav Chakraborty on ComingSoon.
