“To see her rise in this, it’s exciting. I mean, it’s almost like your own kid,” said Kaczmarek of ‘The Pitt’ actress

NEED TO KNOW

• Jane Kaczmarek praised Bryan Cranston’s daughter, Taylor Dearden, for her hard work and success as an actress
• Dearden, who appeared in Breaking Bad with her father, now stars in HBO’s The Pitt
• Kaczmarek also reflected on the lasting impact of Malcolm in the Middle and the joy of reuniting with the cast for a reboot

Jane Kaczmarek has nothing but kind words for Bryan Cranston’s daughter, Taylor Dearden, as she’s finding success on The Pitt.

During the premiere of The Boroughs at The Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles on May 18, the Malcolm in the Middle star reflected on how much she's been able to watch Dearden, 33, grow throughout her lifetime.

"It's like really successful," Kaczmarek, 70, exclusively told PEOPLE about the recent Malcolm in the Middle reboot. "It was so long ago and to see those kids again. Those children were the age Bryan and I were when we did it originally.”

She added, “When we started Malcolm, I was pregnant with my second kid and Bryan's daughter Taylor, who's gone on to be a tremendous success, was 6. And now … those kids are 40 and raising their children. That was amazing. Being together was just amazing. We had a great time."

She added that she remembers Dearden, now 33, as a little girl, so it was extra special being able to watch just how much "effort" she has put into her career as an actress.

"I remember that kid," she said. "First of all, I remember saying to Bryan, 'What's it like to have a child who's 6 that seems so old?' I was doing a play at the Geffen. Taylor was an usher. She had been at USC."

Kaczmarek added, "She worked, she auditioned, she hoped something would happen, but she was raised well. So after putting in the tie and the effort and everything and having such talent, to see her rise in this, it's exciting. I mean, it's almost like your own kid."

Dearden had previously appeared in shows like Sweet/Vicious and acted alongside her dad in Breaking Bad before being cast as Dr. Mel King on HBO's medical drama The Pitt.

She received a nomination for Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in 2026.

Meanwhile, Kaczmarek and Cranston, 70, played married couple Hal and Lois on the sitcom, which first premiered in 2000 and ran until 2006.

Frankie Muniz starred as the title character, Malcolm, who was the son, as he navigated life growing up. All three stars reprised their roles for 2026's Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair.

"It was a good marriage," Cranston previously told PEOPLE. "They complimented each other because of the contrast to each other."

He added, "The thing that they really had in common was a deep, deep rooted love for each other. And you always felt no matter what was going on in that house, they would still be together. They'll be together until one of them—"

Kaczmarek then chimed in, joking, "Murders the other one!"

She explained how "overwhelmed" she still is about the reception she gets from Malcolm in the Middle fans, and gave her thoughts about why the show has lived on in people's hearts.

"We had a great time doing it, but boy, I've been so overwhelmed with joy at things people always say, 'I love this episode, the moment this happened,'" she said. "I think these people really watched closely or several times that this show is really beloved in a way that we loved it, but I didn't realize it was that universally renowned for that. There was nothing topical about the show. There was nothing political. There wasn't anything sexual about it."

"It was just universally funny and that always lives on. I think the reason people are enjoying it, again, who are even seeing it for their first time, is that it's like someone falling out of banana peel. It's just funny."

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Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair is now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

The Boroughs is now streaming Netflix.

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