For our latest digital feature, we caught up with Vaughan Murrae who stars as Kelly in Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, the revival series that reunites the original Malcolm in the Middle cast—Frankie Muniz, Jane Kaczmarek, Justin Berfield, Bryan Cranston, and Christopher Masterson—nearly two decades after the show ended in 2006. Kelly is introduced as Hal and Lois’s non-binary, youngest child who is confident and unafraid in their interactions with Lois.

Vaughan shares with us how they prepared for the role of Kelly by revisiting the original series and collaborating closely with the cast and creators, while also playing off of the cast’s sharp comedic timing. They also reflect on the experience of filming the final ensemble scenes and discuss their role in the Hallmark series The Way Home, including the challenges of going from drama to comedy.

Exclusive photos for Popternative Magazine by Ali Payne
Coat: Black suede, vintage TAXI circa 1970s
Boots: Justine Clenquet

What was your preparation process like for Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair? Did it involve rewatching many past seasons, or just a select few?

Vaughan: I think it was important for me to get a sense of the original show’s energy and the pacing of the comedy. So, there was definitely a lot of watching of the episodes. I’m a very slow watcher, though, I love Parks and Rec, but it took me [about] two years to finish that. I was slowly making my way through. I was still watching it while I was [filming] in Vancouver, but there was definitely a sense of wanting to get the energy of the original and find a way where Kelly would fit into that naturally and incorporate that into my character while still making them their own. So that was definitely a huge part of it.

Vaughan: There were a lot of discussions with Linwood [Boomer] and Ken [Kwapis] about how my character fit into everything. I got to talk with Bryan [Cranston], Jane [Kaczmarek] and Justin [Berfield ] as well, just to get the dynamics of my character. I think that was really important for me to be able to create Kelly and have them feel like they were a part of the family.

Were there any improvised moments involving your character or others on the show, or was everything mostly scripted?

Vaughan: I think a lot of it was mainly scripted, at least for the scenes that I were in. But a lot of the improv, for me anyways, is more along the lines of reading the script and practicing it on my own and envisioning a scene a certain way. An then the rest of the actors come in and just completely blow your mind with what they do. It’s not what you expect. For me, what really took me out was being in a scene with everybody and seeing their own comedic flair.

Vaughan: I remember there was a group scene with Bryan and Jane specifically, where they’ve just come back from finding out that Malcolm’s been keeping a secret daughter from them all this time. They’re so dramatic, and they’re so big. I had just pictured us standing around together and talking about it, but they put so much energy and comedy into it, and you’re able to riff off of that energy.

Was there a favorite scene for you to film, and what made it stand out compared to the others?

Vaughan: I loved all of them, but I would say the anniversary scenes from the last episode because that was when everybody got together. Before that, most of my scenes were with Justin, Bryan, Jane and the family. I didn’t really get to see much of Frankie or Keeley [Karsten] before, so getting everybody together, getting to hang out and seeing all the cameos and meeting other actors that were on the original show, that was a lot of fun. And all the glitter too, that was absolutely chaotic, and I think those were my favorite days to shoot.

You also played Casey Goodwin in The Way Home on Hallmark—how different is the preparation for you as an actor when moving from comedy to drama?

Vaughan: I think that the biggest thing for me actually was the move from drama to comedy. I think naturally, for myself as an actor, drama comes easier to me, whereas comedy was a lot harder for me to tackle. I really needed to learn how to let loose and be big and look stupid for Malcolm [In the Middle], whereas on The Way Home, I think it was easier for me to transition back to drama just because it was where I was most comfortable as an actor.

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

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