When Jane Kaczmarek, who plays Lois, the unconventional mother on Fox’s irreverent family sitcom Malcolm in the Middle, bared her breasts and shaved her nude husband’s body hair in the kitchen during the series’ premiere episode last January, she not only altered our perceptions of the perfect television family, but redefined the role of the sainted television mom as well.
The very second Lois screamed, “Chop-chop” at her kids, June Cleaver died. Claire Huxtable left the room. Carol Brady covered her eyes and ears, and Donna Reed called 911.
Their saccharine images have been mercifully destroyed by a mother who does things outside of the kitchen, such as taking a bath, making love to her husband and plotting revenge against pesky neighbors. Lois also has that uncanny God- given ability to see all and hear all while creating one of her infamous mystery-meat casseroles.
This is why we love Lois. She’s one bad mama.
This also is why Malcolm in the Middle, which stars the brilliantly talented Frankie Muniz as Malcolm, a regular kid with a high IQ, was the breakout comedy hit of last season. Last week, the show received five Emmy nominations, including best actress in a comedy series for Kaczmarek, who recently was honored by the Television Critics Association for best individual performance in a comedy.
Kaczmarek’s glee over her first Emmy nomination, however, was bittersweet because her husband, actor Bradley Whitford, who stars on The West Wing, the other most-talked-about show of last season, didn’t get a nod.
Kaczmarek, whose TV credits include co-starring roles on Equal Justice, Big Wave Dave’s, Hometown and Paper Chase: The Second Year and recurring roles on Felicity, Party of Five, Frasier, The Practice, Cybill and Hill Street Blues, nearly missed out on the role that has made her one of America’s most-popular TV moms.
“I’d taken a year off and had been studying classical music at UCLA and found that there was this wonderful life out there that had nothing to do with acting,” the veteran stage and screen actress said. “And when the phone rang, you didn’t wonder if it was an agent. Then I got pregnant. I had a glorious year not working and had my daughter [Frances] and thought ‘do I really want to go back into this?’ It was pretty great.”
When the Whitfords decided to have a second child, Kaczmarek instructed her agents not to send her on any auditions. But at the end of pilot season, Mary Fox, the casting director for Malcolm in the Middle, persuaded Kaczmarek’s agents to send the actress a script about an unusual family seen through the eyes of a young boy.
“I still didn’t want to do it, but then you think, ‘Wow, they really love me,'” Kaczmarek said. “Maybe I should read this. I did and found that there was something undeniably quirky and endearing about Lois.”
Fortunately for Kaczmarek, she didn’t have to avoid the inevitable comparisons to other television moms. Lois was and is an original.
Kaczmarek’s perception of her character is why she takes exception to the “D” word that’s often used to describe the hit sitcom.
“I thought, ‘Dysfunctional?’ This is one of the most highly functioning families,” says the Milwaukee native, who is the oldest of four kids born to Edward and Evelyn Kaczmarek. “They have dinner together every night, which I think is impressive in this day and age. And they don’t get away with anything. They try, and I think that’s why their mischief is as clever as it is. I think the parents are aware of everything. And I think there’s great love expressed.”
