‘Malcolm in the Middle’ star Frankie Muniz reveals why he briefly left Hollywood: 'People go down a bad path’
Frankie Muniz has joined the star-studded cast of VH1's reality TV series 'The Surreal Life.' The former child actor got candid about a possible 'Malcolm in the Middle' reboot with co-star Bryan Cranston.
"Malcolm in the Middle" alum, Frankie Muniz, refuses to let his young son enter the entertainment industry.
Muniz, who played Malcolm in the series, spoke to Australian outlet Pedestrian.TV about whether his son, Mauz, 3, would follow in his footsteps.
"I would never let my kid go into the business," Muniz told the outlet. "And not that I had a negative experience, because to be honest, my experience was 100% positive. But I know so many people, friends that were close to me, that had such insanely negative experiences."
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"Malcolm in the Middle" actor Frankie Muniz refuses to let his young son follow in his footsteps. (Getty Images)
Muniz, who was a child when he started his career, continued, "And I just think it's an ugly world in general. I never cared about rejection, but there's a ton of rejection."
Frankie was 14 when the first season of "Malcolm in the Middle" aired in 2000. The series ran until 2006 and also starred Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek.
Frankie Muniz starred as Malcolm Wilkerson in "Malcolm in the Middle" for seven seasons. (Getty Images)
The show told the tale of a dysfunctional family and their comical adventures. The series won seven Emmys and led to numerous movie roles for the now 38-year-old.
Muniz's comments about his son's future came shortly after the bombshell documentary series, "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV," was released. The documentary highlighted inappropriate behavior on the set of various Nickelodeon shows in the '90s.
One of the most alarming revelations in the documentary was an interview with "Drake & Josh" star Drake Bell, who detailed sexual abuse allegations against Brian Peck, an actor and dialogue coach hired by Nickelodeon.
"Drake & Josh" star Drake Bell detailed sexual abuse allegations in the new documentary, "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV." (Michael Bezjian/Getty Images for Mulholland Drive Entertainment on behalf of Sabra Dipping Co)
In 2022, Muniz talked to Fox News Digital about his temporary leave from Hollywood and how stepping out of the spotlight as he grew older saved him from facing the dreaded child star curse that has plagued several others in the film and TV industry.
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"When I was on ‘Malcolm,’ I was just so excited to be working on a show," he explained. "But also in that same sense, when the show ended, I kind of left the business for a little bit. I started doing other things. I was racing cars. I joined a band. I was touring all over. I opened some businesses and I got to experience so many amazing things in my life, which now at this point has made me able to reflect and look back and be so appreciative of the experience."
Frankie Muniz was 14 when the first season of "Malcolm in the Middle" premiered. (Steve Grayson/WireImage)
"Now, I have thought about it," he continued. "Because… so many people go down a bad path, whether it’s drugs, alcohol – whatever it may be. And I think for a lot of people, it’s probably difficult to go from having such success at a young age where you always have people going like, ‘Oh, I love you,’ and everyone wanting you here and there. And then that starts to fade. And I think a lot of people try to replace the missing feeling of [being] wanted with something else. And that really is a negative for a lot of people. Whereas for me, I’ve always been super focused on what I was currently doing because I wanted to be the best at whatever I was doing. And that’s how I am."
In 2006, Muniz took a hiatus from acting to pursue professional race car driving. He competed in the Formula BMW USA Championship that year and then raced in the ChampCar Atlantic Championship from 2007 to 2009. In 2009, Muniz was fourth in the championship standings. He had two races to go before a season-ending injury resulted in multiple surgeries. Today, racing remains a part of Muniz’s life.
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With reboots all the rage in Hollywood, Muniz told Fox News Digital in 2022 that he would "love" to revisit "Malcolm in the Middle" with the original cast.
Bryan Cranston, Frankie Muniz, Justin Berfield and Christopher Masterson starred in "Malcolm in the Middle." (Frank Trapper/Corbis via Getty Images)
"When I was filming the show, I obviously was a kid," he said. "We did seven seasons, 151 episodes. I didn’t really watch the show when it was on, but I’ve now since watched the show with my wife. We [watched] all 151 episodes… I realized, ‘Wow, that’s what we were making.’… I can separate myself from being on it and watching it as a fan. I would love to know what the family’s up to."
"I know Bryan Cranston is really into the idea and he’s kind of heading writing the script and getting everything rolling. So, there might be something. I would be down 100%."
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"But I don’t know – we’ll see what happens," he teased.
Fox News Digital's Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this report.
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