Frankie Muniz has revealed that he still stays in contact with his former Malcolm in the Middle co-star Bryan Cranston.
Cranston, 68, played Muniz’s on-screen father on Fox’s popular seven-season sitcom, which ran from 2000 to 2006.
Speaking on a recent episode of Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast, Muniz, 38, recalled first working with Cranston on the show.
“I started working with him when I was 11, 12 years old. He really became like a father figure to me,” the Big Fat Liar star said. “And then even still to this day, he’s essentially like a Hollywood god at this point. You know what I mean? He’s done incredible films, incredible shows, won tons of awards. He’s literally it.”
Muniz continued: “He still reaches out to me every couple of weeks, check in on me. He really cares about what I’m doing, comes to the races, if my band was playing, came to shows. I mean, he’s such an inspiration, and like I said, that’s what I strive to be that for someone else in the future.”
Muniz led the hit series as the titular Malcolm about a dysfunctional working-class family. It also featured Jane Kaczmarek as Malcolm’s mother and Erik Per Sullivan, Christopher Kennedy Masterson and Justin Berfield as his three brothers. In season four, a fourth brother named Jamie was introduced.
While he still makes the odd guest appearance in shows like Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens and The Rookie, Muniz has mostly taken a pause from acting to pursue a career in race car driving.
According to IMDb, he has three upcoming projects, including the horror movie Reapers Night, a sci-fi titled Renner and a sequel to the unreleased Western Hot Bath and a Stiff Drink.
Last month, Reaume Brothers Racing announced that Muniz would be the full-time driver of its No. 33 Ford for the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
“I’m incredibly excited to join Reaume Brothers Racing full-time in 2025,” Muniz said in a statement at the time. “My longstanding relationship with Ford has been a game changer, and I am thrilled to help facilitate additional support allowing us to tap into their exceptional technical and engineering resources. I’m confident that this synergy will elevate Reaume Brothers Racing and help us achieve great things together. I can’t wait to get started.”
