Frankie Muniz is looking back on his early Hollywood days and opening up about the connections he’s lost along the way.
The former Malcolm in the Middle star, now 39, reflected on his time working with Hilary Duff in Agent Cody Banks and Amanda Bynes in Big Fat Liar, admitting he hasn’t kept in touch with most of his famous co-stars.
“Honestly, no,” Muniz told Us Weekly in their latest cover story.
“I’ve talked to Angie [Harmon] a bit here and there. I haven’t talked to or seen Hilary since the premiere of Agent Cody Banks. It would be great to get everyone back together,” he said.
“My biggest fault is that I’m bad at communication. I want to be the person that gets the gang back together. Maybe that’s what I’ll do next,” Muniz admitted.
The actor, who started his career as a child star in New York City, shared that his dream job at the time was to join the sketch series All That, where Bynes was a breakout talent.
“I had the biggest crush on Amanda,” he admitted. Muniz recalled how he almost missed out on meeting her when he was offered the chance to host Saturday Night Live the same night he was supposed to cohost Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards in 2000.
He turned down SNL and eventually met Bynes, which led to a short-lived friendship.
“We became friends; we talked to each other on AOL. There was never any secret dating,” he explained. “After the premiere of Big Fat Liar, I saw her a few times, but we lost touch.”
Bynes stepped away from acting at 24, later facing struggles with her mental health and substance use.
Muniz said he never could have predicted that path. “[She was] the most professional, happy, easygoing person I ever met. I never saw a sign of anything negative. I wish her nothing but happiness.”
These days, Muniz is pursuing his passion for racing but insists he hasn’t left acting completely behind.
“Although yes, I was the one to say I’m focusing on racing,” he said.
“But I’ve done things here and there. I wasn’t shutting the door to it completely, like some people who say [they] never want to be in the business again.”
