Actor Frankie Muniz Says He ‘Will Never’ Let His Son Get Into Acting

Actor Frankie Muniz attends the 35th Annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race practice in Long Beach, Calif., on April 15, 2011. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Former child star Frankie Muniz rose to fame by playing the title character in the hit family sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle.” Today, the award-winning actor has a lengthy list of film and television credits to his name. However, despite his largely “positive” experience in the entertainment industry, the 38-year-old says he would never want his offspring to follow in his footsteps.

In a recent interview with the Australian news outlet Pedestrian.tv, Mr. Muniz candidly shared his reasons for not wanting his 3-year-old son, Mauz—whom the actor shares with his wife, Paige Price—to pursue acting.

“I would never let my kid go into the business,” Mr. Muniz insisted, clarifying that his decision did not stem from any past negative experiences.

“To be honest, my experience was 100 percent positive, but I know so many people—friends that were close to me—that had such insanely negative experiences. And I just think it’s an ugly world in general,” he explained.

Although the actor said he didn’t take losing out on acting roles personally, he noted that there was “a ton of rejection” in Hollywood, adding that landing roles in the industry generally boiled down to luck.

“I truly say that becoming a successful actor is like winning the lottery because, in the beginning, that’s all it is,” he offered.

“You know, me getting ‘Malcolm in the Middle’—maybe that was a little different than other shows—but, like, as a child actor, you get picked because you look like you could be the kid of the parents they picked,” he continued.

“I think people think that it’s an easy thing to break into but, you know, I like to be honest about it and say like there’s a million people in Hollywood who try ... maybe they’re amazing actors—they could be the best actors on the planet—but they don’t even get the opportunity.”

Stepping Away From Acting

“Malcolm in the Middle,” which starred Jane Kaczmarek and Bryan Cranston as Mr. Muniz’s fictional parents, aired in January 2000 when the actor was just 14 years old. Mr. Muniz’s role on the show, which came to a close in May 2006 after a seven-season run, earned him an Emmy nomination and two Golden Globe nods.

However, during a 2022 interview with Fox News, the “Agent Cody Banks” star explained that after the series ended, he took a break from acting to pursue some of his other interests.

“When I was on ‘Malcolm,’ I was just so excited to be working on a show,” he said. “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.”

From 2012 to 2014, Mr. Muniz played the drums in the Pennsylvania-based pop-rock band Kingsfoil. After dabbling in open-wheel racing, he partook in his first professional stock car racing season in 2023.

In February, the professional racecar driver announced that he would make his NASCAR debut this year, competing part-time in the Xfinity Series with Emerling-Gase Motorsports, per CBS Sports.

“I began my venture into stock car racing a year and [a] half ago because I wanted to show my son to always follow his dreams,” Mr. Muniz captioned on Instagram on Feb. 19 alongside a picture of him holding his son.

“I brought him on stage with me during the driver lineup announcements because I wouldn’t be making the biggest start of my career in my first NASCAR race if it wasn’t for the motivation he gives me,” he continued. “This is still only the beginning.”

Recalling his time away from acting, the actor told Fox News that he “got to experience so many amazing things.” However, Mr. Muniz—who has previously admitted to never trying alcohol or doing drugs—reflected on the dark side of Hollywood, admitting that breaking away from the entertainment industry isn’t always easy for some child stars.

“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,” he explained.

“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,” he said.

“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,” he added.

Despite his brief absence from the limelight, Mr. Muniz is still active in Hollywood. Most recently, he appeared in a 2023 episode of “Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens” and an episode of “New Amsterdam” the year before.

The actor is currently starring in Australia’s current season of “I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!” Based on the British television series of the same name, the show sees celebrities stranded in a jungle as they compete to be named “King” or “Queen of the Jungle.”