Frankie Muniz thinks his ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ character ‘sucked’
Opening up about his career-defining role, Frankie Muniz has said he thinks his ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ character “sucked”.
Frankie Muniz thinks his ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ character “sucked”.
The actor, 39, starred as the titular Malcolm for all seven seasons of the hit sitcom, which ran from 2000 to 2006, but he has now admitted he wasn’t fond of the role – and says he told his wife Paige about his feelings after he watched all the episodes for the first time with her eight years ago.
He said in a chat with People: “She looked at me at the very end and she goes, ‘You weren't acting at all. You are literally Malcolm’.
“And I'm like, ‘I don't know how to take that because Malcolm sucked.’ He was the worst character on that show!”
Despite his opinion of Malcolm, Frankie stressed he was “obviously so thrilled” about the reboot of the show that’s in the pipeline, and is eager “to get back on set” with his former co-stars.
He added: “We started talking about (a reboot) literally 10 years ago... me and (co-star) Bryan Cranston – and slowly been working at it and it's finally a reality.
“So I'm really excited. I had to do some chemistry reads. I can't tell you with what characters, but new characters that would be on the show.
“And it was so weird to go back and be with Linwood Boomer, the creator, and Ken Kwapis, the director, and be back in that mindset.”
Disney+ announced a four-episode ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ revival in December 2024 and Frankie later shared a video featuring himself, Bryan, 68, and Jane Kaczmarek, also 68, celebrating the news.
He said in the clip: “I have been waiting for this moment for 18 years.
“Let's find out where Malcolm and his family are now.”
Bryan added: “Twenty-five years since we premiered ‘Malcolm in the Middle’... I'm so excited... that I may have peed just a little bit.”
Jane chipped in: “What a delight that I get to yell at that kid again! We're very, very excited about coming back together and seeing what this family has been up to.”
According to a press release, the revival will see Malcolm and his daughter “drawn into the family’s chaos when Hal (Bryan) and Lois (Jane) demand his presence for their 40th wedding anniversary party”.
