Frankie Muniz Says the New MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE Reboot Gave Him the Confidence to Finally Call Himself an Actor

Frankie Muniz is stepping back into the world of Malcolm in the Middle, and it sounds like the experience has meant more to him than anyone expected. The actor recently opened up about returning for the four episode reboot Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair and shared that, for the first time in his career, he felt genuinely proud to call himself an actor.

Muniz talked with People about revisiting the character that defined his early career and revealed a surprising personal shift that happened while filming. “I’ve always been like, ‘Oh yeah, I act but I also do these other things too,’” he said. “It was just really fun and a really cool experience, so I’m hoping that everyone loves it for sure.”

Fans know Muniz from the original 2000 sitcom, where he played boy genius Malcolm Wilkerson alongside Bryan Cranston as Hal and Jane Kaczmarek as Lois.

That series ran for seven seasons and 151 episodes, becoming a staple for comedy lovers and family sitcom fans. Even with all that history, Muniz admitted he had no idea what stepping back into Malcolm’s shoes after twenty years would feel like.

As he reflected on his early years on set, Muniz explained how different the experience is now. “I was a kid,” he said. “I was like 13 to 20 when I was on the show and I just kind of showed up and was excited to be there and said the words that were on the paper and it worked.

“As an adult, you tend to overthink things … and you put more pressure on yourself as well. So I didn’t know what it was gonna be like if it was going to be easy to be Malcolm, if it was gonna be awkward back with the cast.”

Those worries vanished the moment the cast reunited. “Not to sound like cliché, but it was as if not a single day went by,” he said. “All of us every single person like instantly fell back into their characters with, I’m talking the first table read.”

Muniz went on to say that shooting the reboot became one of the most enjoyable experiences of his entire career. Without the uncertainty of a new series hanging over them, the cast was able to relax and appreciate how much the show still means to people.

“Twenty years ago, you film the first season, no one’s ever seen it, you don’t know if they’re gonna like it, you don’t know how people are gonna react to it,” he explained.

“And then to have your seven years of success with it and now 20 years later, I can go anywhere in the world and people know Malcolm, right They know the show, they love the show. They tell me how much it affected their lives and how much it meant to their families, how it brought them closer together.”

That confidence and sense of gratitude made Life’s Still Unfair an important moment for Muniz. He described filming the revival as “probably one of the best times I’ve ever had on a set”, which should give longtime fans even more reason to get excited about returning to the Wilkerson household.

Audiences will be able to stream Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus in 2026.