‘Happy to Call Myself an Actor’ After ‘Malcolm’ Reboot

Frankie Muniz is opening up about his return to the small screen for the four-episode “Malcolm in the Middle” reboot “Life’s Still Unfair,” describing the experience as the first in his entire life that he “felt like calling myself an actor.”

“I’ve always been like, ‘Oh yeah, I act, but I do other things too,'” the “Agent Cody Banks” star said in an interview with People. “It was just a lot of fun and a really cool experience, so I hope everyone will definitely enjoy it.”

Muniz starred in the original 2000 sitcom as the titular boy genius Malcolm Wilkerson alongside Bryan Cranston (Hal Wilkerson) and Jane Kaczmarek (Lois Wilkerson). The show lasted for 151 episodes until 2006, spread over seven seasons.

While Muniz reflected fondly on the experience, he admitted he wasn’t sure what the dynamic would be like on set 20 years later.

“I was a kid,” Muniz said. “I was between 13 and 20 when I was on the show and I just 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 also put more pressure on yourself. So I didn’t know what it would be like – whether it would be easy to be Malcolm, whether it would be tricky to come back with the cast.”

But Muniz’s fears were soon allayed. “It doesn’t sound cliché, but it was like not a day went by,” he continued. “All of us – every single person – immediately fell back into their characters with, I’m talking about the first table read.”

The “Big Fat Liar” star added that filming for the upcoming reboot was “probably one of the best times I’ve ever had on a set,” largely due to the relieved pressure that came with working on a project he knew fans would love.

“Twenty years ago you filmed the first season, no one has ever seen it, you don’t know if they’ll like it, you don’t know how people will react to it,” Muniz said. “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.”

Audiences can expect “Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair” on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ in 2026. Read Muniz’s full interview at People.