'Malcolm in the Middle' Star Frankie Muniz Refuses to Let Son Become a Child Actor

“Malcolm in the Middle” alum Frankie Muniz refuses to let his young son enter the entertainment industry.

Muniz, who played Malcolm on the series, spoke to Australian media outlet Pedestrian.TV about whether his son, Mauz, 3, would follow in his footsteps.

“I would never let my child go into the business,” Muniz told the outlet. “And it's not that I had a negative experience, because to be honest, my experience was 100% positive. But I know so many people, close friends of mine, who have had incredibly negative.”

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Muniz, who was a child when he began his career, continued: “And I just think it's an ugly world in general. I've never worried about rejection, but there's a ton of it.”

Frankie was 14 when the first season of “Malcolm in the Middle” aired in 2000. The series ran until 2006 and also starred Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek.

The series tells the story of a dysfunctional family and their comical adventures. The series won seven Emmy Awards and led to numerous film roles for the now 38-year-old.

Muniz's comments about his son's future came shortly after the release of the explosive documentary series “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.” The documentary highlighted inappropriate behavior on the set of various Nickelodeon shows in the '90s.

One of the most alarming revelations in the documentary was an interview with 'Drake & Josh' star Drake Bell which detailed sexual abuse allegations against Brian Peck, an actor and dialogue coach hired by Nickelodeon.

In 2022, Muniz spoke to Fox News Digital about his temporary leave from Hollywood and how stepping away from the spotlight as he got older saved him from the dreaded child star curse that has plagued several other actors in the film and television industry.

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“When I was on Malcolm, I was so excited to be working on a series,” he explained. “But also along the same lines, when the show ended, I kind of left the business for a little while. I started doing other things. I was racing cars. I joined a band. I toured everywhere. I opened businesses. and I experienced so many amazing things in my life that allowed me to reflect, look back, and greatly appreciate this experience.”

“Now I’ve thought about it,” he continued. “Because so many people go down a bad path, whether it's drugs or alcohol or whatever it is. And I think for a lot of people it's probably hard to get out of such a success at a young age where there's always people like, Oh, I love you, and everyone wants you here and there. And then it starts to fade. And I think a lot of people try to replace the missing feeling of [being] wanted with something else. And that's really negative for a lot of people. Whereas for me, I was always very focused on what I was currently doing because I wanted to be the best at everything I did. And that’s how I am.”

In 2006, Muniz took a break from his acting career. pursue professional driving in a racing car. He competed in the Formula BMW USA championship that year, then competed in the ChampCar Atlantic championship from 2007 to 2009. In 2009, Muniz was fourth in the championship standings. He had two races remaining before a season-ending injury led to multiple surgeries. Today, running is still a part of Muniz's life.

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With reboots in vogue in Hollywood, Muniz told Fox News Digital in 2022 that he would “love” to revisit “Malcolm in the Middle” with the original cast.

“When I was filming the show, I was obviously a kid,” he said. “We did seven seasons, 151 episodes. I didn't really watch the show when it was on, but since then I've been watching it with my wife. [watched] I directed all 151 episodes, Wow, that’s what we were doing. I can help but participate and watch it as a fan. I would like to know what the family is doing.”

“I know Bryan Cranston is really interested in the idea and he's writing the script and moving everything forward. So there might be something. I'd be down 100 percent.”

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“But I’m not sure what’s going on,” he teased.

Stephanie Nolasco of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.