Why Frankie Muniz's 5-Year-Old Son Got Upset With Malcolm in the Middle Revival

Frankie Muniz returned as the titular Malcolm in Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, years after the original show concluded. His acting in the revival left his 5-year-old son upset after Muniz had to express anger over his family. The kid thought Muniz was angry at him. Muniz spoke about this incident in a new interview.

Frankie Muniz recalls his son Mauz getting upset on Malcolm in the Middle revival set

Frankie Muniz, who played the role of Malcolm in Malcolm in the Middle, returned to reprise his role in Malcolm in Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair. Now 40 years old, Muniz often came to the set with his wife, Paige. They were accompanied by their 5-year-old son, Mauz, as they filmed in Vancouver.

In the revival, Malcolm confronts years of lies that kept his family away from him. While exploring the complex dynamic, Muniz had to portray a breakdown, where Malcolm shouted at his family. This scene unintentionally left Muniz’s young son upset.

“There’s a scene where I’m talking about Malcolm’s relationship with his family, and I talked about how crazy my family is and how I’ve got to stay away from them,” Muniz said while speaking to USA Today, “Paige had to take him off set because he was like, ‘Why doesn’t Daddy like us?’”

In several scenes in the revival, Malcolm reverted to his angsty teenage self. However, this was beyond the comprehension of the young child. “[Mauz] didn’t understand that I was not talking about [him and Paige] because he doesn’t know me as an actor,” Muniz explained.

The actor further explained, “He doesn’t understand the concept of pretending stuff for TV yet. He doesn’t watch a lot of shows.” Munia added, “[Mauz] hasn’t seen me as an actor, necessarily. He only knows me as a race car driver or being interviewed, talking about me.”

Muniz’s family ended up being featured on the show in a brief cameo.

“They’re in there for just a second,” Muniz added, “It’s so rare to get to recreate something that people loved 20 years ago and get to go back into that world. I wanted to be able to look back and have them be a part of what made my life.”