Frankie Muniz admits he ‘hated’ character he starred alongside in Malcolm in the Middle

Frankie Muniz starred as the titular Malcolm in the sitcom

Former child actor Frankie Muniz has revealed which show character he ‘hated’ while filming 2000s classic, Malcolm in the Middle.

Whether you were a fan of the Fox show or not, the comedy series had a chokehold on TV ratings in the early 2000s, as fans followed the everyday mishaps of Malcolm (Muniz) at his dysfunctional family, the Wilkersons.

The success of the show at the time was colossal, as the series won a Peabody Award, seven Emmy Awards, one Grammy Award and seven Golden Globe nominations during its five-season run.

Even now, 24 years on from the first episode premiering, fans are still curious to learn more about the cast behind Malcolm in the Middle.

Obviously, we all know that Bryan Cranston, who plays Dad Hal, would go on to achieve success in Breaking Bad, but the likes of Justin Berfield and Erik Per Sullivan, who play Malcolm’s older and younger brothers, have since moved away from the industry.

Meanwhile, fans have wondered what the latter has been doing, keeping a low profile, but Jane Kaczmarek, who played the boys’ stubborn mother, Lois, revealed that he’s currently studying Victorian Literature.

Talk about a career change.

But out of the younger cast, Muniz has remained one of the most involved in acting, despite starting a Nascar career – as you do.

Frankie Muniz starred as the title character (Fox)

Frankie Muniz starred as the title character (Fox)

The star has spoken out on his time filming the show as well as his time as a child actor, which he opened up about on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here Australia!

Now, Muniz has spoken about who annoyed him the most while filming, to the point where he ‘hated’ them, while on the Inside of You podcast with Michael Rosenbaum and YouTube.

Speaking about characters that he ‘didn’t necessarily like while filming’, who ended up being his ‘favourite’ when looking back, admitting: “Hal, (played by) Bryan, was the show to me, he made the show so good, because he was hilarious! Just an amazing character.”

He went on to reveal which character he didn’t like though, explaining: “The character of Reese (Justin Berfield), when we filmed the show, I HATED Reese, maybe because Malcolm had to hate Reese, but I hated him!

“Now I watch the show, and the funniest parts of the whole show are Reese! it’s a weird thought to step back and watch as a viewer, because you’re so far removed from it that I don’t remember what was going to happen in a lot of the episodes.”

It’s clearly nothing against Berfield himself – if anything, it’s a testament to his acting – but if you watched the show, it’s clear that the character Malcolm had a hatred for his older brother, and understandably so.

If you’re wondering where Muniz is nowadays, he raced in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in Phoenix, Arizona earlier this year as part of the 2025 season.

What a world we live in.

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum / Fox

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