Frankie Muniz Says He Is 'Sad' To Realize the 'Sacrifice' That His Family Made for His Career
Frankie Muniz is reflecting on the major sacrifices his family made for him to be a successful child actor.
While appearing on Smallville alum Michael Rosenbaum's podcast Inside of You, the former Malcolm in the Middle star shared that his parents got divorced when he was a preteen after he moved with his mom to follow his acting career.
Muniz explained that he was raised in North Carolina and started acting there at 8 years old. But when it was time to expand the scope of his career, he and his mother, Denise, began traveling while school was out to New York City for auditions.
He noted that those trips "separated [his] family for the first time," as his sister, Cristina, stayed with his dad while he and his mother made the trek. "I started booking things and never went back to North Carolina," he explained. "I remember that we tried to get my sister to move up, but she was going to school at the time and didn't really want to come."
The actor remembered that his mom and dad "always fought," to the point where he was relieved when his parents announced they were getting divorced and even "encouraged" it. However, he admitted that splitting his parents apart through his career "potentially" caused their divorce.
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Muniz explained that he and his moved to New Jersey, where he was born and his extended family on his mother's side lived and had asked Cristina to move with them. When she eventually decided to join them, the family received the news that Muniz booked the starring role in Malcolm in the Middle, forcing him to relocate to Los Angeles.
"She stayed with my grandparents in New Jersey; we moved to LA. So it's kind of this really weird dynamic to look at now," he said. "It actually makes me a little bit sad to realize that us following [...] my dream and the things that I got to do affected every single member of my family."
He shared that now, as adults, he and Cristina have "talked about that a lot" because as a child, he hadn't realized "the sacrifice that every single person is making for you." This includes his grandparents, who he says were in their 70s or 80s while they were "raising" his sister, all so he could "do what [he] needed to do."
Muniz admitted that reflecting on this recently made him "really sad" and allowed him to realize that "without that support, probably none" of those opportunities would have happened.
The 38-year-old went on to receive an Emmy nomination for his role in the hit sitcom and became one of the biggest child stars of the 2000s, with roles in Agent Cody Banks, Big Fat Liar, Racing Stripes, My Dog Skip and Miracle on Lane 2. Currently, Muniz has shifted gears from acting to competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
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