Frankie Muniz could have made history, but he wanted to make a love connection instead.
The Malcolm in the Middle star and NASCAR driver shared on a recent episode of the Lightweights Podcast that before his child stardom truly kicked into gear, he told his agent, “‘I want to be on All That. I want to be on The Amanda Show, because I had a huge crush on Amanda Bynes as a kid, and I thought that those were the funniest, most amazing shows.”
Though he never got the chance to guest star on those popular Nickelodeon comedies, he was presented with the irresistible offer of crossing paths with Bynes at the 2000 Kids’ Choice Awards, where he was asked to co-host, and she to present. There was just one other little offer he had to turn down first: the chance to become one of the youngest-ever hosts of Saturday Night Live.
“My mom gets a call one day, and she’s freaking out, so excited. It’s Gail Berman, who at the time was the president of Fox. She goes, ‘You got asked to host Saturday Night Live. I’m like, ‘What’s that?’ And she’s like, ‘It’s huge. You’ll be one of the youngest people ever. It’s this big deal.'”
Big deal or not, when Muniz’s mother told him the commitment would clash with his fateful shot with Bynes, he made the decision easily.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, hell no. I am going to the Kids’ Choice Awards, right? I don’t care. I’m meeting Amanda Bynes at the Kids’ Choice Awards,'” he recalled.
Muniz said that for “about a week and a half, I had every executive, every producer, everybody in the history of Fox TV, Regency TV, going, ‘What are you doing?'” Out of fidelity to Bynes, and because “I don’t back out of obligation,” Muniz held firm.
The 2000 Kids’ Choice Awards actually had four cohosts serving as arbiters of the main emcee, Rosie O’Donnell. Joining Muniz in the ceremonial duties were LL Cool J, David Arquette, and Mandy Moore.
Nickelodeon
He certainly kept to his conviction not to back out of ironed out plans, but Muniz also got the chance to award Bynes with her own orange blimp trophy. Muniz and Seinfeld star Julia Louis Dreyfus took to the stage to announce the nominees for Favorite TV Actress, which included Jennifer Love Hewitt (Party of Five), Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina the Teenage Witch), Brandy (Moesha), and the eventual winner, Bynes (All That and The Amanda Show).
Two years later, the actors came together once again for the comedy Big Fat Liar, which co-starred Paul Giamatti.
Universal Pictures/Everett
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Muniz was only four months into his tenure at Malcolm in the Middle, which would extend another five years and hurry him up the prestige ladder all the way to the Emmys, where he received a nomination in 2001 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (losing to Eric McCormack for Will and Grace).
Now, after nearly two decades, Malcolm is coming back. Last week, Muniz previewed the upcoming reboot as “pretty shocking” to fans of the original series, but promised, “I think people are going to be very happy with what they came up with.”
