Frankie Muniz is taking a trip down memory lane recalling his time working with several famous faces.
While reflecting on his time with Hilary Duff in Agent Cody Banks and Amanda Bynes in Big Fat Liar, Muniz, 39, revealed whether he has stayed in touch with anyone from those days.
“Honestly, no,” Muniz exclusively shared with Us Weekly in the latest cover story. “I’ve talked to Angie [Harmon] a bit here and there. I haven’t talked to or seen Hilary since the premiere of Agent Cody Banks. It would be great to get everyone back together. My biggest fault is that I’m bad at communication. I want to be the person that gets the gang back together. Maybe that’s what I’ll do next.”
Muniz, who got his start as a child actor in New York City, shared that his “dream” was to be on the sketch comedy series All That with Bynes, 39.
Frankie Muniz and Hilary Duff in ‘Agent Cody Banks’. MGM/Courtesy Everett Collection
“I had the biggest crush on Amanda,” Muniz shared. “I was supposed to cohost Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards in 2000 and I knew Amanda was [a presenter]. My mom got a call from Gail Berman, who was the president of Fox, and my mom’s screaming, and she’s like, ‘You got asked to host Saturday Night Live.’ [But it was the same date as the Kids’ Choice Awards], so I turned it down.’”
He continued, “So I met Amanda and we became friends; we talked to each other on AOL. There was never any secret dating. After the premiere of Big Fat Liar, I saw her a few times, but we lost touch.”
Frankie Muniz and Amanda Bynes in ‘Big Fat Liar’. Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Bynes went on to retire from acting at age 24, continuing to make headlines with her mental health and substance abuse struggles — something that Muniz shared he “never would’ve seen” coming.
“That’s all I’ll say,” Muniz said, when asked whether he could have predicted the way Bynes’ life turned out. “[She was] the most professional, happy, easygoing person I ever met. I never saw a sign of anything negative. I wish her nothing but happiness.”
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After years in the spotlight, the Malcolm in the Middle star has turned to a different type of entertainment: racing cars. When asked whether he planned to leave show business entirely, Muniz replied, “No.”
“Although yes, I was the one to say I’m focusing on racing,” he said. “But I’ve done things here and there. I wasn’t shutting the door to it completely, like some people who say [they] never want to be in the business again.”
For more on Muniz, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.
