Frankie Muniz calls 'Malcolm in the Middle' co-star Bryan Cranston a father figure who 'checks in on me'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Frankie Muniz is gushing about his relationship with his onscreen father Bryan Cranston, who still 'checks in on him'.

Muniz, who famously shared the screen with the 68-year-old actor in ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ in the early 2000s, shared that he is still in touch with his onscreen dad, who is still a father figure in his life. 

Appearing on the recent episode of ‘Inside of You’ podcast, the 38-year-old actor turned professional stock car racing driver, opened up about his connection with the ‘Breaking Bad’ actor, as reported by Entertainment Weekly.

Frankie Muniz gushes about his connection with Bryan Cranston

"I started working with him when I was 11, 12 years old," Muniz recalled starting his acting career with Cranston when he just a tween. 

He gushed, "He really became like a father figure to me,” before adding, “And then even still to this day, you know, he's essentially like a Hollywood god at this point.”

“You know what I mean?” the ‘Agent Cody Banks’ actor continued to praise the Hollywood veteran, and explained, “Like he's done incredible films, incredible shows, won tons of awards. Like he's literally It."

Muniz praised that Cranston, who went into becoming a “Hollywood god,” still keeps contact with him even after ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ went off the air almost two decades ago. 

"He still reaches out to me every couple of weeks, check in on me," Muniz shared, and added. "He really cares about what I'm doing, comes to the races, if my band was playing, came to shows. I mean, he's such an inspiration, and like I said, that's what I strive to be that for someone else in the future."

Muniz and Cranston appeared on the Fox drama alongside Jane Kaczmarek, Christopher Kennedy Masterson, Justin Berfield, and Erik Per Sullivan in all six seasons from 2000 to 2006.

The story follows the adventures and misadventures of the introverted boy genius (Muniz), his mother (Kaczmarek), and his father (Cranston). While the show brought Muniz at the forefront of Hollywood stardom, it also cemented Cranston’s position as a versatile actor.

Recalling Cranston’s importance in the show, Muniz called him the MVP on the set, saying, "He was the most incredible person because he showed up every day on set and gave it 100%.”

"He was so nice to everybody and you never ever saw him wanting to leave... he took advantage of that opportunity and he did his best work. So I've always used that as an inspiration,” added the star. 

Muniz, who changed his vocation from acting to car racing, signed his first contract with a major racing team in 2008. This year, the star upgraded to full-time NASCAR driver as well. However, his interest in acting is not yet completely diminished, as he has appeared in minor roles in ‘Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens’ and ‘New Amsterdam’. 

Nevertheless, he shared that if he gets an offer to portray Malcolm, he might think of coming back to acting. 

"I want to see where Malcolm and his family are. I think it would be so fun, you know, 20 years later to see where everybody is. That's what I would love to do again,” he shared.

Internet impressed by Frankie Muniz and Bryan Cranston's bond

Fans on Internet were left completely impressed by the onscreen father and son's bonding. 

One of the social media users gushed on Reddit, "Man I love that they formed such a real and lasting bond on the show. Growing up with him as your TV dad and then watching breaking bad blow up in real time must have been so cool for Muniz too."

"Bryan Cranston just seems like a thoroughly good guy. I wish stars like him were more visible as role models instead of the grifters that pose as them nowadays," praised someone else.

Another fan chimed in, "Cranston seems like a stand up fella..the world could use a few more nice people."

"Sounds like such a healthy relationship and Cranston sounds amazingly warm and humble," added another. 

Someone else gushed, "Wonder if he keeps in touch like that with all the kid actors from the show."

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