Frankie Muniz realized how similar he was to the role of ‘Malcolm the Middle’.

Frankie Muniz Even after 20 years, I’m stuck in the middle again malcolm in the middle Returning to the character after seven seasons was like coming home for the actor.

Ahead of the release of part 4 on Friday Hulu recovery Malcolm in the Middle: Life Is Still UnfairMuniz explained to Deadline how playing the title boy genius during “so many formative years of my life” influenced him as an adult.

“My wife and I saw the show (for the first time), she had never seen the show, we had seen it a few years ago,” he recalled. “And when (the series finale) ended, she looked at me and said, ‘You haven’t acted at all. You’re Malcolm.’ And at first I didn’t know how to take it.”

Muniz said, “I kind of realized that a lot of the formative years of my life, from when I was 12, 13 to 19, were filming the show. And if you think about it, even though you’re acting, you’re still immersing yourself in that world, right? You’re going through those situations, those situations, those emotions. Even if you’re pretending, those emotions are still coming out. And sometimes, I wonder if that’s why there are so many similarities between me and Malcolm. That’s “something I’ve been doing for a long time.”

Although Muniz opened in the past memory loss I experienced While starring on the Fox sitcom from 2000 to 2006, the actor revealed that his co-stars experienced this as well, but the revival brought back many of those memories.

“Yeah. I mean, even walking on set for the first time was surreal because so many things flood your memory. So many on-camera and off-camera things, moments, stories we told each other, and all that stuff,” Muniz explained. “But a lot of it is about memory, and I was interviewing Brian (Cranston) and Jane (Kaczmarek) and they were saying the same thing. They’d sometimes turn on an episode and say, ‘I don’t remember filming that at all, how come I don’t remember? I don’t even know what’s going to happen.'”

Muniz says, “Especially when you’re young and you get so used to experiencing or doing something, when people say ‘cut’ and you’re done filming that scene, you forget about it. It’s like, ‘Okay, that’s enough. Move on to the next emotion. What’s next?’ And I feel like I’ve taken on that in my life in general. I’ve been through so many crazy things and done so many things in such a short amount of time, but then you go through that thing or experience, and then as soon as it’s over, you forget about it. You just push it aside and move on to the next thing.” “I tend to skip it, so I often don’t remember a lot of things I’ve done, and it’s not just because my brain is full of experiences and things.”

to Malcolm in the Middle: Life Is Still UnfairMuniz reprises the character of the once angsty teen who is now his own father. When his parents Hal (Cranston) and Lois (Kaczmarek) demand he attend their anniversary party, Malcolm must stop avoiding his dysfunctional family while attempting to protect his daughter Leah (Keeley Karsten) from their confusing dynamic.

Read about Frankie Muniz’s return. Malcolm in the Middle: Life Is Still UnfairYou can stream all four episodes on Friday on Hulu.

diagonal: Tell us about why you decided to come back with Bryan Cranston and bring this revival to fruition.

Frankie Muniz: Come to think of it, it took 10 years to make it. I remember watching every episode, and I think I put out a tweet in 2015 or 2016 that said, “It would be really fun to see where Malcolm and his family are now.” And that kind of spread word of mouth. Do you know what I mean? Many media outlets picked up on this. The response from fans was so shocking that I couldn’t believe that so many people wanted it. I know the show was successful. I know people love the show, but so many people say they miss it after being away for 10 years. So I started talking to Brian a little bit about it, and he mentioned it to me once at dinner. He said, “Of all the characters I’ve played, there’s no one I want to see back more than Hal.” So he took the lead in getting Linwood (Boomer) involved and trying to create a story. And it’s one of those things where it actually took 10 years, so I knew it was a possibility, but it doesn’t happen until it happens. Do you see what I mean? So that was all the talk and I was excited when I heard we were actually going to start filming. I won’t miss the opportunity. There was nothing that would make me pass up the opportunity to be a part of it, and I was really excited to create it.

diagonal: I know you were a child when you first appeared on the show, but what was your original relationship with Malcolm, and what is your relationship with him now as an adult and as a father?

Moonis: That’s fun. My wife and I saw the show (for the first time), she had never seen the show, we saw it a few years ago. And we got to the end (of the series finale) and she looked at me and said: “You’re not acting at all. You’re Malcolm.” And at first I didn’t know how to take it. I kind of realized that a lot of the formative years of my life, from ages 12, 13 to 19, were filming the show. And if you think about it, even if you act, you’re still immersing yourself in that world, right? You are going through those situations and circumstances and emotions. Even if you pretend, they’re still coming out of you. And I sometimes wonder if there are many similarities between me and Malcolm. Because that’s what I’ve been doing for a long time. Without hiding the secret to being an actor, it is true that you take on all the emotions and elements that come with a particular character and situation. And with everything I did and more time spent with Hal, Lois, Reese, Dewey, and their families, I feel like I have a little something to say there. So writing as a child was amazing. I just came in and spoke. I’m not disparaging what I’ve done as an actor, but that’s kind of the truth. I didn’t have to think too much about it. I knew who Malcolm was and I did. Now that I’m revisiting the characters as an adult, it’s changed my mindset knowing how many people love the show and appreciate the show and love the characters, and I really wanted to do my best, if that makes sense. I had an amazing time being Malcolm again, and I really felt like I was falling back into it. I felt at home almost immediately and I’m really proud of what we created. I just hope people enjoy it when they watch it.

DEADLINE: Well, it’s a very satisfying reunion. I know you mentioned earlier that you had some amnesia in the original show. Did being back with your family and creators on screen bring back any memories of that?

Moonis: It was like that. I mean, even walking on set for the first time was surreal. Because too many things flood your memory. Because there were so many on-camera and off-camera things, so many moments, so many stories we told each other. But a lot of the things about memory, I was interviewing Brian and Jane, and they said the same thing. They sometimes turn on the episodes and say: “I don’t remember filming that at all. How can I not remember? I don’t even know what’s going to happen.” And I think a lot of that is the same as what I just said. Even though I was acting, my whole life I was pretending to be in other people’s situations and other people’s emotions. One minute I was filming a super happy and funny scene, and the next minute I was yelling at my parents, sad, crying, angry, etc. Especially when you’re young and you get so used to experiencing or doing something, when people say ‘cut’, you’re done filming that scene and you forget about it. “Okay, that’s enough. Let’s move on to the next emotion. What’s next?” And I feel like I’ve taken on that in my life in general. I’ve experienced so many crazy things and done so many things in such a short amount of time, but when I do those things or experiences, I forget about them as soon as they’re done. I tend to just push it aside and move on. So I often don’t remember a lot of things I did. This is for no reason other than the fact that my brain is full of experiences and events. And like I said, as an actor you pretend and forget, there are good and bad points, but unfortunately, I think that continues in everyday life as well. Whatever my next focus is, the next race, the next project, whatever it is, it’s just kind of the “next step.”

diagonal: I love that you’ve pursued another passion for racing over the years, and I know you’ve still done it sporadically over the years. malcolm Has your love for acting been rekindled? Do you think you’ll be juggling more of those things?

Moonis: 100%. In other words, I want to become an actor. I think I wrote this tweet right after the revival ended. Acting has always been something I’ve done, but I’ve also played soccer, football, and basketball, been a golfer, race car driver, and owned an olive oil company. It was just one of many things I did. But after finishing this shoot, I had so much fun, I loved it so much, and I was really, really proud every day on set. It was the first time I was really happy to have the title “actor” next to my name. I really accepted it. I thought, “Okay, I’m an actor.” I always felt like a bit of an outsider, and I definitely wanted to jump back into that world. Obviously now I’m pursuing racing full time, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that when I jump into something, I give it 100%. I have no hobbies. I want to be the best race car driver. There is an opportunity before me. I want to go out there and win every race and make Ford and all the sponsors very proud. I am proud of myself too. However, if I were given the opportunity to return to the acting world, I wouldn’t hesitate. I want to be there. But it’s not up to me, so we’ll see what happens.

DEADLINE: Well, I grew up watching your movies. Are there any other characters you’d like to potentially revisit?

Moonis: I mean, as an actor, it’s always exciting to play new characters. But I won’t lie. I would love to play the adult version of Agent Cody Banks, the adult genre version. I think it would be fun to have a character save the girl once, or a child save the world twice, and deal with everything. How do you live up to that? You were 16 when you did all that. How do you surpass that? And I think it would probably be interesting to see the downfall of it. But James Bond was so busy one day that he called Cody Banks and said, “Wait a minute, you’ve got another chance and you’re calling me?” That person was all planned by my father. I just think it would be fun to watch that comedy but not talk about it and just put it out there into the universe.

diagonal: Yeah, I think it could definitely be a fun meta R-rated comedy.

Moonis: That’s it, right? I think so. Because it would be perfect if Agent Cody Bank was over 30 now.

diagonal: Yes, and big fat liarThat was another favorite. When I moved to LA, I think my first criteria was the prop shop scene. That was the dream.

Moonis: Yes, we filmed that scene. Unlike the prop scene where there was the Grinch suit and all. But the rest was all shot on the Universal lot. So the room we were in where we wore various clothes, rode skateboards, etc. was actually a prop house and wardrobe house. It’s from Universal so it’s almost accurate. But as you know, it’s not 100%.