Frankie Muniz reveals how leaving Hollywood as his fame soared ‘saved my life’

Former child star Frankie Muniz, 40, confessed that leaving Hollywood in the rearview mirror during the “height” of his popularity was a life-saving decision.

“Honestly, I did not like LA,”  Muniz, 40, told Us Weekly on Wednesday “So I moved to Arizona, and I love it. I feel like it saved my life in the sense that I started enjoying the little aspects of life more, like hiking [and] going to the grocery store, because it was easy. I didn’t have to fight [to] find a parking spot or pay for valet.”

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The “Malcolm in the Middle” star, who starred as the popular sitcom’s titular character from 2000 to 2006, left Tinseltown in 2008 to focus on being a full-time race car driver after winning the 29th annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race.

“I was a huge racing fan, but never did it cross my mind that I’d be a race car driver,” Muniz said. “That feeling of crossing the finish line first was magical, and I knew in that moment, ‘I want to feel this more.’”

The Emmy-nominated actor wanted to switch gears in his career even after he found success starring in the hit sitcom and family comedies like “Agent Cody Banks” and “Big Fat Liar,” which grossed $58.8 million and $52.97 million at the box office, respectively.

“I wanted to make sure I wasn’t doing [racing] halfway,” he shared. “You need to put your heart and soul into it. I was also at a point where I was just like, ‘I’m good. I made tons of money, and I could kind of step away if I wanted to.’”

Muniz estimated that he’s had “maybe 60 days off” from ages 8 to 21 as he paid a “high price” for fame.”

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“I remember at 13, 14 years old, when ‘Malcolm’ was premiering, my mom would wake me up at 5 a.m. and I’d have to do 10 radio interviews and she’d make me sign 50 fan mail autographs, and then we’d go to set and work all [day],” Muniz told Us Weekly. “You don’t take it in good or bad. You just have to do it.”

The “My Dog Skip” star doesn’t feel like he “lost” out on a regular childhood but was “thrilled” that he didn’t have to navigate social media during the “awkward years of puberty.”

“People used to ask me, ‘Aren’t you sad that you didn’t get to go to prom?’ Well, no, because I was hanging out at the Playboy Mansion [and with] Amanda Bynes and other celebrities. I got to do some pretty cool things!” Muniz added.

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Muniz may have taken a hard turn away from showbiz, but he didn’t fully slam the brakes on his once-hectic acting career.

Muniz has appeared as a guest star in a series of television shows over the past two decades and confirmed he reprised his character, Malcolm, in December when Disney+ will release its four-episode reboot of “Malcolm in the Middle.” 

Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek will reprise their roles as sitcom parents, Hal and Lois, as Christopher Masterson and Justin Berfield will also return as Malcom’s brothers, Francis and Reese.