03 April 2024 , 12:20
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Frankie Muniz made a heartbreaking admission about his steaming success from years of making Malcolm in the Middle.
He was a multi-millionaire before he was 20 after his rapid rise to fame and fortune from the hit-American TV sitcom, but things weren't always rosy. Frankie has since opened up about life as a child star on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Australia.
The 38-year-old first began acting in the programme aged 11, and was worth a staggering £31million ($40million) by the time he was 19. But it was behind-the-scenes that Muniz, who played the starring role Malcolm, was experiencing hardships.
READ MORE: Malcolm In The Middle star Frankie Muniz's career from child star to NASCAR racing driver
Fankie was a multi-millionaire before he was 20 (Disney/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)"Malcolm took us out to LA," he explained in the latest episode of the reality TV show Down Under. "Me and my mom went, but my sister stayed with my dad in North Carolina. But my mom and dad ended up getting a divorce during that time.
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"So in that sense it's kind of sad to think about that it really did separate the family," he said as he began to tear up. "I don't know how much positive it brought to the family. I wasn't a part of the family since I was 11 because that's when I left."
Now, Frankie is a fully-fledged NASCAR racing car driver and is hoping to make it to the top of the auto racing industry. It's a career Frankie is adamant has fulfilled him extraordinarily and he admits he has no desire to go back to his old Tinseltown life.
Speaking about making the switch in careers, Frankie told CNBC's Make It series earlier this year, his feelings of "running out of time" made him "take advantage of having the opportunity to do things". He said: "There's a lot of things in my life I've wanted to try. And I've wanted to see if I could find success in these businesses.
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He opened up about life in the spotlight as a teenager (Ten)"And fortunately, because of what I got as a child actor, it gave me the opportunity to step back and try those other things. It gave me the freedom to do that. And I'm forever grateful for that." Aside from his seven seasons as the main character on the hit series, which saw him classed as "one of Hollywood's most bankable teens" in 2003, he made guest appearances in Lizzie McGuire, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and MADtv.
On the big screen he featured in Agent Cody Banks movies, played Cher's underage boyfriend in Stuck on You, starred in Big Fat Liar and voiced many cartoon characters. He is said to have banked a cool $5million for the reprisal of his Cody Banks role for the sequel. But in 2003 at the age of 17, he was doubting his future.
He said at the time: "I still don't know if I want to be an actor," he said. "I still don't know if that's what I want to do when I grow up. I always said when I got to my first million, we shouldn't be talking about money, but when I got to my first million, I was rich."