Frankie Muniz Details Final Exchange With Dale Earnhardt Before Death

3 weeks ago 13

Frankie Muniz Suffers Fracture After Freak Accident Involving Ladder

Frankie Muniz’s final interactions with Dale Earnhardt still race around in his mind.

Ahead of the 25-year anniversary of Dale’s tragic death at the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18, 2001, Frankie is looking back on his last conversation with the driver at the annual race.

“I was, besides his crew chief, probably one of the last people to talk to Dale Earnhardt the day he died,” the actor said in the new FS1 documentary We’ve Lost Dale Earnhardt: 25 Years Later, which premiered Feb. 12. “I don’t get nervous meeting people or I don’t get [a] starstruck feeling, but he’s ‘The Intimidator,’ and I was intimidated.”

Despite his initial nerves, Frankie, 40, was put at ease when Dale told him just how important Malcolm in the Middle—the sitcom Frankie starred on from 2000-2006—was to his family.

“He was extremely friendly to me, and I remember he said, ‘I have to say thank you to you … because your show has brought me and my daughter closer together,’” Frankie shared. “He’s like, ‘It’s something that we turn on Sunday nights and we watch together.’”

Dale shared son Dale Earnhardt Jr., 51, and daughter Kelley Earnhardt Miller, 53, with ex-wife Brenda Lorraine Gee. He also shared daughter Taylor Nicole Earnhardt, 38, with ex-wife Teresa Earnhardt and son Kerry Earnhardt, 56, with ex-wife Latane Brown.

“Another thing he told me was, you know, ‘Enjoy it, enjoy the run, because you never know when it’s gonna end,’” added the Agent Cody Banks star, who was at the race that day to film a segment for MTV’s Diary. “Maybe I talked to him for a total of three minutes. A very impactful three minutes. Especially where my life ended up going.”

Indeed, the day took a turn for the worse following their interaction. Dale was just 49 when he collided with another driver in the final lap of the race and smashed his car into the outside wall. The father of four was pronounced dead at a local hospital later that evening.

Brian CLEARY / AFP via Getty Images; David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Meanwhile, Frankie would go on to pursue a professional racing career in 2023—and as fate would have it, his first race was at the Daytona International Speedway, exactly 22 years to the day that Dale died.

“That was an integral part of finding the passion for the sport,” he added in the documentary. “I knew that I would give up everything to try to be a part of the magic that is NASCAR that he helped build.”

Aside from racing, Frankie has recently been focused on fatherhood—he shares son Mauz, 4, with wife Paige Price—and gearing up for the premiere of Disney+’s revival of Malcolm in the Middle, in which he’s reprising his titular role.

James Gilbert/Getty Images

Ahead of the reboot’s release, which is set to premiere on April 10, Frankie shared a rather unpopular opinion about his notable character.

“One thing I realized after watching all the episodes is that Malcolm was the worst character on the show,” Frankie told E! News last February, before highlighting his costar Justin Berfield. “Reese was my favorite character, which when we filmed it, I didn't really like Reese. It’s weird how you watch it from an outside perspective and like stepping away from it, you can see something different.”

Before the new show premieres, read on to see what the original cast of Malcolm in the Middle is up to today.

Michael Lavine/20th Century Fox Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock, Image Group LA via Getty Images

Frankie Muniz

After rocketing to mega-fame as kid genius Malcolm, Muniz was one of young Hollywood's most sought-after (and highest-paid) teen actors, starring in hit films like Big Fat Liar and Agent Cody Banks

But shortly after Malcolm's long run ending in 2006, Muniz, now 34, revealed, "Growing up has never scared me until last year. I started thinking about getting older, being an adult, and it scared me. Hopefully things will work out in my career. If they don't, then it was never meant to be."

He would ultimately end up leaving acting to pursue a career as a professional race car driver, and in 2017, he came in third on Dancing With the Stars, later going on to serve as the host of the ABC hit's spinoff, Dancing With the Stars: Juniors. During his run on DWTS, Muniz revealed his struggles with memory loss, admitting he can't remember his time on the long-running sitcom. 

In 2018, Muniz got engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Paige Price. The two started their own olive oil company. They wed in February 2021 and welcomed their first child, son Mauz Mosley Muniz the following month.

Deborah Feingold/20th Century Fox Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock, Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for Kershaw's Challenge

Bryan Cranston

Before he was the one who knocks on Breaking Bad, Cranston's breakout performance was as Hal Wilkerson, the patriarch of the family, earning three Emmy nominations during the show's six-year run. 

Of course, Cranston went on to deliver one of TV's most iconic performances, playing science teacher-turned-drug lord Walter White, on one of TV's most iconic series, Breaking Bad, for five years. He won four Emmys during his run as TV's ultimate anti-hero, forging a close bond with his co-star Aaron Paul. In 2019, the friends teamed up to release their own artesanal mezcal, disappointing fans hoping for a Breaking Bad revival. (Hey, at least he made a cameo in El Camino, Netflix's Breaking Bad sequel film?)

Following those impressive runs, Cranston continued to earn critical acclaim for his work in films such as Trumbo (which earned him his first Oscar nom) and Isle of Dogs, as well as the HBO TV movie All the Way, with his portrayal of president Lyndon B. Johnson earning him a SAG Award. Before it hit the small screen, All the Way had a beloved run on Broadway, with Cranston winning a Tony for his work on the stage. He won a Tony again 2019 for his return to the stage in Network

But in 2016, Cranston told E! News he was hoping a Malcolm in the Middle revival would eventually happen, saying, "I sure hope so...I really do, for no other reason than that I miss those people like crazy and I stay in touch with them. The boys are doing great and Jane is doing wonderfully and I'd love to."

Deborah Feingold/20th Century Fox Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock, Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

Jane Kaczmarek

During her celebrated run as Lois, the sole female in the Wilkerson, Kaczmarek earned seven Emmy nominations, setting a record for the most nominations in the same category without ever winning.

After Malcolm ended its run in 2006, she starred in several short-lived series, including Help Me Help You, Whitney and Raising the Bar. She also made guest appearances on hit shows like Law & Order: SVU, The Comeback, The Big Bang Theory and The Middle. Most recently, she guested on This Is Us.

And Malcolm fans received an unexpected surprise via the Breaking Bad DVD set, which included an alternate ending that revealed that the AMC hit drama's run was really Hal (Cranston) having a nightmare, waking up in bed next to Lois. 

Deborah Feingold/20th Century Fox Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock, Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

Christopher Masterson

While he played the oldest brother/delinquent Francis on Malcolm, Masterson is the younger brother of That '70s Show star Danny Masterson and he dated his brother's co-star Laura Prepon for seven years, ultimately splitting in 2007. 

During his run on the show, Masterson starred in films such as Scary Movie 2 and Wuthering Heights, and he was reportedly considered for the role of Will Turner in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, with Orlando Bloom going on to land the major part. He last appeared in two episodes of the SyFy series Haven in 2014 before making his DJ career his full-time hustle, performing as DJ Chris Kennedy.

He married actress Yolanda Pecoraro in 2019. On April 3, 2021, the two welcomed their first child, Chiara Darby Masterson.

Deborah Feingold/20th Century Fox Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock, Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Relativity Media)

Justin Berfield

Oh, Reese. After playing the impulsive second brother for over 150 episodes, Berfield, now 34, shifted his attention toward producing, going on to co-found Virgin Produced, Virgin's entertainment production company. Per Instagram, he's an avid fisher. 

And how's this for a humble brag? He recently tweeted, "Beyoncé once told me I had beautiful eyes. True story." Another fun fact: He briefly owned the home that Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson lived in on Newylweds after their split. 

Deborah Feingold/20th Century Fox Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock, Brad Barket /Getty Images)

Erik Per Sullivan

The youngest of the brothers before baby Jamie came along, Sullivan played Dewey for all 151 episodes. 

Now 29, Sullivan retired from acting in 2010, last appearing in Twelve opposite 50 Cent, Chace Crawford and Emma Roberts. 

Deborah Feingold/20th Century Fox Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock, Mediapunch/Shutterstock

Catherine Lloyd Burns

After playing Malcolm's adoring teacher Caroline Miller in the first two seasons as a main cast member, Burns released her first book, It Hit Me Like a Ton of Bricks, in 2007, and went on to appear in several episodes of TBS' Search Party.

For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App

Read Entire Article