Frankie Muniz has finally revealed the circumstances behind his two-decade silence with former friend and "Agent Cody Banks" costar Hilary Duff.

During a recent appearance on "The Joe Vulpis Podcast" in September, the 39-year-old "Malcolm in the Middle" actor disclosed that he has not spoken to Duff, 38, since the last day of filming in 2003, placing blame squarely on her mother, Susan, for interfering in the production's casting decisions.​

When Muniz and Duff first met in the early 2000s, they quickly developed a strong friendship. Both were rising child stars at the time, with Duff's Disney Channel series "Lizzie McGuire" launching in 2001 and Muniz's Fox sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle" debuting in 2002. Their bond grew close enough that Duff invited Muniz to appear on her show as himself in 2002.​

During a visit to the "Lizzie McGuire" set, Muniz recalled having a conversation with Duff's mother in her daughter's dressing room about his upcoming film project. He described her as "the epitome of a stage mom" and noted that she was extremely intense during their interaction. When discussing "Agent Cody Banks" with Susan, he mentioned details about the production, including that the female lead role had not yet been cast. At that time, Muniz believed producers were considering "Smallville" actress Kristin Kreuk for the position.​

The following day, however, Muniz received shocking news from Susan, who announced that Duff had already been cast as the female lead, Natalie Connors, without consulting him beforehand. Muniz stated, "I wasn't mad. It was just shocking. I had a say. They didn't ask me." He explained that while supposedly calls were made and the producers assumed it was fine, given his friendship with Duff, he was taken aback by not being included in the decision-making process.​

During the film's production in Vancouver that summer, the situation was further complicated by what Muniz described as "a small dating element" between them that had changed, adding an awkward dynamic to their working relationship. After filming wrapped in 2003, Muniz chose to end all contact with Duff.​

Looking back two decades later, Muniz expressed genuine regret about his decision. "I look back at it now and I go, like, what a dumb... I regret not just continuing to be friends with her because we had a great friendship for such a long time, and I let her mom get between us. It pissed me off," he stated. He acknowledged that cutting off contact with Duff was ultimately a mistake on his part, as the tension between them was primarily driven by her mother's actions rather than by any direct conflict between the two.

Tags
Actor, Hilary Duff, Nascar, Mother