Frankie Muniz Recalls Turning Down ‘SNL’ Due To Massive Crush On Amanda Bynes

Actor Frankie Muniz is spilling it all. During his appearance on a recent podcast, the 40-year-old opened up about his crush on Amanda Bynes. The Frankie Muniz Recalls Turning Down ‘SNL’ Due To Massive Crush On Amanda Bynes first appeared on The Blast

Frankie Muniz knows exactly what he wants. During his appearance on the “Lightweights Podcast with Joe Vulpis,” the “Malcolm in the Middle” actor recalled getting the chance of a lifetime when he was younger, but refused the offer because of his crush on another child star.

Frankie Muniz Had A Massive Crush On Amanda Bynes When He Was Younger

Muniz built quite a resume as a child actor, starring in “My Dog Skip” and “Agent Cody Banks.” The one show he wanted to be on, however, was “All That” with Nickelodeon stars Drake Bell, Josh Peck, and, of course, Amanda Bynes.

Muniz called being on the show a “dream” of his as a child, particularly because of his massive crush on Bynes, who later starred in her own show, “The Amanda Show.”

While Muniz wasn’t part of either show’s cast, his dream of meeting and working with Bynes came true a little while later when he was asked to host the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.

“And Amanda Bynes was one of the other co-hosts. And I was like, ‘I’m gonna meet Amanda Bynes, right?’ It’s this huge deal. So I’m so excited, right? I’m like, this is my chance, you know?” he said.

Frankie Muniz Turned Down The Chance Of A Lifetime To Meet Bynes In The Early 2000s

Before the ceremony, however, Muniz said he received an offer to host “Saturday Night Live.”

“[My mom] goes, ‘You got asked to host Saturday Night Live,’ and I’m like, ‘What’s that?'” he recalled. “And she’s like, ‘It’s huge. You’ll be one of the youngest people ever [to host], it’s this big deal. Blah blah blah.’ I’m like, ‘When?’ She’s like, ‘April 3rd.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, hell no! I am going to the Kids’ Choice Awards. I don’t care. I’m meeting Amanda Bynes at the Kids’ Choice Awards.'”

Muniz already had a strong work ethic, he said, which is why he told his mom he wouldn’t be able to accept the offer.

“I committed to it, I’m not going to back out of the kitchen. They’ve been airing my commercial saying I’m going to be co-hosting,'” Muniz added.

Muniz got even closer to Bynes years later, when the pair starred in the comedy film “Big Fat Liar,” which followed a 14-year-old compulsive liar whose school assignment is stolen by a Hollywood producer and turned into a feature film.

Frankie Muniz Was Intimated By Bynes While Working With Her

In an interview with PEOPLE, Muniz looked back on the film with Bynes, calling it a “full-circle moment.”

The movie, which also starred Paul Giamatti, grossed $53 million at the box office and won Bynes an award for “Favorite Movie Actress” at the Kids’ Choice Awards in 2003.

While he’d been on set before, Muniz recalled being nervous for this role because he was working with Bynes so closely.

“I actually remember being fairly intimidated by her on set, because she was just so naturally funny. I wasn’t really someone who did a lot of ad-libbing and all that kind of stuff,” he said.

However, the pair “got along great,” Muniz said.

Muniz Worked With Another Childhood Star In The Early 2000s

And Bynes isn’t the only megawatt star Muniz worked with as a young kid. He also worked with “Lizze McGuire” alum Hilary Duff, calling her one of the “first friends” he made in Los Angeles.

“She was living at the Oakwood Apartments, which is where all the, I don’t want to say just child actors, but a lot of people come for pilot seasons and stuff,” he said.

Muniz explained that he used to visit the apartment complex many times because of his connections there.

His bond with Duff grew even more once they both began starring in their own sitcoms. “I was on an episode of her show on Lizzie McGuire, and I got to do the film with her and had a blast,” he said.

Muniz Is Back In The Spotlight

And while “Malcolm in the Middle” concluded in 2006, Muniz reprised the titular character in the Hulu reboot, “Life’s Still Unfair.”

“When I was Malcolm 20 years ago, I was a kid,” Muniz told PEOPLE about portraying the character again after 20 years. “I was playing a kid, and it made sense to be in the situations he was in a little bit. And kind of the same thing now. I am 40 years old. I do have a kid at home.”

The series is now available to stream on Hulu, and Muniz boasted about how “proud” he was of the finished product.

“I haven’t said that many times when I leave a set. Normally, I’m kind of like, ‘I probably could have done that better. I could have tried this. I could have done that.’ But every day I left the set on this revival, I was really proud of what we were making,” he said.

The Frankie Muniz Recalls Turning Down ‘SNL’ Due To Massive Crush On Amanda Bynes first appeared on The Blast