On the most recent episode of The Joe Vulpis Podcast, Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz broke his silence regarding the decades-long feud between himself and his Agent Cody Banks co-star Hilary Duff.
Muniz and Duff Were Formally Close Friends
Muniz, 39, explained that he and Duff, 38, became close friends as they were both child stars ascending the industry in the early 2000s. Muniz even appeared as himself on an episode of Duff’s Disney Channel sitcom The Lizzie McGuire Show. “We became really, really good friends,” Muniz said of his friendship with Duff. “We had a really great relationship for a long time.”
But things took a turn when Duff’s mother found out that Muniz was set to star in the 2003 action-comedy Agent Cody Banks. “I was on the set of Lizzie McGuire, and I was in Hilary’s dressing room and her mom was there,” Muniz recalled. “Her mom was like, ‘Do you know what you’re doing this summer? What are you doing this summer?’ And I go, ‘Oh, I’m filming this movie where I’m playing, like, a junior James Bond.’”
‘I Wasn’t Thrilled About It’
At the time, Muniz was hoping that Smallville star Kristin Kreuk would be cast opposite him as Cody’s love interest. But Duff’s mother had different plans. She asked Muniz if there was a part for her daughter in the film, and, according to Muniz, by the next morning, Duff was in the film. “Her mom’s like, ‘Guess what? We’re going to be spending the summer together. She’s doing Cody Banks with you. They signed the contract last night,’” Muniz continued.
“Needless to say, I wasn’t thrilled about it. And not because I didn’t want it to be Hilary,” he clarified. “I don’t know how much I want to say. I’m trying to think about it because I’ve already said way too much.” Muniz added that he was “very sad when Hilary’s mom would come on set,” revealing that he hasn’t spoken to Duff “since the last day” of shooting Agent Cody Banks.
‘That’s the Truth’
“I’ve not said one word to her since then. So that’s the truth of that,” he said. “No one knows about my Hilary Duff story.” But Muniz admitted that he “regrets” ending his friendship with Duff. “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…it pissed me off,” he concluded. “I would love to catch up with her. I would love to even talk about that because I’m sure she doesn’t know any of that happened.”
