16: who are some of your favorite actors?
frankie muniz: i've always liked val kilmer, i don't know why. but ever since i saw him in "batman" he's been one of my favorites. and i've tried to see everything he's done since then. i also like leonardo dicaprio, because it seems like all of a sudden he just popped into the world. he's been acting for a while, but all of a sudden he became this big cool superstar.
16: have you watched him on the reruns of the sitcom "growing pains" when he was just an actor about your age?
frankie: oh yeah, and i tyhink he was even so cool way back then.
16: what advice do you have for kids who want to be a performer like you?
frankie: if you want to get into show business you have to be ready to work hard and never give up. you might not get every job you try out for, but there's something out there for you. i went through over 30 auditions before i got my first job.
16: how old were you, and what was your first job?
frankie: i weas eight, and i played "tiny tim" in "a christmas carol".
16: are school plays a good place for kids who want to act to start?
frankie: oh, yes! i did that, and i'd encourage all the kids who want to see if acting is for them to participate in school plays. i didn't even know i wanted to act until i did a few school plays. and i guess you could say that eventually lead to this, "malcolm in the middle".
16: you've got your own tv show, you've done movies and appeared on the broadway stage, which do you enjoy the most?
frankie: i think i like television a lot better than the others. i mean, sure i love theater and performing in front of an audience like that and stuff. but it's really fun doing tv performing in front of the camera because you can try different things to make stuff funnier.
16: when you're not performing, what do you like to do to relax?
frankie: i play basketball. with baseball, i used to be the catcher, but now i play centerfield. i'm an okay hitter. i used to play football, but i'm too small for my team now. i skateboard, play tennis. and i'm pretty good at golf. i have a special set of golf clubs made for my size.
16: what kind of music do you put on when you kick back?
frankie: i like rock-ish alternative mostly. i like a lot of non-known groups like one called "simon says". i get their singles and i listen to them and i really like them, but i don't think they're too popular anywhere but with me.
16: what did you do last summer before you started work on "malcolm in the middle"?
frankie: well, i did the play from may until the end of june. and then i had a month off before we started filming, so we didn't go anywhere, i just hung out with my friends because i knew it would be a long time until i would see them again. we played all kinds of sports and stuff, just about everything.
16: do you have a favorite vacation spot?
frankie: i haven't really been too many places. so i guess i'd have to say i enjoy it here in l.a.
16: what do you like to do in l.a.?
frankie: when it's basketball season i like to go to clipper games, because the clippers are my team.
16: what is the one thing in your closet that you can't live without?
frankie: there's this one hat that i got when my dad took me to a hockey game, right before i got my first job. and i got it and i wear it almost everyday. it says "raleigh ice caps", it was a minor league hockey team in north carolina. i wear it all the time, even though it looks awful. it's terrible, the brim is broken and cracked. but it is my favorite! i love it and i'll never give it up.
