Interview by Craig Byrne
The movie “Pizza Man” is currently shooting now to be delivered to a theater near you sometime in the future, and one of the highlights of the film is the return of actor Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle, Agent Cody Banks) to the acting world. In this exclusive KSiteTV interview, Mr. Muniz talks a bit about the movie, his starring role in it, and what fans should expect from his return to the big screen.
This is the first of several interviews to be rolled out in a special “Pizza Man Week” here at KSiteTV. Enjoy the interview!
KSITETV: What made you choose “Pizza Man” as the movie that brings you back to acting, and what have you been up to?
MUNIZ: I’ve been off racing cars for a while, and I’m in a band now. I’ve been really busy trying to find some other things I’m into. I always said I would get back into acting, and I just didn’t know when. It literally was a luck of the draw kind of thing. I called my manager for the first time in like four years, and like two weeks later the Pizza Man script came to me. I read it, and I really, really enjoyed the script. I thought it would be a lot of fun; a bunch of good guys working on it, and here I am. I’m having a really good time and I think we’re getting some really good stuff.
I’m really happy to be back as an actor. I didn’t think that I would miss it as much as coming back has reminded me that I did. So I’m really excited to be here.
KSITETV: Can you tell us a little bit about the character you will be playing in the movie?
MUNIZ: I play Matt Burns, who’s just a kind of regular guy. He’s working in his family’s pizza restaurant with his mom and trying to go to college. Like all other kids in college, I have to work full time to pay my way. I kind of get caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, at a science lab where the bad guys come to take over everything. I end up getting shot; I’m dying, so I eat a tomato that the scientist, Professor Tucker, has been developing, where you can basically inject this serum to heal. So I’m the first person – they don’t think it’s going to work, but it ended up working, but it makes me into this indestructible person. So, the bad guys are after me, because they want to get the serum out of me, so they can make an army of indesctructible men. But they’re using not for a good cause, but just to be able to go everywhere – if people get their heads cut off, it’ll grow back, and that sort of thing. So I become Pizza Man, which is the mascot of the pizza parlor; a guy dressed in a super hero costume. I end up putting it on to hide my identity a little bit. It’s kind of funny, because I have a big P on my chest, and I go ‘I’m Power Man!’ and everyone goes ‘that’s Pizza Man!’ So everyone’s kind of making fun of him, but I really am a super hero in the end.
KSITETV: How does working on a film like “Pizza Man” differ from something like “Agent Cody Banks” which had a significantly higher budget?
MUNIZ: For me as an actor, it’s the same for me as an actor. I’m here and I’m giving it 100% no matter what the budget is. If we were filming it with our iPhones, I’d still try to be the best actor I can be in the film.
As far as the quality of what I’m seeing in the dailies, I’m actually shocked at how amazing everything looks. Visually, the movie looks really, really good. So I’m happy about that. I think Joe Eckardt, the director, is doing a really good job, and I’m having fun working with him.
Frankie with Diamond Dallas Page, Rowdy Roddy Piper, and director Joe Eckardt
KSITETV: Can you talk about some of the actors who are also starring in “Pizza Man?”
MUNIZ: We have a pretty good cast put together. I’ve got Shelley Long playing my mom. My girlfriend and all of my family are like “oh my God, I love her!” And Diamond Dallas Page; I was a big fan of his while growing up watching wrestling. He’s a really great actor. It’s been really great to work with him, because he’s really into it, and he really is putting in a lot of time to get into his character. It’s been good. We have a lot of cameos lined up. Adam West, the original Batman, we’re going to shoot that on Sunday. There are a lot of those, so that’s kind of been the most fun so far. We had Rowdy Roddy Piper. It was really cool. We’re getting a lot of good stuff. Everyone I’ve been working with has just been really fun, and we’ve been having a good time.
KSITETV: How do you feel when you first put on the “Pizza Man” costume?
MUNIZ: I’m not gonna lie. It’s just that little shameful embarrassment, but it’s perfect for what the character is feeling as well. At the beginning of the movie, my mom makes me go out on the street and hold the sign, as my punishment for dropping a pizza. So I don’t like it, and it is embarrassing. Everyone makes fun of me in it.
I remember the first time I tried it on, I was like ‘Oh my God. I can’t believe I’m actually wearing this,’ but I think that’s a lot of the comedy in me being Pizza Man. So I think it’s good.
As unrealistic as a super hero is, it’s almost more realistic, because my character is such a normal guy. Even when he is kicking butt, he is still kind of shocked by it. He’s just trying to do good, but he is just a normal guy trying to get the girl. He doesn’t turn into a super cool guy.
KSITETV: Will any music from your band be heard in the movie?
MUNIZ: Potentially. We talked about it. We have a bunch of original songs. Marco [Mannone] the writer asked if we could maybe put something together that ties the story in a little bit through the song. We’re working on that now, so we’ll see. Hopefully. That would be really cool to incorporate my band and my movie. I think it would be good. We’ll see.
KSITETV: You still have many fans across the world who still actively follow your every move. Do you have something special you’d like to say to those fans who might be reading this?
MUNIZ: I’m really excited to be back in the acting world, and I hope everyone accepts me coming back. I’ve kind of ventured off and done a few other careers and new things, and I’ll still be pursuing those as well, but I’m hoping everyone enjoys the movie.
The release date for “Pizza Man” has yet to be announced. Stay tuned tomorrow for another interview as KSiteTV celebrates “Pizza Man Week.” Please do not reproduce this interview on other websites; instead, just link to the original article! Thanks very much to the folks at “Pizza Man” and especially to Frankie Muniz for making this interview possible.
2 Comments
Good interview. The part I liked the best is where he said that it doesn’t matter what the budget is, that as an actor he gives it his all no matter what. That’s nice and it seems like he has a good head on his shoulders.
But aw, man, it would have been awesome if you had gotten to go back and snag an interview with Adam West.
Apparently they drove all the way out to where Adam West lives to do his scenes. I don’t know that he’d really want some random fanboy coming along. True story though – Adam West was the first celebrity I ever stood in line to meet at Comic-Con! The first Con I went to, in 1994. The line was *gasp* one hour. I would kill for Comic-Con lines to be that length, now.