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00:00Frankie Munez has been rushed to a hospital after crashing his car during a practice for the Ford and NASCAR's
00:05proud to honor Veterans Day Classic in Daytona, Florida.
00:08A representative for Ford told us that the 40-year-old actor-slash-race car driver is awake and alert.
00:14Page Six just interviewed Frankie shortly before the big race, which he said he was excited about and thrilled.
00:19And I want to talk all about your race coming up, but since we're on this topic, your life, your
00:23schedule is so crazy.
00:26You travel so much. Do you foresee yourself continuing to do this?
00:32Are you an Energizer Bunny? Are you good? Are you getting tired?
00:35I mean, I won't deny the fact that, yes, I'm tired, but I feel like I've operated for the past,
00:44I want to say, my whole life,
00:46in that state of just always having somewhere to be and something to do.
00:51So when I think about it, I go, oh, it'd be so nice to just do nothing for a while.
00:54I don't know how to do that. Even when I'm home for those three or four days and say I
00:59do accomplish everything early
01:00and I have a day where I can kind of do whatever, I kind of find myself going like, all
01:05right, well, what do you do?
01:06Like, what do I do? So I like being busy.
01:09I like, you know, I also understand, like the older I've gotten, that when you have opportunity in front of
01:16you,
01:16especially when it's something that you love and that you really want to do, you've got to take advantage of
01:20that.
01:20And you've got to, you know, give 100% of yourself to it because I don't want to look back
01:25and go, darn, like I had it right in front of me
01:29and I didn't do all that I could to take it in and to do the best job I could.
01:35And, you know, I'm turning 41 next month.
01:38So in the racing world, I'm not old, but I'm one of the older guys out there, you know what
01:45I mean?
01:45So it's not that I've got like unlimited years to do it.
01:47So I'm enjoying it.
01:49I love it.
01:50And I'm trying to accomplish all that I can in this racing world.
01:54And yeah, the schedule is crazy.
01:56You know, mix that with being a father, mix that with, you know, the Malcolm reboot came out this year.
02:00We had all the press and, you know, I'm doing all that stuff.
02:04And then I also have maybe a little bit of, I don't want to call it a problem, but when
02:09I have availability,
02:10like if say there's a weekend open, if I get asked to do something else, I'm like, yeah, I'm available.
02:15And I just, so even when the racing season ends, you know, this weekend, really until New Year's, I'm nonstop.
02:23And then we're basically talking about starting next race season starts in February, you know?
02:26So, so, but I think I, I think I'm just born to, to work that way, like to be busy.
02:32And, um, I don't know.
02:34I, I don't know.
02:35I don't know what I would do if I, if I had time.
02:37I really don't.
02:38I don't know.
02:38I don't know what people do.
02:39Like, what do you do?
02:40Like, well, I don't have time.
02:42So I don't know.
02:44Like, you know, like, what have you, like, I don't know.
02:45I think I'm, I'm living the most fulfilled life.
02:48And I think that that's, uh, that's what I want to look back at and, and feel that like,
02:53I didn't waste any time.
02:54I got to accomplish all the things I wanted to.
02:56And, and that's meant me jumping around from a lot of different kinds of careers and different
03:01things.
03:01And, um, but I just, I want to, like I said, feel like I'm giving it my all.
03:05And yeah, you, you are, you are truly living life to its fullest.
03:09You say yes to all the opportunities.
03:12I like, that's such a cool, positive way to go through life.
03:16It's hard and it's exhausting, but it's so fulfilling too.
03:19A huge reason why I went back racing.
03:22Cause I raced from 2004 to 2009.
03:24And we didn't race anything again until 2022.
03:26My son was born in 2021.
03:28And the reason I went back racing, I was holding him in the hospital bed, literally first day
03:34he was alive.
03:35And I was looking at him.
03:36I had this really weird feeling of like, who is he going to grow up thinking that I am?
03:41Right.
03:41Cause like, sure.
03:42I can say, I used to be an actor.
03:43I used to do this or I used to do that.
03:45And, and I wanted him to grow up watching me work really, really hard for something,
03:51trying really, really hard for something and almost inspire him, but also the ups and downs
03:56of it.
03:56Right.
03:56Like it is a rollercoaster of emotions.
03:59The highs are super high, the lows are low, but I wanted him to see me just working for
04:04it and, and finding success, which I've been able to do over the last couple of years a
04:09little bit.
04:10And that's been really rewarding for me.
04:12So, um, he was an inspiration for me going back into the racing world.
04:15And, and so I hope to bring him joy in me doing it at the same time, it's tough because
04:21it pulls me away from him.
04:22Right.
04:22I'm on the road over 200 days a year and, uh, it's not ideal.
04:28Uh, but he was just last week at Talladega or two weeks ago at Talladega and we had a blast
04:33and, and he watches all the races and, you know, when I'm home, I'm, I try to be the
04:37best dad I can be and, and be there.
04:40But as he's getting older, it's getting easier and easier to bring him.
04:43You know what I mean?
04:43Cause you know, so, uh, hopefully we'll continue that more and more.
04:48You have mentioned that racing specifically as a very, it's a rollercoaster.
04:53It's very up and down highs or highs and the lows are lows.
04:55How do you personally like navigate those like tougher moments?
05:00I mean, it's, it's, it is tough because unlike, you know, as an actor, I can work really, really
05:07hard on a role and really dive into a character and do what I think is an amazing performance
05:13and I can be happy with my performance, but in the end it's subjective, right?
05:19Whether the viewer likes it or the, you know, or how the editing works, you know, you don't
05:24really have full control of it and in racing, it is a team sport, but it's me out there controlling,
05:31making the decisions in that moment and it's not subjective, right?
05:34You're either the winner or you're not, or you're last place.
05:38And you can kind of see where you stand all the time.
05:41There are a lot of things that are out of your control or like you'd get taken out of
05:44a race by someone else's mistake that has nothing to do with you and, and, or a mechanical
05:49failure or something like that.
05:50And in the beginning it was really tough because I would, I couldn't get over thinking
05:57of what went wrong or what I could have done differently.
06:01And I would say I've gotten a lot better at that the last maybe two seasons, you know,
06:07cause fortunately I race every weekend, you know what I mean?
06:09So like, I know that sure that sucked, but I get another shot next week and let's focus
06:14on that where, so I don't let it weigh on me, um, nearly as much, but even the good,
06:20like, even when I won my first pro races this year at Road America and then won the
06:25championship, like, obviously that's an incredible feeling.
06:27And that's like what I've been striving for, for 20 plus years as a race car driver, but
06:34then you get it and you go like, awesome.
06:36All right.
06:36Now I got to focus on next week.
06:38Now I'm back in the NASCAR.
06:40Like, let's, you know, what, what can I do to be better and improve for my team and help
06:44my team and, you know, show, you know, thanks to Ford and all my sponsors.
06:50And, and, uh, so you're always kind of just striving for the, the, the next, that moment,
06:58right?
06:58You can't, you can't live in the past.
07:00And I think some people who do, you get in your head and it's such a mental game.
07:04Yeah.
07:05Racing is so mental.
07:06You don't understand that.
07:07Like it's like any sport, right?
07:09If you're a basketball player and you think that you're going to miss, you're going to
07:11miss, right?
07:12If you don't have confidence shooting the ball, you're going to miss.
07:15Yeah.
07:15If you show up thinking like, I'm going to be slow or I'm going to, we're going to lose,
07:17you're going to lose, you know, and you've got to go out there and feel like you belong
07:21and that you, you, uh, can, can win.
07:24I really commend you.
07:25I don't know how this is possible, but you are a child star who has continued on a trajectory
07:31that sadly so many others, like we're not able to, and I'm not, it's truly amazing what
07:39you've been able to accomplish and how you have not gone down this heartbreaking path that
07:45so many of even your peers.
07:47And I just, what, what do you attribute that to?
07:51I mean, I don't know exactly.
07:52Right.
07:53Um, I don't know if it's one specific thing.
07:55I think for me, unlike, I think a lot of people who get into the business or find popularity
08:03or fame or whatever it may be, or success at a young age, you, you expect it to continue.
08:09You expect it to always be there.
08:11And as that starts to go away, right.
08:14As the phone rings less and less, um, I feel like that shocking, like that rejection or the
08:20feeling of rejection is shocking for a lot of people to take.
08:24And maybe they go, they look for something else to fill that void or to fill that, that
08:30feeling that they, they, of being wanted or needed, um, or admired.
08:36Uh, I never necessarily cared about it, if that makes sense.
08:40Like I never cared about the fame.
08:43I don't care if people like me, I'm just me and I'm doing what I want to do.
08:49I just so happened to go from being an actor on a TV show to racing cars, or I was
08:55in a
08:56band and I also owned an olive oil company, which, you know, I don't choose those things
09:03because like they're in the spotlight, right.
09:05If it just happened to be, and, uh, you know, but in, in that, in that same sense, like
09:11it's almost puts more pressure because it's not me just going off, you know, I'm, I'm
09:19when my debut race in the NASCAR world and ARCA was at Daytona international speedway with,
09:24you know, millions of people watching on TV and all the press and, you know, we're normally
09:29most people's first race isn't really thought of, you know what I mean?
09:33But, uh, I had a lot of eyes on me, but it puts pressure that I actually use as motivation
09:38to, to prove, cause I want to prove it to myself.
09:41I want to prove it to others, you know, cause a lot of people, I think, um, a lot of
09:47people
09:47think that someone can only do one thing, right.
09:50Or they can, you can't, you can't be in a pit, you can't be a race car driver.
09:54You can't do these things.
09:55So like, I've been trying to prove that you can, right.
10:00I've got, I've got to do it, right.
10:02I've got to, I've got to have success there.
10:05And, and, uh, I've had some success in the racing world this year.
10:09We won the GT four, uh, America championship, which was amazing.
10:12And I won a bunch of races and in the NASCAR world, it's kind of been a little bit of
10:15a
10:15rollercoaster of some success, some bad weekends, but I, I, I love it, you know, and I, I want
10:23to keep going and prove even more.
10:24I've got more to prove I'm unfinished business for sure.
10:27What would be something people would be surprised to know about Brian Cranston specifically?
10:31Oh man.
10:32Uh, I think most people know that, that have worked with him, but I always admired him and
10:40looked up to him as a role model because of the way he dedicated himself.
10:45To a hundred percent of whatever he was doing on set.
10:50Right.
10:50Even just being a human, just talking to the crew and just being a nice guy and getting
10:54to know everybody and know about their families.
10:56And, and, but I just, I remember like when you're on a TV show, if I'm being honest and
11:01I see a lot of actors do it now and I want to talk to them.
11:05I want to be like, you don't understand how good you have it.
11:09But like, you see these actors like, Oh, I don't want to do my show anymore.
11:11I want to do movies and I want to do different.
11:14I'm like, yo, shut up.
11:16You don't, you won the lottery and like, you know, you're, the show is going to end
11:20eventually.
11:22Um, where, what I was getting at is like, you know, there's times I remember even me
11:25like just being like, Oh man, we got to do another take or I, you know, I really want
11:30to make the Clippers game.
11:31You know what I mean?
11:33But Brian was always like as dedicated as you could be, whether you were, um, he was
11:40on camera or not.
11:41And no matter what the scene was, he gave it a hundred percent.
11:43So I've always looked at that and I said, that's how I want to be.
11:46I want people to think the same thing of me when they work with me and just be the nice
11:50personal, personal guy that, um, that is very, uh, just excited for the opportunity and, and,
12:00and gives it my all and, and, uh, as a nice guy and I don't know.
12:04So I've always looked up to him, but yeah, he's a awesome, amazing, amazing guy for sure.
12:09Yeah.
12:10And I hear Brian might be making an appearance at this race.
12:13Is that for sure?
12:14Yeah.
12:14Which is, is pretty cool.
12:16I mean, he hasn't been out to a, uh, a race yet.
12:19I mean, here's the, this is a story that I don't think anyone knows.
12:22He's actually the reason why I started racing as crazy as that sounds.
12:26Wait, do tell.
12:27I would love to hear this.
12:29No.
12:29So there's a pro celebrity race that they used to do at the long beach grand prix for
12:33years.
12:33They did it for 40 years.
12:34And in 2003, he, he did it.
12:39And, um, he, I remember he, he and Chris Masterson who played Francis on Malcolm, they
12:44did it.
12:45And he came back and he goes, if you ever get the opportunity, you, cause he knew how
12:50like into cars I was and all that.
12:52He's like, you have to do this race.
12:54So the next year they asked me and, and I did it and I ended up winning.
12:59And then that's how my racing career started.
13:02Cause like I got signed by a pro team after that.
13:04And then here I am 22 years later still going, but, um, but he's always been so supportive.
13:09Like even all this season, he texts me after the races.
13:12So he watches and he's like, Oh, I saw, Oh, you were doing so good in the crash or this
13:16or, and so it's, it's pretty cool that with his busy schedule that he still reaches out
13:21and, uh, you know, but he's been that way with everything I've done.
13:24When I was in a band, he supported the band.
13:26When I sold olive oil and owned an olive oil company, he bought the olive oil.
13:30Like he's just been like a father figure in real life to me.
13:33And that's pretty, pretty cool.
13:34But yeah.
13:34So the fact that he's going to be here, pretty cool.
13:37Um, I'm excited to see him and have Matt the race.
13:39And, uh, I think it's gonna be, it's gonna be fun to that for sure.
13:42Do you know, he's the voice of Ford, like in the commercials.
13:44Did you know that?
13:45Wait, no, I didn't know.
13:47I didn't know that.
13:50Yeah.
13:50That's right.
13:53You know?
13:54So a lot of people don't know that, but yeah.
13:56So it's, it's kind of weird that like, he's the voice and I'm the driver, but yeah.
14:00Worlds colliding.
14:02That's so special.
14:03It sounds like you have such, and you know, I was asking you earlier about your trajectory,
14:07you know, not going down the stereotypical child star path.
14:12Like, it's still time.
14:13I'm kidding.
14:14You know, stop.
14:15I just think that's so cool that you had such an incredible father figure in your life
14:21from when you were a young age.
14:22And I, I would like to think that that helped, you know what I mean?
14:26Yeah.
14:27No, seeing, seeing that, like seeing how he was right.
14:29And then especially post Malcolm to like watch the success that he had, right.
14:33Cause he'd become Hollywood doc, right.
14:35Like he's as high up as you can get as an actor now.
14:38And, and, and then working with him again last year on the reboot, like he hasn't changed
14:43at all.
14:43Right.
14:44So, but I think a lot of that success comes from the fact that the reputation he has as
14:49being a, you know, a great guy.
14:51And I think that that's, I think that's the most important thing.
14:54Like I've worked with a lot of people who suck and I'm being honest, you know what I
14:57mean?
14:58And you see them kind of disappear because people realize they go, we don't have to work
15:02with people who suck.
15:04You know what I mean?
15:05Um, so I don't know.
15:07I think, I think it's, I think, I don't know.
15:10We have an amazing opportunity.
15:11I think a lot of actors get to a level where they just accept or not accept it.
15:17It's have expectations.
15:21You just, you just say words.
15:23Like we're actually just the jesters.
15:25We're like the lowest of the low and the totem pole.
15:27That's not true at all.
15:29That's not true.
15:30We're just there to entertain and make people laugh.
15:32No, no.
15:32It's like, we're not the kings and queens.
15:35You know, we're the.
15:37I wanted to say like, I genuinely feel your zest for life.
15:41And this was a very inspiring interview for me because I like, I'm just always tired and
15:46I have one job.
15:47So you are a parent.
15:50You have multiple careers that you are genuinely passionate about.
15:53You're excited about all of them.
15:55Like I, I will take that away with me from this interview.
15:59I think everyone should.
16:00You said you have a, you have a two and a half year old.
16:01And I'm pregnant.
16:03Oh, wow.
16:04Okay.
16:04So I'll say this.
16:05So for me, I used to think I was tired before having a child.
16:10Right.
16:10But then you get used to operating in that, in that, that world of just being exhausted
16:15all the time where like, I don't, there's no such thing as jet lag for me.
16:19There's no such thing as like, I can operate on one hour of sleep or five hours of sleep
16:23or 10 hours of sleep and give it the same energy.
16:26But I think a lot of that comes from what you, that first year of having a child, right.
16:31I'm just, just being truly exhausted.
16:34Like, you don't, you thought you were tired before, right?
16:36Yes.
16:37No, it's so true.
16:39Like I think about my stress before.
16:42Yeah.
16:42Yeah.
16:43What was that about?
16:44Yeah.
16:45Yeah, exactly.
16:46So, uh, I don't know.
16:47I, yeah, I'm just, I'm just go.
16:49I'm, I'm, I'm ready.
16:50I want to keep going.
16:51I want to keep going.