Actor Charlie McDermott rose to fame thanks to his role as Axl Heck
on the ABC sitcom "The Middle," which aired from 2009 until 2018.
Seeing as that was three years ago, what the heck has Axl Heck been up to since?
Pennsylvania native Charlie McDermott's first on-screen role was as "10-Year-Old Boy"
in M. Night Shyamalan's 2004 period thriller "The Village."
Even though it was an extra role, McDermott recited lines and snagged some quality screen
time with heavyweight actors like Bryce Dallas Howard. When asked if he thought
"The Village" was his big break as an actor, he told “South Jersey Magazine,”
"Absolutely [...] It's actually the first thing I ever did. M. Night Shyamalan had
become an idol for me and was the only person I knew that was doing big work in
Philadelphia. I really looked up to him. When I saw there was an open casting call, I went,
mostly just trying to see him but never actually believing I'd be cast."
Charlie McDermott's star continued to rise prior to his "The Middle" debut.
The same year he appeared in "The Village," he popped up on seven episodes of the short-lived TV
series "Windy Acres." He nabbed a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Independent Spirit Awards
thanks to his noteworthy performance as T.J. in the 2008 movie "Frozen River." McDermott went on
to earn small roles on highly-regarded series like "The Office," "Private Practice," and "Medium."
He also appeared in films like "Hot Tub Time Machine" and the TV movie "Bond of Silence."
McDermott pointed out that, quote, "things took off" for him after his first film role,
per “South Jersey Magazine”. In order to secure more work, however,
he needed professional representation. He said,
"I got an agent and a manager and moved to New York City for a couple
years before eventually moving out to California.”
Still, he admitted to “College Magazine” in 2012 that seriously pursuing an acting career
as a teenager was daunting for quite a while, explaining,
"It was the worst age to take such a leap because no one hires an actual teenager
to play a teenager on screen. I never made it past the third round in the audition process."
Thankfully for Charlie McDermott, it wasn't long before he scored a major role for his resume,
landing the part of Axl Heck on the ABC sitcom "The Middle." TV audiences were introduced to the
series in 2009, and at the age of 18, McDermott made his debut on the series as the eldest
Heck sibling. In 2015, he told the “Sioux City Journal” that he grew up on the show, sharing,
"I really got to know these people so well. It's like they're my family."
Still, McDermott went through an arduous process to get hired for the role. In 2014,
he went further into detail about it in an interview with “The Daily Actor”. He explained,
"I first moved [to Los Angeles] in 2006 and I auditioned for the original pilot a couple
months after coming out here. And the character was named Elvis then. And I went in and made it
two auditions in, and I got cut. [...] And then the pilot went and they didn't get picked up."
However, as fate would have it, McDermott found himself
in the running again a year later. He shared,
"[The] audition came back again and it was the exact same audition sides except the
character name was scratched out and said Axl instead of Elvis. And I still had the
scenes memorized because I only had two or three lines in the pilot. I had nothing to
work with. I auditioned, I went through five auditions over a couple months and got it."
“I’m doing awesome.”
In 2013, Charlie McDermott and his "The Middle" family celebrated the 100th episode of the series.
At the time, McDermott revealed that, at that point, the "Life Skills" episode
stood out to him the most. He noted that it was his favorite one to shoot and to watch,
especially in light of Axl and his sister character’s interaction. He shared,
"They're always on opposite sides. They're always fighting. And it's
nice to actually have them on the same team, and working together towards a
common goal. And it's a funny episode and I think it played out really well.”
The common goal McDermott was referring to was a class project his and costar Eden
Sher's characters were tasked to work on during the episode.
McDermott explained more of the episode's plot to “The Hollywood Reporter” in 2013, saying,
"Sue actually messed up, which is surprising and Axl stepped in to
save the day. I wasn't just making fun of her, which it usually is,
and I don't think that ever happened again or before. It was cool to be on the same side."
In 2015, Charlie McDermott's future as Axl Heck on "The Middle" was a bit uncertain.
There was a real possibility that he would leave the series for a CBS comedy pilot
on which he would have played the lead character.
Deadline reported that the CBS pilot came as a surprise to “The Middle” producers and WBTV,
as they had expected to have the cast available for Season 7. In the end,
however, the other show wasn't picked up,
and McDermott re-signed his contract for continued work as Axl on "The Middle."
Charlie McDermott was granted the enviable opportunity to direct an
episode of "The Middle" in 2017. He told “Entertainment Weekly,”
"Directing is something I've wanted to do as long as the show's been on. So I've been
shadowing on set pretty much since the show began, even on all the projects I
worked on prior to 'The Middle.' [...] It's something I prepared for a long,
long time. So when the time finally came, I felt like I had a good grasp on it."
McDermott added that the scene he was most looking forward to helming was the recreation
of the famous "Friends" fountain scene from that show's opening credits. He shared,
"We watched the intro just to match the camera angles, which was pretty close to what was on
the show. But one thing we realized was that in the first couple of seasons [the "Friends"
cast are] actually not in the fountain and they're not wet, which I'd just assumed."
Needless to say, there was a decision to be made. McDermott added,
"We had to decide which season of 'Friends' we wanted to match. But I never noticed that
there were a couple of different versions of the intro until I had to watch them all.
That ended up being one of the most fun parts of the week."
The two-part series finale of "The Middle" aired in May 2018, with Charlie McDermott's character
leaving his family for a job in Denver, Colorado. Upon reflecting on the show's inevitable end,
the actor told “The Philadelphia Inquirer” that he would like to keep acting.
"Acting is so spontaneous — like a job pops up and then you try to get it. If you get it,
you're working on it. It's all within like a couple months. So it's hard to plan [...] When
I was younger, I really wanted to have a specific trajectory, but now it just seems impossible to
ever do that, so I just want to keep working, and, hopefully, enjoy what I'm getting to do."
"The Middle" co-creator Eileen Heisler spoke highly of the way
McDermott gave Axl a particular lightness that only he could bring to the character.
"I think that's why that character worked [...] — Charlie himself is so unlike Axl.
He has this sweetness, this essence of sweetness. Axl has that, as well. But I think if you didn't
necessarily have that actor playing that role, you could have written him off as a jerky kid.
But he always had this softness and this caring about him, and he just makes you love him."
Charlie McDermott acted in several other projects after wrapping up "The Middle" in 2018.
The list includes his portrayal of "Ty" in three episodes of the TV mini-series "Unbelievable".
While his recent acting roles may be a short list, McDermott has still
been very productive in another artistic endeavour. He released a digital album
titled, "Some Things Just Fall Out of Your Hands," in 2020.
The cover photograph for the album was taken by his wife, Sara, whom he married in 2017.
McDermott has released several music videos on YouTube,
including one for his track "Butterfingers" and another for "Wayside." The talented actor
also stars in his video for "Wayside," showing his dramatic acting abilities.
Charlie McDermott's Instagram page, while very artsy, is a bit sparse. However, it appears that
he's been spending his post-"Middle" time drawing, making music, and spending valuable time with his
spouse. His website shows more of his visual art, and he actively markets his pictures and songs.
The multi-talented star's acting resume shows a smaller list of roles beyond "The Middle."
However, McDermott's other inclinations towards music, directing, writing, and drawing could
redirect him or simply present alternative outlets of artistic expression for the star. Either way,
McDermott's future looks pretty bright and filled with multiple exciting options.
In the meantime, fans can use McDermott's music as the mystical soundtrack to their
lives, while awaiting news of any potential future TV or movie roles.
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