The popular family sitcom follows an Indiana family’s day-to-day struggles.
You’ve likely seen him in small movie and TV roles without knowing it.
And he’s continued to pursue his passionssince the series ended.
Although acting was another dream of his, he initially put more of his focus on writing and directing.
“I always wanted to act also, but it didn’t seem like it was reachable.
To this day, writing and directing are passions of McDermott’s, along with acting.
He landed his first film role playing a child in M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Village.”
Speaking to MSN Entertainment, the actor explained that he never expected to get the part.
As a young aspiring director, McDermott was a huge fan of Shyamalan’s.
“The Village” was filmed in Pennsylvania near McDermott’s hometown.
So, when there was an open casting call for the film, McDermott was eager to attend.
“I had thought he would’ve been there.”
“I was fortunate enough to get cast and I got lines.
In 2004, he was in seven episodes of “Windy Acres.”
A few years later, he acted in “Disappearances” and “The Ten.”
Then, in 2008, he landed a part in the award-winning indie film “Frozen River.”
The gritty film centers around Ray Eddy, played by Melissa Leo.
It was nominated for two Oscars, both for Leo’s portrayal of Eddy and its original screenplay.
McDermott earned his first award nomination for best supporting male by the Independent Spirit Awards.
He’s so well known for the role that it seems almost like the part was written for him.
So, it may surprise many that when he first auditioned for the series, he was not cast.
The character Axl was also different in the original script.
At the time, the character who would later become Axl was named Elvis.
When he auditioned for Elvis, he only made it through two rounds of the process before getting cut.
Fortunately for him, that wasn’t his last chance.
That initial pilot episode, which he wasn’t cast in, didn’t get picked up.
So, a year later, they tried again.
“And I still had the scenes memorized because I only had two or three lines in the pilot.
I had nothing to work with.”
This time, he made it through all five rounds of auditions and was finally cast as Axl.
The series ran from 2009 to 2018, with McDermott as part of its main cast.
His character, Axl, was the oldest brother in the Heck family.
“I felt like it could fall apart at any time.
He directed Season 8 Episode 19, “The Confirmation.”
But that’s not to say he didn’t have to work for it.
Everyone already knew what they were doing and had a lot of fun,” McDermott said.
Charlie McDermott got married in 2017
The year 2017 was a life-changing one for Charlie McDermott.
You may not have realized that McDermott was married.
Although they’ve been together for years, the couple keeps their relationship fairly quiet.
Like her husband, Rejaie is an actor, writer, and director.
In 2018, she wrote, directed, and acted in the short film “Layla.”
The couple also worked together to direct his music video.
He was also in the 2019 thriller “Countdown” and Netflix’s miniseries “Unbelievable.”
Despite slowing down on acting, McDermott has stayed busy with other creative passions.
Fans of “The Middle” may not have known how multitalented the actor is.
Along with acting and directing, McDermott has an affinity for music.
In anInstagrampost promoting his music, the actor and musician explained his inspiration behind the music.
“I read ‘The Dispossessed’ by Ursula K. Le Guin last spring and really liked it.
She and McDermott worked together for years playing the older two Heck siblings and became close friends.
McDermott and his wife came together to co-direct Sher’s project.
In anInstagrampost promoting the show, McDermott had equally kind words for the work of his former co-star.
“Eden’s written a very surreal, vulnerable and funny show,” he wrote.
“I co-directed this with Sara Rejaie.
Really proud of it and excited for it to be out in the world!”
