'Criminal Minds' Took Frankie Muniz From Comedic Child Star to Dramatic Adult Actor

Some actors have broken the typecast mold in big ways. Frankie Muniz, for example, is a great success story. He may have started as an iconic comedic child star. But he’s certainly demonstrated his ability to transition to become a dramatic adult actor. From Malcolm in the Middle to Criminal Minds, Muniz’s acting chops demonstrate he has the range to take on any role.

Frankie Muniz may always be ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ for some

Frankie Muniz demonstrated his acting ability could extend far beyond the realm of family-friendly humor and antics. He’s made several appearances in movies, TV series, and voice acting.

One of his more stunning performances comes in his portrayal of Jonny “Jon” McHale on Criminal Minds. You can explore the full profile of this dramatic, somewhat terrifying character who has a psychotic break that transforms him into a “devolved spree killer,” as the Criminal Minds Fandom describes.

In this episode, Jonny experiences post-traumatic stress, caused by a gang-related assault on his girlfriend who does not survive the attack. McHale later suffers a mental break that has him actively seeking 23rd Street Killers and brutally killing them in revenge.  In his mind, he sees himself as a vigilante, exacting justice. And Muniz pulls off the character’s turmoil and emotional instability brilliantly.

Frankie Muniz’s career trajectory since ‘Criminal Minds’

Some of the other projects Muniz has explored since Criminal Minds include a couple of Sharknado flicks in 2015, an appearance on Preacher in 2017, The Black String in 2018, and a voice-over in Harley Quinn, a 2019 television series.

There has been some speculation that Muniz experiences memory loss, with the rumor mills taking it as far as saying he doesn’t even remember his Malcolm in the Middle days. Muniz set the record straight last December when he sat down with Steve-O on Steve-O’s Wild Ride!

He admits to having a few concussions over the years but does have memories of those early childhood star days. But when you’re doing so many incredible things, it’s hard to necessarily catalog every emotion and recall every moment. His official diagnosis is that he occasionally suffers from aura migraines, which can sometimes present memory lapses.

Muniz is happily married with a baby and plans to take some time away from acting for now. But fans don’t have to be concerned about his memory loss or his acting chops, for that matter. Demonstrating his ability to portray everything from boyish childhood hero to psychotic serial killer, there will always be work for Frankie Muniz when he’s ready to come back.

Source: Read Full Article