Spy Kids helped cement the stardom of performer Alan Cumming. The 2001 movie, which was written and directed by Robert Rodriguez, starred Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara as a pair of siblings who were forced to embark upon an espionage adventure when their parents (Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino), who are secretly spies, are kidnapped by the seemingly villainous Fegan Floop (Cumming), the host of a children’s show тιтled Floop’s Fooglies. Cumming would go on to reprise the role in the next two Spy Kids movies.

For Vanity Fair, Alan Cumming recently sat down to watch scenes from his movies, sharing his commentary along the way. While discussing the scene in Spy Kids where Floop confronts the spy kids’ parents at his dinner table, he reflected on how taking on the unusual role changed his career. Playing Floop changed the tenor of his interactions with fans, as many have since shared their appreciation of growing up with his character. He shared with pride that “I have been… a magical part of people’s childhood.” Read Cumming’s full quote and watch the original video below:

It’s got Willy Wonka overtones, and before this, Robert [Rodriguez] had just made those Westerns and things, you know? And this was a big departure, stylistically, for him. And I was just really excited. I love when someone does that, when they kind of go left field. I guess I do it all the time. It’s sort of exciting to be doing something new with someone. And it’s a really good film. […]

It so changed how people approach me. If you were a child in 2001, you’re an adult 1738975107. And… I remember exactly the moment when young people, young adults, changed their reaction to me when they saw me in public. Because it went from being like, “Oh, yeah. Famous guy, oh yeah, uh” to, [shocked expression] “Mr. Floop! You’re a part of my childhood.” And it’s continued. I love the idea that I have been… a magical part of people’s childhood. It’s such a lovely thing.

What This Means For Alan Cumming

Spy Kids Was A Seminal Moment

The fact that Spy Kids created such a potent change is notable, considering the fact that Cumming had already been working in the industry for more than 15 years by the time he appeared in Spy Kids. While his career started with British тιтles that may have escaped the notice of international audiences, by the mid-1990s he began to appear in a number of notable projects including the James Bond movie GoldenEye, the Jane Austen adaptation Emma, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, the Spice Girls vehicle Spice World, Eyes Wide Shut, тιтus, and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas.

Spy Kids standing among that crop of тιтles as one of the most important means that it may have been largely responsible for many of his career landmarks since then, which include playing Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United two years later. Other more recent Alan Cumming movies include It’s Complicated, Burlesque, The Smurfs, and Battle of the Sєxes. He has also taken on a variety of small screen roles including starring in The Good Wife and Schmigadoon and, even more recently, hosting the popular reality compeтιтion show The Traitors US.

Our Take On Alan Cumming’s Spy Kids Comments

He Remembers Where He Came From

It is perhaps telling that Cumming remembers his role in Spy Kids with such fondness, as his commitment to the role of Floop has defined his approach to his career up to this point. Without his willingness to throw caution to the wind and play such an outlandish character, he may never have had the opportunities he later had, but he also would likely have never developed the fearlessness required bring the unique energy to the screen that he does in The Traitors and other recent appearances.

Source: Vanity Fair