Tania Raymonde had a breakout role as Cynthia on Malcolm in the Middle, but what has she done since the show went off the air? Debuting in the year 2000, Malcolm in the Middle is a family-based sitcom that follows the titular brilliant teen as he tries to have a normal life despite his dysfunctional family. Unlike other sitcoms that present a glossy look at the nuclear family, Malcolm in the Middle's humor comes from the antics of the Wilkerson family, which is often zany and over-the-top. The series made stars out of Frankie Muniz and Bryan Cranston, and guest stars like Tania Raymonde also went on to bigger things.
Introduced in Malcolm in the Middle, season 2, episode 12, "The Krelboyne Girl," Cynthia is a young girl who has an obsessive crush on Malcolm and will do anything to fit into her school's social circles. She eventually becomes good friends with Malcolm, and the pair have a will-they-won't-they relationship that almost culminates in a kiss for the middle Wilkerson boy. Cynthia skips Malcolm in the Middle season 3 but returns for season 4 and even helps Malcolm out of a social jam because she still cares for him. Tania Raymonde used her role as Cynthia on Malcolm in the Middle to land bigger roles just a few years later.
Tania Raymonde Had A Recurring Role On Lost
Tania Raymonde made sporadic TV appearances in the years immediately following Cynthia's departure from Malcolm in the Middle after season 4 in 2003, but she quickly landed a major recurring role as Alex Rousseau on Lost in 2006. First appearing in Lost, season 2, episode 15, "Maternity Leave," Alex is Ben Linus's adopted daughter who had been forcefully taken away from her mother, Danielle, years earlier. Over her 21-episode appearances in the show, Raymonde was given a chance to flesh out her character and played an integral role in the personal arcs of characters like Ben and Sawyer.
Unlike her turn as Cynthia, a character who wants nothing more than to fit in and be accepted, Raymonde perfectly embodies Alex's rebellious spirit and contrarian attitude. As a member of the Others, Alex often goes against the group and assists the survivors of the Oceanic crash, and she eventually paid the ultimate price in one of Lost's most heartbreaking deaths. Raymonde is also brilliant as an alternate version of Alex in the flash sideways who has an entirely different life story and set of character traits from the one who grew up on the island with Ben Linus.
Raymonde Appeared In Maroon 5's "Won't Go Home Without You" Music Video
During her stint on Lost, Tania Raymonde made her first appearance in a music video when she co-starred in Maroon 5's "Won't Go Home Without You" in 2007. Acting alongside the band's lead singer, Adam Levine, Raymonde plays the subject of the song's lyrics and puts on a strong display of physical acting without any lines. The crux of the music video's premise is that Levine has just broken up with Raymonde's character, and he spends a troublesome day thinking their relationship is over. The video ends with Levine seeing his girlfriend enjoying dinner with another man.
Though she only plays a small role in the video, Raymonde's appearance was enough to catch the eye of other bands, and she went on to appear in several more music videos in the ensuing years. Raymonde's expressiveness and knack for body language has made her a prime candidate for the music video form. She also appears in the indie rock band Cursive's 2009 video "I Couldn't Love You." Between 2009 and 2014, Raymonde appeared in two other videos that similarly cast her as the object of the lead singer's affection. Then Raymonde went behind the camera in 2017 to direct the music video "Without You" for Dream Dama.
Raymonde Starred In Goliath Opposite Billy Bob Thornton
Continuing her string of success on television many years after playing Cynthia on Malcolm in the Middle, Tania Raymonde landed the main character role of Brittany Gold in the understated legal drama Goliath opposite Billy Bob Thornton. In the show, Gold is a sex worker who takes a liking to the down-and-out Billy McBride (Thornton) and occasionally helps him on his cases. Raymonde shines as a member of the cast of Goliath, and she holds her own among heavy hitters like Billy Bob Thornton and William Hurt. Like in many of her other roles, Raymonde excels at finding more within her character than what is presented on the page.
With a wealth of amazing television available, Goliath went somewhat underappreciated during its run on the air, but it was consistently praised by critics, especially for the ensemble performances. The role of Brittany Gold showed growth within Raymonde as an actor, and it illustrated that she had fully come into her own as a seasoned performer by shaking her label as a child star. Many other actors, including her former Malcolm in the Middle co-star Frankie Muniz, struggle to shake their youthful reputation, but Brittany Gold was the perfect role to help Raymonde leave characters like Cynthia behind.
What Raymonde Is Up To Now
Tania Raymonde's lengthy stint on Goliath ended when the show aired its fourth and final season in 2021. Before Goliath, she appeared as Valerie Raymond in four episodes of the action series The Last Ship between 2015 and 2016. After Goliath, she returned to her TV guest-spot roots when she made one-episode appearances on the police procedural shows S.W.A.T. and NCIS, both in 2023. In 2022, Raymonde starred in the independent science fiction film Futra Days, which allowed her to have yet another memorable leading role.
Throughout her career, Raymonde has taken interest in projects behind the scenes, and she co-directed the 2019 indie comedy Bad Art, a film she also co-wrote and starred in. While Raymonde may still be best remembered for her time as Cynthia in Malcolm in the Middle, she has turned in a bevy of strong performances on other hit projects, and she shows no signs of stopping any time soon. Raymonde's versatility and down-to-earth energy have made her a hot commodity for smaller character roles, but she has never failed to exceed expectations every time she's tapped for a leading part.