What The Kid From Jungle 2 Jungle Looks Like Today
If you're a '90s kid, admit it — the kid from Jungle 2 Jungle was probably one of your first crushes. Starring as Mimi-Siku opposite Tim Allen, Martin Short, and Lolita Davidovich in the slightly problematic Disney flick (well, it was 1997), 15-year-old Sam Huntington portrayed the adorable yet mischievous teenage son of Allen's Michael Cromwell, a no-nonsense New York City broker. After growing up as a member of an Amazonian tribe, Mimi-Siku bonds with his estranged dad in the Big Apple.
Despite its slightly nonsensical plot, the former child star delivered a stand-out performance alongside a cast of comedy heavyweights, and won the hearts of millennials everywhere while gearing up to become the next Jonathan Taylor Thomas. But whatever happened to him? Was he destined to be a big-name actor or did he fade away as a forgotten '90s movie star? Well, it turns out that Huntington has been hiding in plain sight in show business. Let's find out what he's doing today.
He's been working steadily in show biz
Though Roger Ebert basically called Jungle 2 Jungle the worst film of 1997, it still became a staple in every kid's movie diet, encouraging Sam Huntington to buckle down on his acting dreams.
During the late '90s and early 2000s, he continued to work steadily, guesting on various serial crime dramas. He appeared in the hit series Veronica Mars (2004-07) and landed on the big screen in Home of Phobia (2004) and Sleepover (2004). Huntington also delved further into comedy with performances in cult favorites Detroit Rock City (1999), Not Another Teen Movie (2001), and Fanboys (2009).
"My preferred genre for sure [is comedy]," he told the HuffPost in 2017. "Everything I do has to have an element of humor in it... I like making funny content because I think it's important for people to laugh and be distracted momentarily."
He scored a dream role in Superman Returns
Sam Huntington's biggest blockbuster role to date was in Bryan Singer's highly anticipated Superman Returns in 2006. Portraying Clark Kent's best friend, Daily Planet reporter Jimmy Olsen, the actor was in good company as the DC flick boasted an impressive cast: Brandon Routh as Superman, Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane, and Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor.
Amid the #MeToo movement, the multiple allegations of sexual misconduct made against both Singer and Spacey have most likely cast a dark shadow over the movie for many comic book fans. However, working on the project was a true career highlight for Huntington. As he told the Huffington Post just before the claims broke in late 2017, "Being part of that film was [an] absolute dream come true. For me it was a check off the bucket list. If I could have done anything when I was seven years old and dreamed of coming to Hollywood, Jimmy Olsen is the role I would want to play."
He got hitched
On Aug. 13, 2006, a 24-year-old Sam Huntington married 26-year-old actress/producer Rachel Klein in his hometown of Peterborough, N.H.
The happy couple met while working on Rolling Kansas in 2003. "I actually played his girlfriend in [the] film," Klein told the Houston Chronicle in 2005. "It is kind of close quarters when you meet someone on a movie set. You shoot for long days and you are forced to get to know people pretty well."
They began dating shortly after filming wrapped, moved to Los Angeles together, and, well, the rest is history. Huntington popped the question during a romantic trip in Santa Barbara in February 2005, surrounded by their friends and family. "She is beautiful," he told the Houston Chronicle, gushing about his soon-to-be wife. "She is one of the sweetest girls I have ever met and she is my best friend."
In 2017, Huntington took to Instagram to celebrate their anniversary. "Eleven years married to the most perfect human being on earth," he said. "So excited that I get to spend the rest of my life with her."
We're not crying, you are.
His family is beyond adorable
Sam Huntington and Rachel Klein welcomed son Charlie in 2009 and daughter Audrey in 2012. While maintaining a busy work schedule in show biz, the proud papa and doting husband often takes to social media to share the family-of-four's sweetest moments and fun adventures. In October 2017, he posted an adorable black-and-white snapshot of his tribe, alongside the caption, "Family is everything ... #LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE." Can you even handle the cute?
The following May, the actor took to Instagram to wish his wife a Happy Mother's Day with a collage of family photos. "This woman made these kids and makes me happy every single day," Huntington wrote in the heartfelt caption. "@bonjourfete - I couldn't possibly be any more blessed to have you in my life and to have you be the mommy to our insane kiddos. You are our hero. You are everything. Happy Mother's Day sweetheart."
Relationship goals? Check. Parenting goals? Double check.
Playing a werewolf was brutal
Sam Huntington is perhaps best known for his starring role as werewolf Josh Levison on the American version of Being Human—a coveted part he played from 2011 to 2014, but it turns out that transforming into a werewolf was brutal.
"It kills me, every time. It's by far and away the hardest job I've ever had in my life," he told Chuck the Movie Guy at Comic-Con in 2011. "Physically, I mean, I'm so spent after a night in the woods, I'm laid up for days, literally. [Doing the voice] is actually the hardest part. I scream so much, I'm still hoarse from when I did it like a week and a half ago ... It's exhausting."
That said, being at the center of the hit supernatural series was an experience he looks back on fondly. "They are like family. We were in the thick of it for four years together and have a bond that is so strong," he told HuffPost of the experience. "We were just so lucky."
He brought his makeup skills to the Face Off
Sam Huntington has picked up a thing or two about film magic over the course of his career. In 2012, he brought his prosthetic makeup expertise to the table while serving as a judge on the SyFy competition show Face Off. Contestants were challenged to create a believable makeup effect for gory wounds suffered during a werewolf attack.
"I'm a traditionalist," Huntington said (via TV Over Mind). "I go back to movies like Star Wars and E.T. and their great practical effects. You believe it's a real thing, a thing with a heart and soul." Of the contestants, he had this to say: "All the makeups were so great. It took getting right up to them and looking them over and inspecting each aspect closely to make a decision. ... I really, really, enjoyed my time on Face Off. I'd lie in front of a bus to do it again."
Veronica Mars asked him to come back
Sam Huntington was invited to reprise his role of Luke Haldeman in the highly anticipated, Kickstarter-funded Veronica Mars movie in 2014. However, he wasn't necessarily expecting that call. "Never in a million years. No f**king way!" the actor told Collider. "It was nice to go back. I was only in two episodes of the series, so it was fun to see everybody." Huntington added, "It's been a quiet decade for a lot of people, so to come back and all be together, and to be doing this thing again, it was really, really fun."
Fast forward four years — in September 2018, the show's star, Kristen Bell, took to Twitter to announce that Veronica Mars would receive a mini-series revival on Hulu. At the time of this writing, Huntington has not yet been confirmed to take part in the project. However, since it's early days in the show's development process, there's still a chance that he may play Luke Haldeman once again. We're certainly keeping our fingers crossed!
He scored a special guest role on Rosewood
After Being Human went off the air, Huntington took on a recurring role on Fox's Rosewood in 2016. Alongside the crime drama's leads, Morris Chestnut and Jaina Lee Ortiz, the actor played Mitchie Mendelson, whom Deadline described as a "fun, fast talking new-to-town private pathologist who was forced to close his lab in Pensacola due a penchant for doing pro bono work."
At the time of his casting, executive producer Todd Harthan gushed about Huntington to Starry Constellation Magazine, saying, "He's a great young actor. We've just added him to the fold ... and I think the audience is going to be excited about the dynamic he brings to the show." It certainly seems like they were, because Huntington ended up appearing in 24 of the series' 44 episodes.
While Rosewood maintained steady ratings throughout its two-season run, it suffered from negative reviews, and unfortunately faced cancellation in 2017.
He fanboyed on Sully
In 2016, Huntington was tapped to work opposite Tom Hanks as passenger Jeff Kolodjay in director Clint Eastwood's Sully. The movie portrayed the real-life heroism of Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, an American pilot who famously saved the lives of everyone on board a disabled plane by landing in the Hudson River in 2009.
While working alongside true film legends on the project, Huntington understandably experienced some pure fanboy moments. He posted a photo with Eastwood taken on set, and even got to meet the real Sully himself at the film's premiere.
The cherry on top? Sully was a bona fide hit. Grossing $240.8 million worldwide, the biographical drama received positive reviews and earned a high score of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. As the site's general critical consensus read, "As comfortingly workmanlike as its protagonist, Sully makes solid use of typically superlative work from its star and director to deliver a quietly stirring tribute to an everyday hero."
He tried his hand at producing
Huntington not only starred in the 2016 indie flick Finding Sofia, he also helped produce the film. According to Variety, Huntington plays Alex, a young filmmaker who unwittingly goes on a journey of self-acceptance after impulsively purchasing a plane ticket to Buenos Aires to meet a woman named Sofia, played by Andrea Carballo. Spoiler Alert: can you smell catfish?
"A lot of people have traveled across the world and end up feeling disconnected and unable to communicate, which is very discomforting," Huntington told The Bubble in 2016. "Especially when you are desperate to make a connection, which Alex obviously is in the film."
At the Austin Film Festival, Huntington called Finding Sofia his "favorite film... I got to play this three-dimensional, really interesting character ... I was thrilled to be a part of it."
TV work has kept him busy
While Huntington has continued to split his time between television and film, these projects have failed to elevate him to A-list status. However, that could change if either Losing It or A Million Little Things take off.
According to Deadline, Losing It is a family comedy that revolves around "three misfit adult siblings and their parents." Huntington plays Owen, the "handsome, charming and single younger brother" of Jon Cryer's Andy. The actor tweeted that he was "beyond excited!!!" when he scored the gig in 2017, but at the time of this writing, there have been no updates on the fate of the ABC pilot.
However, the network has since picked up A Million Little Things, an hour-long dramedy by the same creative team. With Huntington cast as a recurring "mystery man" named Tom, Deadline noted that the show centers on a group of Bostonian friends who are "'stuck' in their respective lives." When "one of them dies unexpectedly, the event serves as a wake-up call the others need to finally start living." The series premiered in late September 2018 to mixed reception, but has so far maintained fairly steady ratings.
Second Nature failed to give his career a boost
Huntington's career stood to catch its second wind with Second Nature in 2017, but it unfortunately failed to make much of a splash. The indie flick saw the actor star alongside Collette Wolfe of Hot Tub Time Machine in a satirical fantasy that challenged gender roles through a small-town mayoral race.
"It was a bit of a step away from my comfort zone," Huntington told the Huffington Post. Adding that his character, Brett, is "a despicable misogynist at the beginning of the film," he noted, "I generally get cast to play the kind of goofy everyman. And this guy definitely had a journey to go through, and that was appealing to me."
After playing the film festival circuit, Second Nature was set for a wide release before heading to Video On Demand, but only ended up making it to one theater. Yes, just one. In other words, it was neither largely seen nor heavily reviewed. However, The Seattle Times called it "ambitious and strange" in its review, adding, "What it doesn't have is much of a story, though the actors seem to be having a ball."
He made his way to Tribeca
In October 2017, Sam Huntington was cast in the black comedy Corpse Tub, which was later renamed Seven Stages to Achieve Eternal Bliss by Passing through the Gateway Chosen by the Holy Storsh — say that five times fast!
According to Deadline, he and The Big Bang Theory's Kate Micucci (above) played a Midwest couple who find a low-rent Los Angeles apartment that is too good to be true. The dark twist? The flat's previous occupant was a cult leader who died by suicide in the apartment's bathtub, and now his followers are showing up to follow suit. At the time, the ever-enthusiastic Huntington tweeted, "I'm so pumped about this one u guys. It was so much fun to make."
The movie premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival to generally favorable reviews in April 2018. "I'm thrilled to be here and with this movie," the actor told The Upcoming, explaining that he'd never been to the famous festival before. Of his character, he said, "I really am drawn to naïve, innocent characters, and I thought that Paul has a very ... interesting arc."
Hey, if Huntington's this excited about a movie titled Seven Stages to Achieve Eternal Bliss by Passing through the Gateway Chosen by the Holy Storsh, I suppose we are too.