The Untold Truth Of Matthew Gray Gubler
Matthew Gray Gubler might just win the award for "most eccentric actor in Hollywood." He's a quirky artist with a fondness for drawing many creatures, and he adamantly refuses to wear matching socks. That's right. Unsurprisingly, the "Criminal Minds" actor is a "mismatching sock guy" all the way. "I've occasionally worn them matching, but something strange always happens on those days, whether it be spraining an ankle or messing up a knee," he told BuzzFeed in 2013.
Fortunately, the things that make Gubler a bit of an oddball are also what make him all the more lovable. The same can be found in his "Criminal Minds" character, Dr. Spencer Reid, whom Gubler has been portraying since he was 25 years old. Although some actors would grow tired of working on the same series for 15 seasons, Gubler is eternally grateful for the role. "It's fun and quite an honor," Gubler told Liveabout.com about playing the brilliant doctor on the FBI drama. "He's a PhD in physics and mathematics, and nobody knows what the third one is." Despite how much he adored playing the role, the actor admitted that they aren't fully alike. "I'm in no way scientifically minded," he told the magazine. "I think he's way more analytical than I am."
Gubler sure makes up for that in a variety of other ways. Keep reading to learn more about the multi-talented performer.
Matthew Gray Gubler grew up in Las Vegas
While Matthew Gray Gubler may not be "scientifically minded," he is a master of creative thinking and the arts. In fact, when he was a kid, he went to an incredibly prestigious performing arts school in Las Vegas (his origin city), where he finally felt like he had found his true calling. In an interview with BuzzFeed, the actor called it "this magical realm of a school that became a sanctuary for every not-quite-normal kid in Las Vegas."
Although Gubler has moved on to a career in Hollywood, Las Vegas still has a very special place in his heart. The "500 Days of Summer" star told Glamour, "It's a town that shouldn't exist in an inhospitable desert. It's a beautiful beacon of light, and I like that."
In fact, Las Vegas is such a big part of his life that even his "Criminal Minds" character Spencer Reid was born and bred in Sin City. The actor didn't graduate from high school at age 12, like Dr. Reid (per Looper), but both Gubler and his character dealt with bullies in their youth, unfortunately.
The actor was bullied as a child
Dr. Spencer Reid is undoubtedly a fan favorite on "Criminal Minds." In fact, according to a Reddit Poll, he was voted the most beloved character by a landslide. The same admiration applies for Matthew Gray Gubler, who is now praised for his eccentric persona. But during his formative years, the very qualities that make him such a unique and stand-out personality were also what he was bullied for. Gubler says he is grateful for the torment that he received in his childhood because it made him into the fearless person he is today.
In Gubler's case, the more his peers wanted him to conform, the more outlandish he became. He told BuzzFeed, "I thank every bully I ever had because that's the only reason I'm here." The "Criminal Minds" star continued, saying, "I learned how to not be affected by it and triumph over it, and that made me — again, if I had any success whatsoever, it's because these people made fun of me."
To this very day, Gubler chooses to embrace the things that make him different from the rest. As an adult, he finds that he gets along best with like-minded people who also consider themselves outcasts or misfits. Gubler told the AP, "My only hope with anything I make, whether it's a painting, or a performance as an actor, or a thing I'm directing, or a story, is if I can make outsiders feel like they belong, then I feel like I've done my duty for the day."
Matthew Gray Gubler was a male model at the start of his career
Did you know that before becoming Dr. Spencer Reid, Matthew Gray Gubler was a model? Although Gubler confessed to BuzzFeed that he used to be bullied for his lanky frame, his unique look eventually made him desirable for male modeling — we're talking American Eagle, Marc Jacobs, Tommy Hilfiger, and even Prada. "It's pretty bizarre because I was stupendously awkward-looking up until about 10th grade," Gubler said about his looks in an interview with TV Guide. "I looked like a flapper from the 1920s, with the body of a troll."
Self-deprecation aside, the "Dollface" actor is obviously easy on the eyes. He is even addressed by hunky Shemar Moore's character on "Criminal Minds" as "Pretty Boy." But even though the actor is regarded as a total heartthrob, he holds rare beliefs on the subject of beauty, telling BuzzFeed in 2013 that unconventional and conventional beauty are equally attractive to him.
Despite his success in the modeling world, these gigs weren't Gubler's favorite. "The hardest acting of all is doing modeling because it's very seldomly an area where they want any amount of personality," he said at the 2011 Monte Carlo TV Festival. With Gubler's massive persona, it's no wonder that he finds the job difficult!
He never planned on being an actor
Although Matthew Gray Gubler is a total scene stealer on "Criminal Minds," he actually never sought out acting as a realistic career path. After attending the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, he graduated with a degree in film studies, which he planned on using to become a director. And although he is forever grateful for his role on "Criminal Minds" and all the various films he has starred in, he prefers directing to acting.
"I always thought [acting was] a profession that you have no control over," he admitted to BuzzFeed. "Like, as good as you were, you were still waiting for other people to pick you." While directing, he is able to have more creative control, which is obviously Gubler's strong suit. In an interview with Glamour, he said that instead of seeing himself as an "actor" first and foremost, he considers himself a "storyteller." "That's what I am. Whether it's pictures I draw or things I direct, I'm just trying to tell a story and make people's lives hopefully more enchanting," he shared.
The star discussed his directorial process for "Criminal Minds" in 2018. "My hope with every episode from the very beginning was to do something very, hopefully unique and something that creates a special world that we haven't yet felt on the show," he said on the Build Series.
His haunted tree house is enchanting
In an interview with Mademoiselle Robot in 2009, Matthew Gray Gubler revealed that he did his best creative work in small spaces. "My dream would be to live in a hollowed out tree," he told the outlet, noting that he leads a life of simplicity.
Well fortunately, it seems as though he got his wish (sorta) because he now resides in a haunted tree house! It seems perfectly fitting for the "Alvin and the Chipmunks" actor, who loves all things unusual and Halloween-like. (He basically has a monopoly on the holiday.) In a 2015 interview with Vanity Fair, Gubler was kind enough to give us a tour of the tree house. Inside, the actor showed off his brick fireplace, which he purposefully designed: "The masons that were doing it were kind of too skilled, and I wanted it to look like a drunk gnome had built it in the 1800s." Classic Gubler. He also showcased a skull's head which he joked belonged to his dead grandpa who died a week prior to the interview. On a lighter note, Gubler revealed his eccentric set of stuffed animals, which the actor had skillfully made himself.
There you have it. It doesn't get much Gubler-er than that, folks.
He wrote a children's book called Rumple Buttercup: A Story of Bananas, Belonging, and Being Yourself
Matthew Gray Gubler is so passionate about the idea of embracing your inner weirdo that he wrote an entire book on the subject. He also illustrated and hand-wrote all the pages of the children's book. According to Goodreads, the story follows an adorable little monster called Rumple Buttercup who is afraid to interact with society because he feels too strange and unusual. But as it turns out, the things he deems his flaws are actually what make him all the more interesting. While promoting his book (in a full-on Rumple Buttercup costume, because being festive is important), Gubler further explained why he found this project so special. "I've made a lot of things in my life, but Rumple is very dear to me and it's sort of the most control I've ever had over a project," he revealed on Build Series.
Furthermore, he elaborated in an interview with Penguin Random House on why he wrote the book in the first place, along with the moral he was hoping to convey to his readers. "My goal with this book is sort of the same goal I've had in anything I've ever made, and that is to hopefully make anybody who feels alone not feel alone," he revealed. "And anyone who feels like an outsider, I just want them to realize that they belong."
The Criminal Minds star relates to a Disney Princess
Hardcore fans of Matthew Gray Gubler know that he is a massive Disney fanatic. Interestingly, one of his favorite aspects of Walt Disney's universe are the princesses. But can you guess which Disney Princess the actor relates to the most?
Think about it. Just like the "Criminal Minds" star, this Princess is known by her peers as quite the eccentric. Yet instead of suppressing her unique individuality, she chooses to embrace it. If you guessed Princess Belle, you've guessed right! Gubler posted this information on Twitter in 2012, proudly showing everyone his BuzzFeed quiz results. He elaborated on his love for the "Beauty and the Beast" character in an interview with Madamoiselle Robot, where he listed off his biggest crushes of all time. Interestingly, he said, "I am wildly in love with pretty much all of the Disney princesses." Gubler added, "Their optimism/innocence/beautiful dresses and old-fashioned values drive me insane. Belle will always hold a soft spot for falling in love with the beast despite his horrific appearance." So cute!
This is even more a part of Gubler's personality than "Criminal Minds" viewers might realize. "I can whistle so well that people often think I'm a Disney Princess," the star said in a 2019 virtual book signing.
Matthew Gray Gubler's biggest fear
Dr. Spencer Reid on "Criminal Minds" has worked on FBI cases that involve some of the most horrific serial killers of all time. Many of these fictional killers from the TV series are straight-up nightmare-inducing. In fact, the sheer terror of "Criminal Minds" is one of the reasons series regular Mandy Patinkin left the show after starring in it for three seasons. The seasoned actor told New York Magazine in 2012, "It was very destructive to my soul and my personality."
And while Matthew Gray Gubler has been able to stick it out through the terror of the show for a whopping 15 seasons, he isn't entirely fearless in real life. It's a fictional monster that truly gives him a fright. On Twitter in 2010, the actor wrote, point-blank, "My biggest fear in life is the abominable snowman."
While promoting his children's book in 2019, nearly a decade later, Gubler painstakingly detailed his fear in a virtual book signing, saying, "This is not funny, this is not a joke, this is not a bit. I am mortified. I am deathly afraid." He continued, "If I even go to a place and I think the abominable snowman might be there, I don't go."
What is Matthew Gray Gubler's net worth?
Matthew Gray Gubler has been working on "Criminal Minds" since he was 25 years old. He ended the show at the age of 40 in 2020. The actor has become one of the most beloved characters in the series, which is saying a lot considering the brilliance of the entire ensemble. But how much has the actor made per episode, and what is his net worth? According to unconfirmed reports from Celebrity Net Worth, the actor accumulated a total of $100,000 per episode from 2012-2016 and was bumped up to $150,000 per episode after that.
He has starred in multiple other projects along the way, including "500 Days of Summer," and his voice-over role as Simon in "Alvin and the Chipmunks." In total, the actor is worth an estimated $10 million. With that impressive sum, Gubler donates to charities and causes that he cares deeply about. He has been active in his support of The Red Cross (as seen on his Twitter) by crafting his own tote bags, with all of the proceeds going to the charity. Gubler has also been known to host benefit fundraisers in his hometown of Las Vegas, including fashion shows for the American Lung Association (per the Los Angeles Times).
He considers his co-stars his family
In an interview with Glamour, Matthew Gray Gubler discussed how close he is with all of his co-stars on "Criminal Minds." The actor mentioned that it was a bit challenging to have a social life while working on the series since they were filming for such long hours, so the only people he really got to interact with were his cast mates on the FBI drama."When you work this many hours together for this many years, you see each other more than your own families," he told the magazine. "Joe Mantegna is like my Los Angeles dad. Mandy Patinkin is so close to my heart. Early on in the show, he felt like my best friend. Shemar [Moore] is like my brother. A.J. [Cook] is like a sister. Paget [Brewster] is my best friend."
Even though the series officially wrapped up in February 2020, it's very clear that the cast remains close. Gubler's Instagram page features the beloved TV colleagues occasionally hanging out off set. Surprisingly, TVLine reported that Gubler would not be reprising his role in the Paramount+ revival of "Criminal Minds," which received a 10-episode order in summer 2022.
Matthew Gray Gubler was in a long-term relationship with Kat Dennings
Who knew that "Two Broke Girls" star Kat Dennings and Matthew Gray Gubler were in a long-term relationship? According to the actor in an interview with Glamour, although the two are no longer together, they still maintain an incredibly strong friendship. And despite it being a genuine challenge to remain friends with an ex-lover, Gubler is adamant about not cutting ties with the star because of how unique she is as a person. He stated, "I fall in love with wonderful people and people that can't be replicated. They are completely unique individuals, and those people are really rare and you can't let them go. You gotta be friends with them forever because if I'm going to date someone, it's a real big thing for me. It means that I feel that we're tied together for life, whether they like it or not!"
Fortunately, the "Criminal Minds" actor was being entirely earnest about the fact that they are still close friends. The two have gone on to act together in several projects following their split, including a film called "Suburban Gothic" and Dennings' Hulu series, "Dollface."
Well, there you have it, folks! All the more reasons to love the "Criminal Minds" star.