Everyone remembers the 2003 remake of Cheaper by the Dozen. You’ve got Steve Martin being peak Steve Martin, a pre-fame Ashton Kutcher as the "self-absorbed" boyfriend, and enough chaotic energy to make any parent want to take a nap. But if you look past the slapstick and the frog-in-the-breakfast-burrito gags, there’s one character who basically anchors the emotional stakes of the whole movie. I’m talking about Mark Baker.
Mark, played by Forrest Landis, wasn't just another face in the crowd of twelve kids. He was the "FedEx" kid. That nickname always felt a little mean-spirited, didn't it? It came from the running joke that he didn't quite fit in with the rest of the high-energy, sports-obsessed Baker clan. While his siblings were busy being athletic or popular or causing property damage, Mark was the quiet soul with the glasses and the pet beans. Honestly, he’s the most relatable character for anyone who grew up feeling like the odd one out in their own living room.
The Struggle of Being Mark From Cheaper by the Dozen
When we talk about Mark from Cheaper by the Dozen, we have to talk about the "redheaded stepchild" syndrome, even though he was biologically a Baker. In the context of the film, Mark represents the sensitive outlier. His siblings are a whirlwind. You have the older ones like Nora and Charlie dealing with adult problems, and the middle pack like Lorraine and Henry who have very clear identities. Mark? He just wanted his glasses fixed and his pet snake, Beans, to be okay.
The movie uses Mark as the barometer for the family's dysfunction. When Tom Baker (Steve Martin) moves the family from their cozy life in Midland to the high-pressure suburbs of Evanston, everyone suffers, but Mark breaks. It's a classic middle-child trope dialed up to eleven. His glasses get stepped on. He gets teased. He’s the one who eventually runs away, which is the big "wake up call" moment for the parents. It’s a heavy burden for a kid actor to carry in a comedy, but Landis played it with this earnestness that actually made you feel for him.
He wasn't "cool." He wasn't particularly "tough." He was just Mark.
Behind the Scenes with Forrest Landis
It’s kind of wild to look back at the cast now. You see Hilary Duff at the height of her Lizzie McGuire fame and Alyson Stoner doing her thing. Forrest Landis, who played Mark, was only about nine years old when the first movie came out. He had this specific look—the messy red hair and those thick frames—that made him instantly recognizable.
Landis actually stayed in the acting game for a bit after the 2003 hit and the 2005 sequel. You might remember him in Flightplan with Jodie Foster or the Spy School movie. He eventually stepped away from the spotlight, which is a pretty common move for child stars who want a normal life. But for a generation of Millennials and Gen Z-ers who grew up watching the Bakers on DVD, he’ll always be the kid who just wanted his family to pay attention for five seconds.
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There was a specific chemistry in that cast. Reports from the set often mentioned how the kids actually bonded like a real family, which probably helped Landis play the "excluded" one so well. You can't fake that specific kind of sibling dynamic where you love each other but also kind of annoy the crap out of each other.
The Beans Incident and the Emotional Pivot
The death of Beans the frog (and later the disappearance of the snake) is actually a pretty pivotal plot point. To the other kids, it’s just a pet. To Mark, it’s his only friend in a house that feels way too crowded. When the family fails to show up for him during his time of grief, it highlights the theme of the movie: success doesn't mean anything if you’re losing your people.
Tom Baker is so obsessed with his dream coaching job at Illinois that he misses the fact that his son is spiraling. It's a trope, sure. But it works. It works because Mark is written as such a vulnerable target. You don't want to see the kid with the glasses get hurt. It's like a universal rule of cinema.
Why Mark’s Story Arc Still Hits Home
Looking at the film through a 2026 lens, the way Mark from Cheaper by the Dozen is treated is actually kind of a case study in "lost child" psychology. In large families, it is incredibly easy for the quietest person to become invisible. The movie handles this by making Mark the catalyst for the resolution.
He doesn't win a big game. He doesn't get a makeover.
Instead, he runs away back to their old house in Midland. This forces the entire Baker family to stop competing with each other and start looking for him. It's the first time in the movie the "dozen" actually acts as a unit. They realize that they aren't twelve individuals living under one roof; they’re a pack. Mark’s "otherness" is what eventually brings the family back to its senses.
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Cultural Impact and the "FedEx" Legacy
The term "FedEx" stuck. Even today, if you look at TikTok or Twitter (X) threads about the movie, people still reference the FedEx joke. Some people find it hilarious; others realize how tragic it actually was for a kid to be told he was "delivered by a different service" because he didn't look like his siblings.
- The Look: Red hair, pale skin, glasses.
- The Vibe: Introverted, animal-loving, sensitive.
- The Role: The emotional anchor of the first film.
The 2022 Disney+ remake tried to capture this dynamic too, but there's something about the 2003 version's portrayal of Mark that remains the gold standard for "the outcast sibling." It felt less like a scripted character and more like a kid we all knew in elementary school.
Where is Forrest Landis Now?
Naturally, people get curious about what happened to the kid behind the character. Unlike some of his co-stars who stayed in the public eye (like Duff or Bonnie Hunt), Landis took a different path. He’s largely stayed out of the industry as an adult.
He’s been spotted in "where are they now" reunions over the years, looking completely different—standard adult stuff. He ditched the signature glasses and grew up. It's actually refreshing to see a child star who did their work, created a classic character, and then just went off to live a private life. It adds to the nostalgia of the character. Mark stays frozen in time as that 9-year-old kid with the pet frog.
Key Takeaways for Fans of the Franchise
If you're revisiting the movie or introducing it to a new generation, keep an eye on Mark’s subplots. They are way more intentional than they seem at first glance.
Watch for the subtle neglect. Notice how often Tom or Kate (Bonnie Hunt) get his name wrong or forget his specific needs compared to the "star" children. It makes the ending where Tom resigns from his dream job much more earned.
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The "FedEx" joke isn't just a joke. It’s a setup for the payoff. By the end of the film, they stop calling him that. They accept him as a core part of the family, not an add-on.
Landis’s performance is the secret sauce. If he had played Mark as a brat, the movie wouldn't work. Because he played him as a sweetheart, you’re on his side the whole time.
The next time you’re flipping through streaming services and see that familiar red poster with Steve Martin surrounded by kids, remember the kid in the middle. Mark from Cheaper by the Dozen taught us that being the "odd one out" doesn't mean you don't belong; it just means you're the one who sees what everyone else is missing.
To truly appreciate the character's journey, pay attention to the scene where the family finally finds him at the old house. The silence in that moment says more than all the shouting in the rest of the film. It's about realizing that every member of a group—no matter how large—needs to be seen for who they are, not just what they contribute to the "team."
If you're looking for more nostalgia, check out the social media profiles of the other Baker siblings; many of them, like Alyson Stoner and Kevin Schmidt, frequently share behind-the-scenes stories about what it was like filming those massive dinner scenes. It turns out, keeping twelve kids in character while food is being thrown around is just as hard as it looks.