Erik Per Sullivan, who played Dewey in 2000s hit sitcom Malcolm In the Middle, opted not to return for the show’s reboot while he pursues higher education.
The former actor, 34, came up in a discussion about new television reboot Malcolm In the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, with Complex’s Mami Tiff.
The reboot stars Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek, who are reviving their roles from the original series.
In the TikTok below, Cranston recalled contacting Sullivan, who was excited about the show’s return but declined to join.
“He was a child actor and then he stopped acting and got into academia,” the seven-time Emmy winner said. “And that’s where his love is. His passion and love is in studies.”
Cranston added that Sullivan is currently pursuing his master’s degree before Kaczmarek interjected to call the former actor her “favorite American right now.”
“Because he knows exactly who he is,” she continued.
“For a young person to think, ‘I know exactly what I want to do…’ He’s studying [Charles] Dickens and Victorian literature,” Kaczmarek revealed. “And he loves it. He’s happy. He’s realized his potential.”
In a previous interview with The Guardian, Kaczmarek shared that Sullivan was offered “buckets of money to come back” but called him “an incredible student.”
Sullivan has been recast with Caleb Ellsworth-Clark. Other original cast members have returned, including Christopher Masterson and Justin Berfield, who play the fictional family’s oldest and second-oldest children, Francis and Reese.
Malcolm In the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair is available to stream on Hulu.
