Why Malcolm in the Middle's Original Dewey Turned Down 'Buckets of Money' to Appear in Reboot

Hulu and Disney+’s new Malcolm in the Middle reboot, Life’s Still Unfair, premieres April 10, and while many of the show’s original stars, including Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, Jane Kaczmarek, Christopher Kennedy Masterson, and Justin Berfield, will reprise their roles, one beloved character had to be recast. So, why isn’t the original Dewey, Erik Per Sullivan, appearing in the revival?

“They offered him buckets of money to come back, and he just said: ‘No thank you’,” Kaczmarek, who plays mom Lois, told The Guardian on April 3. So, where is he now? “He’s studying Dickens [at Harvard] and is an incredible student,” the actress added.

The former child star has been extremely private since the show originally ended in May 2006, 20 years ago. In fact, he was spotted for the first time in more than a decade in August 2025 while getting coffee in Boston. He was beaming in the photos, seemingly enjoying his quieter life.

Kaczmarek, clearly still close with her former on-screen son, shared an update on his life two years prior. “He’s very, very well,” she said in April 2024. “He did Malcolm for seven years. He started at 7, he ended at 14. He wasn’t interested in acting at all.”

“So many people think being in show business is the greatest thing in the world,” she added. “[But] it’s not for everyone.”

Per Sullivan took on just one role post-Malcolm—2010 crime thriller Twelve—and then he disappeared to focus on a life in academia, during which he attended the University of Southern California before moving to Boston and enrolling at Harvard. Though he previously posted some nostalgic content about Dewey on Instagram, he’s since wiped his online presence.

Related: ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ Cast: Where You’ve Seen the New Dewey Actor Before

Canadian actor Caleb Ellsworth-Clark is stepping in to fill the void and take on the Dewey role, and he might look familiar to fans. He appeared in 2024’s The Thicket, The Silencing, and Syfy’s Wynonna Earp.

The four-part mini series Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair premieres on Hulu and Disney+ on April 10.