Erik Per Sullivan, who played Dewey on the hit 2000s sitcom Malcolm in the Middle, turned down what co-star Jane Kaczmarek described as “buckets of money” to reprise his role in the series’ 2026 revival, the actress told The Guardian. Per Sullivan will not appear in Malcolm In The Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, instead continuing his academic studies at Harvard University.
Kaczmarek, who returns as matriarch Lois in the four-episode revival, said Per Sullivan politely declined despite a lucrative offer. “They offered him buckets of money to come back, and he just said: ‘No thank you,’” she told the paper. NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth reported that Per Sullivan is studying Dickens and pursuing graduate work in Victorian literature at Harvard — a path Kaczmarek praised as evidence that he “wasn’t interested in acting, at all.”
Producers have cast Caleb Ellsworth-Clark — known for parts in Fargo and The Expanse — to play the Dewey role in the revival. It was first revealed in March 2025 that Per Sullivan would be the only original cast member not appearing in the new series; Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, Kaczmarek, Christopher Masterson and Justin Berfield are all set to reprise their original roles. The miniseries follows an adult Malcolm and his daughter being dragged back into the family’s chaos when his parents demand he attend their 40th wedding anniversary, according to the show’s synopsis.
The reboot’s official trailer was released on March 12 and the four-part series is set to stream on Hulu and Disney+ beginning April 10, 2026. The brief revival has prompted renewed attention on the original cast’s post-show lives; Per Sullivan famously stepped away from acting after Malcolm in the Middle ended in 2006 and has kept a low profile since.
Per Sullivan, born in Worcester, Rhode Island, attended Mount Saint Charles Academy in Woonsocket and later Phillips Exeter Academy, according to biographical records. Co-stars and interviewers have occasionally noted his academic interests in past years: in 2024 Kaczmarek told a YouTube show devoted to the sitcom that he was pursuing graduate work in Victorian literature and did not find show business appealing.
The decision highlights a growing trend of former child actors opting out of reunion projects to pursue lives outside Hollywood. While the revival brings together much of the original ensemble and leans on nostalgia, Per Sullivan’s absence — and the reason for it — underscores that not all members of beloved casts view returning as the right next step.