Frankie Muniz addresses Dewey actor Erik Per Sullivan not returning for Malcom in the Middle reboot
Frankie Muniz has spoken about Erik Per Sullivan, the actor who plays Dewey in Malcolm in the Middle, not returning for the upcoming reboot.
Erik Per Sullivan was one of the standout stars of the child cast of the US sitcom, however after the show ended decided to retreat from the public eye.
Per Sullivan has been photographed just a few times in the years since, and was confirmed by Bryan Cranston to be working on a Master’s degree at Harvard.
The Breaking Bad actor and famous TV dad revealed that when he told the young actor about the show coming back, he was met with a positive response.
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When he brought up Per Sullivan returning, however, he told him: “Oh, no, no, I don't want to do it. But it's fantastic.
“I haven't acted since I was 9 or something. So I'm not into it.”
The show’s reboot will see Muniz, Cranston, and the rest of the main cast return except for the Dewey actor.
The four-episode limited series will centre around Malcolm now being a father himself, and Lois and Hal celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary.
Frankie Muniz spoke about the decision from Per Sullivan to not return in an interview with the New York Post, expressing how he wasn’t surprised by it.
He said: “He’s very happy in the life that he’s created outside of the entertainment world. He made the decision that he didn’t want to get back into it — which we completely respect.”
The actor spoke about how the cast did not want to force Per Sullivan ‘to do something he didn’t want to do’, before adding: “We had his blessing from day one to have the role be in the show and recast it.
“So I hope people aren’t too upset that he didn’t come back, but it was by his choice.”
The role will be played by actor Caleb Ellsworth-Clark who previously appeared in the TV show Fargo.
Speaking in the same interview about the origins of the four-episode sequel series, Muniz said: “We started talking about doing the reboot over ten years ago and then Bryan Cranston really kind of took the lead in pushing it.”
“But early on, we sent out an email, me and Bryan, to everybody kind of saying like, ‘Hey, if this happened, would you guys be interested?’ just to gauge.”
He stated they ‘knew early on’ that the Dewey actor would not be returning.
Muniz added regarding the show’s reunion: “It was as if no time had passed — for everybody.
“Justin [Berfield], who plays Reece, he’s been out of the acting world for years. But he was right in back into the character.
“Obviously Bryan Cranston is Bryan Cranston — probably one of the greatest actors ever. Jane [Kaczmarek, who plays Lois]. Everybody just fell right back into it.”
Topics: Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, TV and Film, TV, Celebrity
Michael Slavin