Malcolm in the Middle is back, even if for a limited time only.
For a four-episode revival titled Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair, its original crew Frankie Muñiz, Bryan Kranston, Jane Kaczmarek, Justin Berfield, and Christopher Masterson reunited 26 years after the initial series' premiere.
Missing from the reboot however was Erik Per Sullivan, who starred as youngest Cleaver family member Dewey, and who has retreated from the spotlight in the two decades since the beloved series aired. Here is what he has been up to since, his rooting out of the reboot, and what his former cast members have said about him.
© Getty ImagesWhat did Erik do after Malcolm in the middle?
Erik, who was born in 1991 in Worcester, Massachusetts, started acting when he was about seven years old, and prior to his seven season (151 episodes) on Malcolm in the Middle, he also appeared on Christmas with the Kranks, as Sheldon on Finding Nemo, and The Cider House Rules.
After Malcolm in the Middle ended in 2006, he voiced a character for Arthur and the Invisibles that same year, then appeared as the title character in Mo (2007), with his last ever acting credit being the 2010 film Twelve.
© Getty ImagesErik's life away from acting
In 2007, when he would have been 16 years old, Erik earned the James Joyce Award from the Literary and Historical Society of University College Dublin. Two years later, he began attending the University of Southern California, though he reportedly did not attend for the traditional four years.
According to some of his former castmates, he is now pursuing his master's degree at Harvard University, where he is studying Victorian literature.
© Getty ImagesWhat his castmates have said about him
Though Erik did not return for the reboot, his former on-screen parents have sung his praises and revealed they are still in touch with him. Bryan, speaking on the Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade, said of his conversation with Erik about the reboot: "I talked to Erik and I said, 'Hey, we got the show! It's going to come back.' He goes, 'Oh, that's fantastic!' And I go, 'Yeah, so we're looking forward to having you back.' He goes, 'Oh, no, no, I don't want to do it. But it's fantastic."
"He's really, really smart, and he's getting his master's at Harvard right now," he further shared. "He said, 'Oh, God no. I haven't acted since I was nine or something, so I'm not into it.'"
In an April 2024 interview with Malcolm France, Erik's on-screen mom Lois said he is doing "very, very well," noting: "He did Malcolm for seven years. He started at seven, he ended at 14. He wasn't interested in acting at all," and that: "So many people think being in show business is the greatest thing in the world. It's not for everyone."
She then revealed in an April 2026 interview with The Guardian" "He's studying Dickens and is an incredible student — they offered him buckets of money to come back, and he just said: ‘No thank you.'"
