Mystery of Malcolm In The Middle Dewey star who vanished and was recast in reboot
Malcom in the Middle star Erik Per Sullivan seemingly vanished after starring as Dewey in the beloved noughties sitcom, but now his co-star has revealed his whereabouts
One Malcom in the Middle star disappeared from the spotlight.
Disney has now confirmed that the beloved 90s sitcom is getting a reboot, following some hints from lead star Frankie Muniz that it was making a comeback. Frankie will be returning as title character Malcom, and Hollywood stars Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek will be reprising their roles as his parents.
However, not all of the original cast will be starring in the four-part revival of the show. Actor Erik Per Sullivan, who played Malcom's younger brother Dewey in the original sitcom, won't be appearing in the reboot and instead will be replaced by Caleb Ellsworth-Clark.
Malcom in the Middle followed teen genius Malcom (Muniz) and his chaotic family, including dad Hal (Cranston), mum Lois (Kaczmarek), and Malcom's brothers Francis (Christopher Kennedy Masterson) and Reese (Justin Berfield). Erik played Dewey in all seasons from 2000 until 2006.
He starred in the 2010 drama film Twelve after the show but after that he seemed to vanish off of the face of the earth. He hasn't returned for cast reunions over the years, and people have been wondering where he is for the best part of a decade.
Even Frankie admitted he didn't know what Erik was up to, but his whereabouts was finally revealed by his co-star Kaczmarek, who played Dewey's mum. And it turns out the cast were told to "keep quiet" about what happened to Erik since he ditched fame.
It seems that he's now leading a very different life away from the acting world, but he seems to be doing well for himself. She told Malcom France, a YouTube channel dedicated to the sitcom: "He's well, he's very, very well. He did Malcolm for seven years, he started at seven, he ended at 14.
"He wasn't interested in acting, at all. He goes to school at a very prestigious American university that he's asked us all to be quiet about and he loves Charles Dickens.
"He's doing graduate work in Victorian literature. I admire it because so many people think being in show business is the greatest thing in the world, it's not for everyone".
Frankie, who has spoken to Erik a few times since the show, shared his sadness at not having kept in touch with his former co-star more. He said: "To be honest, I don't know what he's up to. I hate to say that because I've talked to him a few times since the show ended. I've talked to his parents a lot.
When I was in the band, we went and played in the city where he lives and his parents came to the show but unfortunately he couldn't make it. So I got to talk to them, and he's been all over doing a lot of different things.
"But one thing I know, some actors or some people just got to do it when they were a kid and then they wanted to experience other things and kind of live a more normal life out of the spotlight. I think that's what he wanted to do so good for him."
The original series of Malcolm in the Middle is available to stream on Disney+.
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