What Happened To Malcolm In The Middle's Dewey Actor After The Show

Erik Per Sullivan played Dewey in Malcolm in the Middle, but the actor hasn’t been seen on screen in a long time. 17 years after Malcolm in the Middle ended, it’s still hailed as one of the best sitcoms of all time. The series owes a big part of its success to the talented actors who play its delightfully dysfunctional family. Malcolm in the Middle made stars out of several of its cast members. However, Sullivan left the acting business shortly after leaving the role of Dewy in Malcolm in the Middle behind.

Dewey was the youngest child for much of the series and an important aspect of the strange household, along with brothers Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) and Reese (Justin Berfield) as well as parents Lois (Jane Kaczmarek) and Hal (Bryan Cranston). Sullivan earned acclaim for his role as the eccentric youngest son and was nominated for two Young Artist Awards. He took on quite a few other roles during the sitcom’s seven-season run, including joining the voice cast of Finding Nemo, the horror movie Wendigo, and the festive film Christmas with the Kranks. However, Sullivan’s career after the show is sparse.

Erik Per Sullivan Didn’t Do Much Acting After Malcolm In The Middle

Sullivan’s Last Role Was In 2010

According to his IMDb page, Erik Per Sullivan has only taken on a handful of acting jobs since after Malcolm in the Middle ended. He had a role in a short film titled Once Not Far From Home and voiced a couple of characters in Luc Besson’s animated fantasy film Arthur and the Invisibles. Sullivan also played the title role in a 2007 movie called Mo about a boy with Marfan Syndrome, and his last credit was a supporting role as Timmy in Joel Schumacher’s 2010 teen crime movie Twelve.

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Since playing Dewey, it seems Erik Per Sullivan has quit acting and is living a low-key lifestyle outside the spotlight. Sullivan isn’t the only cast member who stopped acting shortly after Malcolm in the Middle. His co-star Justin Berfield also took on a few more acting gigs after the sitcom came to an end but — as per his IMDb page — he’s since switched to more behind-the-scenes roles.

Berfield started working as an executive producer on a couple of reality TV shows. However, while Berfield and most of the main cast appeared in a virtual Malcolm in the Middle reunion for charity, Sullivan chose not to take part, which suggests he’s well and truly left his acting days behind him.

A Malcolm In The Middle Return Wouldn’t Be Right Without Dewey

Is There A Point In Rebooting The Show Without The Full Cast?

Since the virtual reunion, which didn’t include Erik Per Sullivan, a Malcolm in the Middle reboot has been in high demand. The series could pick up with the gang as adults, as it’s the only natural place for the show to go. However, without Dewey, a new show could fall flat. The youngest brother is an integral part of the family dynamic, and a revival without one of the key cast members would be one of a few reasons why it wouldn’t work.

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Dewey would’ve arguably led the most interesting of lives after the show ended, given his idiosyncrasies and wide array of interests. Some even argue that he was one of the funniest characters on the show. In many ways, not to include him in another Malcolm in the Middle special would make it an inevitable disappointment for some.

Frankie Muniz Supports Erik Per Sullivan’s Decision To Retire From Acting

Muniz’s Support Shows Why Sullivan’s Return Is Not Necessary

Other cast members on Malcolm in the Middle went on to find success in acting after the show. The transition from Malcolm in the Middle to Breaking Bad that Bryan Cranston pulled off was especially impressive and gave him an entirely new career. However, the fact that Sullivan’s acting career didn’t carry on much past the show isn’t necessarily a bad thing — as his costar Frankie Muniz rightly expressed in an interview when asked about Sullivan:

“…
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.
“

Muniz experienced life as a child star on a level few other actors have had. While he continued with various projects over the years, he suggested (via Lad Bible) that Sullivan was simply done with that chapter of his life. Though Muniz admitted that he hadn’t had much communication with Sullivan after the series ended, he understood his decision to leave show business. Even though Sullivan chose to pursue a different path in life, his work in Malcolm in the Middle will remain with fans forever.

Why Erik Per Sullivan’s Dewey Was So Important To Malcolm In The Middle’s Success

Dewey Gave The Show Innocent Fun

Erik Per Sullivan’s Dewey was a core part of the show’s appeal, bringing some of Malcolm in the Middle’s most light-hearted humor. Malcolm in the Middle was a perfect coming-of-age show, and as such, it could veer into some heavy topics. While Frankie Muniz’s lead Malcolm was iconic and the provider of treasured comedy gold, Sullivan’s Dewey ensured there was always a childlike joy to the show’s humor.

Dewey embodied the “always the quiet types” trope, keeping himself to himself and out of harm’s way, all the while hilariously manipulating his family. Dewey was somewhere between simple and a total genius, and the humor lay in never being quite sure which. This key family member in Malcolm in the Middle influenced significantly, as a young character with a quirky aura.

Source: Lad Bible