Justin Berfield comments on the absence of Erik Per Sullivan in the new Malcolm: “Leave him alone!”

The interpreter of Dewey prefers to concentrate on his Master’s degree at Harvard.

He is one of the essential protagonists of the series and yet he is absent from the reboot. Twenty years later, Malcolm, the cult saga of the 2000s, is back on Disney + since April 10…without the “real” Dewey.

The 34-year-old actor, Erik Per Sullivan, who played the younger brother of the siblings for six years, decided – and this despite the astronomical sum that was offered to him – not to reprise his role in the series and to favor his studies at Harvard.

“I know who offered him a lot of money. They offered him four or five times and each time he said ‘No,'” says Justin Berfield in the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast, reports Entertainment Weekly.

The interpreter of Reese, Dewey’s second older brother, gave his support to his former playmate:

“I actually feel bad because he wants to stay out of this world now, and I’ve seen several paparazzi pictures of him. I just want to say, ‘Leave Erik alone’. He doesn’t want to come back on the show. No hard feelings. Everyone likes him.”

Bryan Cranston tried to persuade Sullivan to return to the series:

“I talked to Erik and I said, ‘Hey! The show’s back. He said, Oh, it’s fantastic! Then I said, ‘Yeah, so we’re looking forward to your return,’ and he said, ‘Oh no, no. I don’t want to come back, but it’s fantastic!'” the actor said in another podcast, Fly on the Wall in 2025.

Sullivan was replaced by American actor Caleb Ellsworth-Clark who also shared his fears of reprising the essential role in an interview with People: “I grew up watching the series. I know that Dewey was a character very popular with fans, he was also one of my favorites. I was aware that some might be disappointed that Erik was not coming back.”

But the performer shot all his scenes remotely… It is in fact through an interposed screen that we find the legendary protagonist: Dewey appears on zoom, throughout the four episodes of the revival… Reflecting the disappointment of the fans?

Malcolm: Nothing Has Changed is streaming on Disney+.