Malcolm in the Middle Star Tells Fans to Back Off: Leave the Dewey Actor Alone

Let's be honest, not every former child star wants to jump back into the Hollywood circus. One guy who's made that very clear? Erik Per Sullivan, aka Dewey from Malcolm in the Middle. With all the buzz around the show's new revival, Dewey himself is nowhere to be found—and his old castmate Justin Berfield (Reese, the reigning king of chaos) actually thinks that's completely fair.

Justin Berfield Says: Back Off Dewey

Recently, Berfield stopped by the ‘Howie Mandel Does Stuff’ podcast and didn't mince words about Sullivan being dragged into the spotlight again. Berfield admits he feels for Sullivan, who clearly wants nothing to do with the Hollywood machine anymore, no matter how desperate fans (or production teams) get for another Dewey appearance.

Just leave Eric alone.

Berfield didn't just throw out empty words, either. Here are the essentials:

• Sullivan has zero interest in coming back. The creative team reportedly tried four or five times to get him onboard for the reboot. Every single time: he said ‘No’.
• There's no drama—Sullivan simply wants nothing to do with the limelight. According to Berfield, there's no grudge, no hard feelings, and no secret beef. The guy just enjoys his privacy.
• Money was never the issue. Jane Kaczmarek (Lois) says Sullivan was offered a solid paycheck, but he flatly refused—he's far more interested in academics these days. Apparently, he's deep into Charles Dickens and hitting the books hard. As Kaczmarek put it, he’s ‘an incredible student’. The most Dewey answer ever: ‘No thank you’.

So, since Sullivan said nope, here's the wild part: the reboot didn't just leave out Dewey—they recast him. If you tune in, that's Caleb Ellsworth-Clark filling Dewey's shoes, not the kid you remember raising weird animals and playing keyboards in the corner.

About the Reboot: Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair

In case you missed it, the reboot follows Malcolm (Frankie Muniz, still hanging onto whatever calm he can muster) as an adult with a kid of his own—and, surprise surprise, Hal and Lois (Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek, respectively) are back to throw his life into chaos all over again. Basically, everything people loved about the original run from 2000 to 2006.

The original series is still a critic favorite too, racking up impressive scores on both IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. Clearly, that oddball family energy has some serious staying power.

So if you're tempted to tweet "Where's Dewey?" or go on some internet deep-dive: maybe take Berfield's advice. Sometimes people outgrow the madness. Or, you know, just want to finish their Dickens homework in peace.