Why Malcolm In The Middle Star Erik Per Sullivan Disappeared From Hollywood

A show that focuses on the fairly conventional premise of a group of kids, a stern mom, and a bumbling dad doesn’t necessarily have what it takes to become a smash hit. However, the stars certainly aligned for “Malcolm in the Middle.” The show premiered in 2000 and ran for a solid seven seasons before concluding in May 2006. If you’ve never seen the show and only know the basic premise, it’s easy to assume that the series simply rode the coattails of the 1990s sitcom high to success … but as anyone familiar with the series can attest, you don’t make it to season 7 without being a pretty watchable sitcom, which “Malcolm in the Middle” certainly was. 

One of the show’s secrets is casting. The pre-Walter White Bryan Cranston was so convincingly hilarious as the slapstick-happy father Hal that he nearly lost “Breaking Bad” over a certain “Malcolm in the Middle” scene. Playing the show’s titular character was Frankie Muniz, who was a perfect fit as the genius middle child Malcolm. Jane Kaczmarek raked in awards and nominations as the family’s mom Lois, and went on to appear on multiple amazing shows. Many other cast members have gone on to make their mark in various ways, but one actor from the show’s central family has chosen a path that has taken him far away from the entertainment industry. Let’s see what “Malcolm in the Middle” star Erik Per Sullivan, who played Hal and Lois’ fourth child Dewey, has been up to after the show ended. 

Erik Per Sullivan’s “Malcolm in the Middle” character Dewey is a prankster type who starts out as a fairly typical runt of the litter but proves to be an intelligent, tenacious, and resourceful character who takes the various laugh-a-minute wringers the series puts him through head-on, and becomes a genuinely supportive and compassionate person as he does so. That’s an impressive seven-season arc to portray, especially when you’re a child yourself — but Sullivan performs like a champion.

For a long time, Dewey was the youngest family member, which naturally made Sullivan the youngest member of the main cast. Fortunately, he was in good hands, and got to sample the kind of co-star goodwill that would later follow his decision to quit Hollywood. Bryan Cranston, in particular, took it upon himself to extend his TV father role well beyond what his acting contract likely required, and acted as a protector to his flock of on-screen children — particularly the youngest, Sullivan. Here’s what Jane Kazmarek told of Cranston’s relationship with Sullivan during a speech at Cranston’s Walk of Fame ceremony in 2023:

“Bryan frequently invited Erik Per Sullivan, the little boy who played Dewey, to come home and spend weekends with the Cranston family. Now, this may not seem like a big deal until you know that Erik lived with his mum in the Oakwood Apartments for the entire time that we filmed ‘Malcolm in the Middle’. So, coming home with Bryan at the weekend meant that Erik’s mum, Ann, could fly back to Boston to see her husband and Erik, who was an only child, could come spend some normal time with a normal family — well, sort of normal family!”

Before and during “Malcolm in the Middle,” Erik Per Sullivan kept himself busy establishing himself as one of the most talented and hard-working youngsters in the game. His first credited role was in a film that went on to win two Academy Awards: The 1999 ensemble drama “The Cider House Rules,” in which he appeared with names like Charlize Theron, Michael Caine, Paul Rudd, and Tobey Maguire. He won a Fright Meter Award for his supporting turn in the 2001 folk horror movie “Wendigo,” and appeared in the Oscar-nominated 2001 Richard Gere movie “Unfaithful.” He even voiced the water-intolerant seahorse Sheldon in the groundbreaking 2003 Pixar film “Finding Nemo.”   

Despite his obvious and well demonstrated talents, however, it seems that a career as an actor ultimately wasn’t on the cards for Sullivan. After “Malcolm in the Middle” ended in 2006, he only appeared in a small handful of comparatively obscure projects. Unfortunately, the tail end of his acting CV failed to match the success of his first steps in the industry. 

Thanks to the enduring legacy of “Malcolm in the Middle,” it can be hard to wrap one’s head around the fact that the last time an Erik Per Sullivan character appeared in front of the camera was all the way back in 2010. His last role at the time of writing is Timmy in Joel Schumacher’s ensemble action thriller “Twelve,” which featured a laundry list of young actors. From Chace Crawford (now best known as The Deep on “The Boys”) and Emma Roberts (who went on to become a mainstay on “American Horror Story”) to Rory Culkin (“Castle Rock,” “Waco”) and Zoë Kravitz (“Mad Max: Fury Road,” “The Batman”), several members of the cast were on the brink of leveling up … though, in all fairness, it’s debatable whether this particular movie did any of them too many favors. 

Based on a best-selling novel by Nick McDonell, Schumacher’s “Twelve” is a notorious flop that has an impressively awful Tomatomater rating of 3% and brought in a disappointing $2,648,195 against a $5 million budget at the global box office. While Sullivan’s Timmy is far from the film’s most prominent role and he can’t be blamed for its failure in any way, “Twelve” is probably not the kind of project any young actor would be happy to wrap up their acting CV with. Still, let’s face it — the film was made 15 years ago and a gap between roles that’s starting to be measured in decades sure sounds like a permanent retirement from acting. 

Erik Per Sullivan has kept his distance from the spotlight after he stopped answering Hollywood’s calls. Fortunately for people who wish to know what he’s been up to, the “Malcolm in the Middle” actors seem to be a fairly tight bunch, and the actor’s sitcom mom Jane Kaczmarek has been keeping tabs on Sullivan’s whereabouts even after the show ended. In 2024, Kaczmarek was able to provide the ins and outs of Sullivan’s acting absence for the Malcolm France YouTube channel (via NME), and revealed that he has chosen to abandon the spotlight in favor of academia:

“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.”

In recent years, Frankie Muniz has also largely disappeared from Hollywood to pursue other interests. As such, the actor is a natural port of call when it comes to comments about his old co-star Sullivan’s post-“Malcolm” activities. As it happens, Muniz has also talked to Malcolm France (via Metro) about Sullivan’s choices — and much like Kaczmarek, he fully respects his co-star’s desire to live a more private life away from show business:

“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 upcoming “Malcolm in the Middle” reboot is set to bring Muniz — as well as Cranston and Kaczmarek — back as their famous sitcom characters. There’s no word on whether the upcoming revival will be able to bring Sullivan back, but since his name hasn’t been connected to the return, fans may very well have seen the last of Dewey. Even so, it’s good to know that Sullivan is making the most of his post-acting life and exploring things that truly fascinate him.