What Dewey From Malcolm In The Middle Is Doing Now
"Malcolm in the Middle" was one of the most beloved sitcoms of the 2000s, and part of what made the show great was how the close-knit cast made viewers believe they were a real family. Frankie Muniz, who played Malcolm, has fond memories of his time with his on-screen brothers Justin Berfield — who played Reece — and Erik Per Sullivan — who played Dewey. "It really did feel like a family, especially with us kids," Muniz told The Independent in 2020. "We spent more time together than we did with our real families," the former child star added.
Most of the cast has shared fond memories from their time on the wildly successful family show. In 2012, Muniz shared a reunion photo of the cast of "Malcolm" getting back together for the first time since the series ended. "First time the whole Malcolm gang was together in over 6 years!" Muniz wrote on Instagram. It was not the entire "gang" however, as the actor who played Malcolm's younger brother was absent, and Berfield held up a picture of Per Sullivan for the group snap. There was another cast reunion in 2020, but this time they met over Zoom. Bryan Cranston, who played the boys' chaotic father Hal, announced that the cast were reuniting to perform the pilot episode of the show as part of a fundraiser. Once again, Per Sullivan did not participate in the reunion.
So, what has the actor who played Dewey been up to?
Erik Per Sullivan went the education route
Erik Per Sullivan played Dewey for 151 episodes on "Malcolm in the Middle" and that was not even his first gig. The young actor appeared as Fuzzy in 1999's "The Cider House Rules" before landing the role on the hit show in 2000, per IMDb. During the show's run from 2000 until 2006, Per Sullivan kept busy. In "Joe Dirt," he played a young version of the title character, then he did the voice of Sheldon in "Finding Nemo," and later, played Spike in the Tim Allen holiday comedy "Christmas with the Kranks." After "Malcolm" ended, the young actor's output slowed down considerably. He starred in the family comedy "Mo" in 2007, and his next role was in the Joel Schumacher-directed "Twelve" in 2010, which was his last on-screen appearance.
During a Q&A with fans on a "Malcolm in the Middle" forum in 2008, Per Sullivan was asked if he was going to pursue a full-time career in Hollywood. "I'm definitely going to do some more school before I decide what I want to do regarding 'the biz,'" he responded. Per Sullivan appeared to eschew an acting career to focus on academics. In June 2020, the former child actor shared a photo on Instagram where he received the James Joyce Award from the University College Dublin located in Ireland.
The former child actor could afford to step away from Hollywood as he has a net worth of $3 million per Celebrity Net Worth.
The legacy of Erik Per Sullivan's Dewey lives on
Long after Erik Per Sullivan made his last on-screen appearance, "Malcolm in the Middle" fans were still talking about the actor who once played Dewey. In August 2021, when the former child actor turned 30 years old, LAD Bible wrote an article celebrating the birthday, as there was still plenty of interest surrounding Per Sullivan. After the "Malcolm" cast had their Zoom reunion in 2020, several fans of the show expressed how disappointed they were to see the actor absent. "Ngl i didn't expect dewey to show up and i am still let down," one Reddit user wrote.
Although Per Sullivan stepped away from acting, his legacy as the beloved "Malcolm" character continued to live on. Many viral videos have been created on TikTok with users posting classic clips, and Dewey-centric compilations. One viral video from the account Malcolm In The Context featured a clip of Per Sullivan's Dewey speaking to his brother Francis — played by Christopher Masterson — on the phone. Francis is eager to find out details about the death of their aunt, and Dewey just repeats, "Cats ate her face." Even though the series finale aired in 2006, the show still had viewers who found inspiration from Per Sullivan's character.
In addition to the viral TikToks, fans of the sitcom continued to share their admiration for Dewey on Twitter. "[M]y ideology is deweyism (as in Dewey from Malcolm in the Middle)," one person tweeted. "Malcolm in the Middle should've been called Hal and Dewey, because they carried the show," another added.