‘Malcolm’ Star Justin Berfield Says Leave Eric Per Sullivan Alone

“Malcolm in the Middle” star Justin Berfield, who plays Malcolm’s older brother Reese, told the “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast that he feels bad that his former co-star, Erik Per Sullivan, was thrust back into the public eye even though he declined to return as Dewey in the recent series revival.

When asked if Sullivan regretted his decision not to appear in “Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair,” Berfield said, “No. I know they asked him a whole bunch. They asked him like four or five times, and every time he was like, ‘No.’”

“He’s a good guy, and I love Eric,” Berfield added. “I actually feel bad because he wants to stay out of the business and I’ve been seeing paparazzi shots of him. And I’m like, just leave Eric alone. He didn’t want to come back to the show. No hard feelings.”

Sullivan, who played Malcolm’s youngest brother Dewey, was the only original star not to return for the reboot. Caleb Ellsworth-Clark took his place in the role.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, “Malcolm” star Jane Kaczmarek, who played Sullivan’s on-screen mother, said the show offered him a serious payday for his return, but he still declined.

She said Sullivan is “studying Dickens and is an incredible student. They offered him buckets of money to come back, and he just said, ‘No thank you.’”

The “Malcolm” revival sees Frankie Muniz’s titular middle child all grown up with a kid of his own. The show picks up as Malcolm is sucked back into his family’s orbit when his father, Hal (Bryan Cranston) and his mom, Lois (Kaczmarek), demand his presence at their 40th anniversary party. All episodes are available to stream on Hulu.