Caleb Ellsworth-Clark stepped in after Erik Per Sullivan declined to play Dewey in Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair.
Key points
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Anthony Timpano replaced James and Lukas Rodriguez as the family's youngest son Jamie in the revival.
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Vaughan Murrae, Kiana Madeira, and Keeley Karsten portray new members of the family.
TheMalcolm in the MiddlerevivalLife's Still Unfairbrings back tons of familiar faces — but a few of the stars of the original show declined to return.
AlthoughFrankie Muniz,Bryan Cranston, Jane Kaczmarek,Christopher Masterson, andJustin Berfieldall returned to reprise their respective members of the surname-less central family, the latest iteration of the show swapped out two of the series' younger siblings.
Erik Per Sullivan, who played Dewey on the originalMalcolm in the Middle, declined multiple offers to reunite with his on-screen family. The actor hasn't appeared on screen in over 15 years, so the production tried to make the role as attractive as possible to coax Sullivan out of retirement.
"I tried, I did everything,"Malcolmcreator Linwood Boomer tellsEntertainment Weekly. "You know, that's why Dewey is on Zoom all the time. I said, 'Listen, I worked it out so that we can go to your house if you want, and we can shoot it with a green screen. We can do it in half a day, that's all it would be.'"
Despite the relatively low level of commitment required for the part, Sullivan still opted out, soWynonna Earpalum Caleb Ellsworth-Clark is taking his place as Dewey. "He was like, 'I don't wanna be an actor anymore,'" Boomer says of Sullivan. The showrunner, who began his career as an actor on shows likeLittle House on the Prairiebefore pivoting to behind-the-camera work, recalls Sullivan flipping the line of questioning to underline his point.
"I kept pushing him, and then he said, 'Doyouwanna be an actor anymore?'" Boomer remembers. "And I was like, 'No.' And he was like, 'Okay then, yeah... leave me alone [about it]."
Though he had steady success as a child actor in films likeThe Cider House RulesandChristmas with the Kranks, Sullivan stepped away from screen acting while he was still a teenager, with his final performance arriving in 2010'sTwelve.
Cranstonpreviously saidthat he chatted with Sullivan about a potentialMalcolmreturn. "I talked to Erik and I said, 'Hey, we got the show! It's going to come back.' He goes, 'Oh, that's fantastic!'" theBreaking Badactor toldFly on the Walllast year. "And I go, 'Yeah, so we're looking forward to having you back.' He goes, 'Oh, no, no, I don't want to do it. But it's fantastic.'"
Cranston noted that Sullivan is exploring a new career trajectory. "He's actually going to Harvard," theTrumbostar explained. "He's really, really smart, and he's getting his master's at Harvard right now. He said, 'Oh God, no, I haven't acted since I was nine or something. So I'm not into it.'"
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Kaczmarekshared similar sentimentswithThe Guardian. "He's studying Dickens and is an incredible student," the actress explained. "They offered him buckets of money to come back, and he just said: 'No thank you.'"
Dewey isn't the only member of the family played by a new actor.Life's Still Unfairalso recast Jamie, the family's youngest brother who was played by twins James and Lukas Rodriguez in the last four seasons of the original show. Like Sullivan, the Rodriguezes have not appeared on screen in over 15 years, with their only credit outside ofMalcolmcoming in a 2009 episode ofWithout a Trace.
As a result, Anthony Timpano has stepped into the role of Jamie inLife's Still Unfair. He has previously appeared in episodes ofRiverdale,Nancy Drew,DC's Legends of Tomorrow, andFire Country.
There are a couple of other new faces joining the family inLife's Still Unfair, too. Vaughan Murrae portrays Hal and Lois' youngest child, Kelly, on the revival. Kelly didn't appear in the original series, but Kaczmarek's character discovered she was pregnant again in the show's series finale in 2006.
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Additionally, Kiana Madeira boarded the series as Malcolm's girlfriend, Tristan, while Keeley Karsten portrays the couple's daughter, Leah. Boomer is particularly enthusiastic to introduce the world to the latter actress, who previously appeared in Steven Spielberg'sThe Fabelmansand Prime Video'sHunters.
"Keeley is an undiscovered star," Boomer says. "As a performer, she has this crazy potential that would be silly for show business not to use."
Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfairis now streaming on Hulu.
Reporting by Amy Wilkinson.
Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly
