Malcolm in the Middle star Erik Per Sullivan, who famously played Dewey on the hit sitcom, has been spotted for the first time since 2007 in exclusive photos from The U.S. Sun.
The actor, who became a fan-favorite as the lovable but mischievous youngest brother on the Emmy-winning series, hasn’t been seen in over 18 years after he left the Hollywood spotlight to pursue his education.
Erik, 33, is the only original main cast member of Malcolm in the Middle that will not be returning for the highly-anticipated Disney+ reboot.
Frankie Muniz, 39, will be back to play the titular role while TV icons Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek are returning to play his hilarious parents, Hal and Lois.
Christopher Masterson, who played eldest brother Francis and Justin Berfield, who was known as the trouble-making sibling Reese, are also set to return.
However, Erik won’t be there to complete the family – as his beloved role of Dewey will be recast with Fargo actor Caleb Ellsworth-Clark.
Erik, who has not been pictured publicly since 2007, chose to leave acting in the 00s and live a quieter life.
He is currently attending a Massachusetts university where he is a graduate student studying Victorian literature.
In photos obtained exclusively by The U.S. Sun, Erik looked dapper as he ran errands around his neighborhood just outside of the city.
He was bundled up in a grey sweater with army green jeans as he unloaded bags of groceries from his gorgeous lilac home.
Erik’s hair is longer and a darker brown than fans are used to seeing from his time on the show – where he was only seven years old when the cast began to film season 1.
Other pictures show Erik wearing a grey flat cap and thick brown coat while grabbing coffee and running more errands in town.
He also stepped out in jeans and a double-breasted coat to walk his two adorable large dogs around the streets of his Boston-suburb home.
The former child star appeared healthy and happy after trading Hollywood for life on the East Coast.
In more recent years, Erik has been working toward his graduate degree in Victorian literature.
While fans have not seen or heard from Erik in decades, his TV mom, Jane Kaczmarek, gave a rare update about him last year.
In an interview with Malcolm France, a YouTube channel dedicated to Malcolm in the Middle, Jane, 69, revealed that Erik was doing “very well.”;
“He’s doing very well. He did Malcolm for seven years, he started at seven, he ended at 14. He wasn’t interested in acting, at all,”; she said of his different path.
She added: “He goes to school at a very prestigious American university. 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.”;
While Jane appears to be in more contact with Erik, his TV brother, Frankie, does not seem to be close.
In an interview that also asked about what Erik was up to these days, Frankie admitted: “To be honest, I don't know what he's up to.
“I hate to say that because I've talked to him a few times since the show ended.
“I've talked to his parents a lot. When I was in the band, we went and played in the city where he lives and his parents came to the show but unfortunately he couldn't make it.
“So I got to talk to them, and he's been all over doing a lot of different things.
“But one thing I know, 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.”;
YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME NOW
Earlier this month, Disney+ announced that the streamer would be rebooting the Fox comedy series – which ran for 151 episodes from 2000 until 2006.
The premise of the reboot states: “Malcolm and his daughter are drawn into the family’s chaos when Hal and Lois demand his presence for their 40th wedding anniversary party.”;
The four-episode special is set to begin production in the coming weeks in Vancouver, Canada.
During its original successful run, the show won seven Emmys and snagged hundreds of other prestigious nominations – including seven Golden Globes nods.
