The Real Reason Erik Per Sullivan Didn't Return For The Malcolm In The Middle Revival

"Life is unfair," at least according to They Might Be Giants' catchy theme song for "Malcolm in the Middle." Those words rang true when the series premiered 25 years ago and went on a seven-season run that followed the titular high IQ genius Malcolm as he tried (and often failed) to deal with his chaotic family. "Malcolm in the Middle" distinguished itself from other sitcoms with its incredible sense of humor while still remaining grounded in the reality of the family's economic difficulties. It was also a rare single camera comedy shot without a laugh track or in-studio audience, lending a further sense of reality to the more manufactured and artificial sitcoms it was competing against.

In the show's perfect series finale, Malcolm discovers that his mom Lois believes he is destined to become President of the United States, but only if he has to suffer and struggle to rise out of the muck he was born into. It's a surprisingly knotty finale where other sitcoms would go for more pat, unambiguously happy endings. That lingering question of Malcolm's journey to maybe becoming President has hung over fans since the finale aired in 2006, and next year, fans will get to see the whole family again for a four episode revival coming to Disney+.

That is, everyone but Malcolm's precocious music prodigy brother, Dewey. Played wonderfully by Erik Per Sullivan in the original series, Sullivan is the only main cast member not returning for the revival, and we now know the real reason why.

Bryan Cranston's big breakthrough role wasn't the menacing Walter White in "Breaking Bad," but the gentle father figure Hal in "Malcolm in the Middle," and he's been beating the drum for a revival for the better part of a decade. During an appearance on Dana Carvey and David Spade's podcast "Fly on the Wall," Cranston recounted the story of how long he had to pester series creator Linwood Boomer into bringing the show back for a revival.

Once he succeeded there, Cranston started talking to all the members of the cast to get them on board with the project, including Sullivan:

"I talked to Eric and I said, 'Hey, we got the show! It's going to come back.' He goes, 'Oh, that's fantastic!' 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.'"

While that may be sad news to fans of Sullivan's heartfelt portrayal of the optimistic Dewey, Cranston explained Sullivan's reason for turning down the opportunity to reprise his role:

"He's actually going to Harvard. 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 9 or something. So I'm not into it.'"

In a previous interview with Jane Kaczmarek, who played the matriarch of the family, Lois, she said Sullivan "loves Charles Dickens" and is "doing graduate work in Victorian literature."

Sullivan isn't the only "Malcolm in the Middle" actor to step away from Hollywood. Frankie Muniz similarly withdrew from being a movie star to become a professional race car driver and deal with his health issues. Muniz is returning for the revival, while Dewey has been recast, with Caleb Ellsworth-Clark taking over the role.