Justin Berfield addressed former costar Erik Per Sullivan‘s decision not to return for the Malcolm in the Middle revival — and the renewed interest in his private life.
“I know they asked him a whole bunch. They asked him, like, four or five times and every time he was like, ‘No,'” Berfield, 40, said on a recent episode of the “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” podcast.
Mandel, 70, suggested that Berfield text Sullivan, 34, and ask if he wanted to call in to the podcast. Sullivan, for his part, did not respond.
“I actually feel bad,” Berfield said. “Because he wants to stay out of the business, and I’ve been seeing paparazzi shots of him. I’m like, ‘Just leave Erik alone.’ He didn’t want to come back to the show. No hard feelings. Everyone loves him.”
Sullivan rose to stardom playing Dewey on Malcolm in the Middle, which ran from 2000 to 2006. He also appeared in Come on Over, Arthur and the Invisibles and Twelve before he officially retired in 2010, and he hasn’t participated in any Malcolm in the Middle reunions over the years.
After Hulu picked up a revival series for Malcolm in the Middle, titled Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, it was confirmed that Sullivan’s role would be recast, with Caleb Ellsworth-Clark taking over as Dewey.
The rest of the cast — including Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, Kaczmarek, Christopher Masterson and Berfield — reprised their respective characters. In addition to the main cast, Kiana Madeira, Anthony Timpano, Vaughan Murrae and Keeley Karsten joined in key roles .
The revival was written by Linwood Boomer, who created the original series. It follows Malcolm (Muniz) and his daughter as they are “drawn into the family’s chaos when Hal (Cranston) and Lois (Kaczmarek) demand his presence for their 40th wedding anniversary party,” according to a press release.
Before the series premiere earlier this month, Berfield reflected on his decision to step away from acting — and why he chose to return 20 years later.
“I just wanted to change because I had started acting when I was 5. Fortunately, I worked quite a bit, and I then got on Malcolm in the Middle, which was seven years,” Berfield exclusively told Us Weekly. “I just grew up working constantly, and I wanted to try something different.”
Berfield ultimately chose to move behind the scenes, adding, “I started producing some projects, and I wanted to just travel more and explore. Then I got married and had a couple of kids and then time flew by. Now it’s been 20 years, and we’re fortunate enough to be able to step back into it now.”
The actor is glad he could return at a time when his two kids with wife Liza Almeida could appreciate his work.
“It was just really nice showing my eldest daughter just me working so she can actually see it’s better than just turning on the TV and showing them something,” Berfield said. “She actually got to see me on set.”
Despite spending two decades off camera, Berfield felt “no pressure,” telling Us, “I’d stepped away from acting for 20 years now, so I didn’t have a lot of pressure. Obviously, I had pressure on myself because I wanted to do a good job. I wanted people to enjoy the show, but it was more just me enjoying the moment too. For me, it was a little bit different. It was low pressure.”
Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair is streaming now on Hulu and Disney+.
