As the new Dewey in Malcolm in the Middle’s revival, Caleb Ellsworth-Clark is poised to gain the widespread recognition his talent deserves. The Canadian auditioned for the role after the original actor refused to reprise the eccentric character. Erik Per Sullivan’s acclaimed portrayal of the character popularized his name in the industry, but he gave up acting shortly after the series ended.
According to Jane Kaczmarek, Sullivan’s onscreen mother on the original show, he rejected “buckets of money” offered to him to play Dewey in Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair. His refusal to return for the revival presented a lifetime opportunity for Ellsworth-Clark to snag his breakthrough. Landing the role catapulted him to the spotlight, and he’s determined to make the best of it. Fans have expressed that the new Dewey actor looks like Sullivan. Who is he?
Caleb Ellsworth-Clark Is A Canadian Actor From Calgary
@mickmicknyc Everyone’s been asking who’s playing Dewey in the Malcolm in the Middle revival 👀 Here’s the moment Caleb Ellsworth-Clark walked onto the carpet in NYC, stepping into the role originally played by Erik Per Sullivan 🎬🥰 Spotted alongside Justin Berfield and the cast at the “Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair” premiere 👀 Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair premieres April 10 on @hulu and with Hulu on Disney+ Thanks Disney for inviting me to the Malcolm in the Middle premiere event 🥰🙏 #MalcolmInTheMiddle #Hulu #dewey #nyc #premiere
The new Dewey actor is a Canadian performer from Bowness, Calgary, where he fell in love with acting. He was a lad in elementary school when he caught the acting bug. This was after his teacher taught his class an improv inspired by the city’s Loose Moose Theatre. His passion for performing arts grew stronger when his father began studying theatre at the University of Calgary.
“He would bring his cool theatre friends home and talk about philosophy and drink homemade wine around the kitchen table,” Ellsworth-Clark told Calgary Herald. “I thought, ‘This is so cool. Whatever is happening here is really interesting.’ I think that’s where it first came from,” added the actor. Caleb Ellsworth-Clark eventually decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and studied theatre at Mount Royal University.
He Began His Career On Stage And Debuted Onscreen In 2013
Caleb Ellsworth-Clark’s career began on stage. After he graduated from MRU’s theatre program, he began working in theatres around his hometown. He performed in several stage productions before taking his talent to the screen. He was first seen in My Life Is a Musical, a 2013 short musical comedy directed by Leah Nicholson. That same year, he pulled off his feature film debut as Jessie in Jeremiah S. Chechik’s comedy romance, The Right Kind of Wrong. He also delivered his first television role that year, appearing as Luke in the “Fathers and Sins” episode of the Gayton brothers’ Hell On Wheels.
Caleb Ellsworth-Clark continued building his career in the following years with appearances on shows like Discovery Channel’s Klondike and Bruce McCulloch’s Young Drunk Punk. His first significant television role came in 2017, when he played Tucker Gardner in at least four episodes of Emily Andras’ supernatural fantasy, Wynonna Earp. The series gained massive popularity, paving the way for Ellsworth-Clark to land roles in other acclaimed productions. These include an appearance in an episode of The Handmaid’s Tale Season 3, and a starring role alongside Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Josh Cruddas, and Annabelle Wallis in Robin Pront’s psychological thriller, The Silencing.
Caleb Ellsworth-Clark continued building his acting portfolio with roles in The Expanse, Spiral, Nightmare Alley, and Fargo in the early 2020s. Before landing the Dewey role in Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, he played John Taylor in Elliott Lester’s western crime drama, The Thicket, and appeared as Ellis Bonne in a Season 19 episode of CBC’s Murdoch Mysteries. With Dewey, Ellsworth-Clark hopes to usher his career into a new phase of great visibility.
How Caleb Ellsworth-Clark Navigated The Challenge Of Playing Dewey
Joining an iconic cast to play a beloved character, the Canadian actor found the role intimidating. He told Entertainment Tonight he was scared while on set with the other cast members, “but they were so gracious, welcoming, and warm that it made me feel really good.” He also acknowledged that playing Dewey was daunting, but he made peace when he realized he could play the character differently. “This person’s had a chance to grow up and…we wouldn’t really know who they would grow up to be,” he told the publication. “So, maybe I could just be a little bit of myself, you know, and hopefully that works.”
Caleb Ellsworth-Clark expressed a similar sentiment to the Calgary Herald. “I know that Dewey is a lot of people’s favorite character,” he said, “I don’t want to disappoint anyone just by not being that guy. But at the same time, I want to be here, and I’m grateful for the opportunity. Maybe it’s okay that Dewey is a little different,” added the actor. Check out the burning questions Spartacus: House of Ashur Season 2 must answer.
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