Dylan and Cole Sprouse learned at an early age that their positions as the stars of their own Disney Channel original series came with a commensurate level of responsibility. According to Kim Rhodes, co-star Phil Lewis encouraged them to step up for their beliefs because they were the only non-expendable actors attached to “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.” They must have taken that advice to heart because it not only explains why they defended Rhodes, but also why they left the show as they did. According to an article from Digital Spy, in a since-archived YouTube video, Dylan Sprouse laid out the events that culminated in their duo’s departure from “Suite Life.”
“My brother and I actually quit the Disney show,” explained the actor. “It had been six years and we thought that the glory days of the show were definitely in the younger series… We said, ‘If we’re going to do one last season it’s going to be on our terms… We’re going to produce it and it’ll be a setup for a new show,'” the actor said. Sprouse also went on to discuss how the decision was made with the show’s cast and crew in mind. “The reason we wanted to do that [is because] it would also set up all the cast and crew we’ve worked with for six years, so they would not lose their jobs [because of] our decision to go to college in real life.”
Disney rejected their idea, the Sprouse twins left, and “Suite Life” — which by that point had become “The Suite Life on Deck” — ended. Despite production closing shop, however, the stars who appeared around the twins still remember them fondly, all these years later.
