Former Disney Channel star Stephen Anthony Lawrence made a surprise appearance on Rob Lowe’s game show “The Floor” this week, more than 20 years after he became a fan favorite on TV.
The 35-year-old actor, best known for his role as “Beans” on the Shia LaBeouf sitcom “Even Stevens,” competed on Wednesday’s episode of the FOX trivia series, where contestants compete for a $250,000 prize.
Lawrence was in charge of the “Renaissance Fair” section and told host Lowe that he was prepared for medieval-themed questions because he had played an elf before.
“I’ve played a lot of character roles in my life, so I feel very knowledgeable about that category,” he said.
Lowe asked the actor what his favorite role was over the years.
“My favorite is definitely the ‘Even Stevens’ beans,” Lawrence replied, to loud cheers from the audience.
Lawrence won the Renaissance-themed round, but lost in the Global News category later in the program.
The appearance was one of Lawrence’s biggest television appearances in years.
Lawrence became widely known in the early 2000s for his role as Bernard “Beans” Allengren, the Stevens family’s eccentric neighbor, in Even Stevens, co-starring LaBeouf, Christy Carlson Romano, and AJ Trauss.
Beans originally appeared as a recurring character, but quickly became one of the breakout personalities of the Disney Channel show.
Lawrence ultimately appeared in 22 episodes and then starred in “The Even Stevens Movie” before leaving the series in 2003.
He also starred in early 2000s family hits, including Mike Myers’ live-action version of The Cat in the Hat and the 2003 remake of Cheaper by the Dozen with fellow Disney Channel star Hilary Duff.
Although Lawrence has continued acting over the years, one of his last major studio films was the 2005 Will Ferrell comedy “Kicking and Screaming.”
Earlier this year, Lawrence made headlines when he accused Universal Studios Hollywood of firing him in retaliation for reporting on what he described as a “suspected pedophile.”
In an Instagram post in January, Lawrence shared a photo of her old work ID and name tag next to a Super Mario-themed costume she bought at the park.
“I delayed posting for about a month because I loved performing and dancing with amazing people, so I was hoping some kind of amicable solution could be found,” Lawrence wrote.
“It is with a heavy heart that I have to announce that my time at Universal Studios is over,” he continued, claiming he was fired “in retaliation for reporting a suspected pedophile around children.”
Universal Studios Hollywood denied the allegations.
“We investigated and reviewed the concerns raised by this former employee and found them to be inaccurate and without merit,” the spokesperson said.
“We take all employee concerns seriously and have established processes for raising concerns without fear of retaliation.”
