Matthew Lillard Says Nostalgia Is the Reason Hollywood Is Hiring Him Again - "I Don't Think Anyone Really Likes Me. They Just Miss The Old Times."

Matthew Lillard has had a robust acting career throughout the last couple of decades, but for a while there, he mostly lent his voice to animated characters.

Now, we are seeing his face again as he reprises roles in the Scream and Five Nights at Freddy’s franchises, as well as other original roles like The Life of Chuck, Cross, and Daredevil: Born Again. His being regularly hired for new roles in TV and film seems like an indicator that he is a solid actor, but Lillard has his doubts.

During a recent appearance on the Phase Hero podcast, Lillard explained that he thinks nostalgia played a major role in his recent Hollywood resurgence.

“’Scooby-Doo’ one and two are more popular now than they ever were when they came out. So I do think there’s a weird nostalgia thing happening in our industry and in the zeitgeist because I think that people are longing for ye olde times,” Lillard said. “I think that’s one of the reasons I’m having this moment to be honest, is because I was identified in that moment, so people are hiring me again.”

He later added with a laugh, “I think that’s why I’m working. I don’t think anyone really likes me. They just miss the old times.”

Lillard told Business Insider in 2024 that after reprising the role of Shaggy in Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, he thought he’d be “No. 1 on the call sheet for the next 10 years of movies.” But unfortunately, after the film bombed at the box office, “the exact opposite happened.” Lillard said at the time, the experience forced him to reprioritize his goals as an actor.

“I was caught up in the success of what I was doing, I was caught up in the parts I was getting, I was caught up in this drive to be quote-unquote famous,” Lillard admitted.

He later added, “I’ve gone through good patches and bad patches. I’ve been irrelevant and thought I was never going to work again.”

Lillard’s first major reintroduction to Hollywood was in 2023 when he played William Afton in Five Nights at Freddy’s. Since then, his career has been on a steady upswing.

While Lillard gives all the credit to nostalgia, I believe we are only truly nostalgic for the things we loved, and that only goes so far. I think fans enjoy his work, and the new characters he has portrayed have added a lot to each project.

Lillard will soon appear in Mike Flanagan’sCarrie TV show, and will star alongside Pedro Pascal, Will Arnett and Olivia Wilde in Tony Gilroy’sBehemoth!.

via: Variety