Matthew Lillard has a refreshing, self-aware theory about why Hollywood has come calling again, and it has nothing to do with a sudden rediscovery of his talent.
Speaking on the Phase Hero podcast, Lillard clearly pointed to nostalgia as the driving force behind his recent resurgence.
“Scooby-Doo 1 and 2 are more popular now than they ever were when they came out. So I think there’s a strange nostalgia that’s happening in our industry and in the zeitgeist because I think people yearn for the old days,” he said.
“I think that’s one of the reasons why I’m having this moment, to be honest, is because I was identified at that time, so people are hiring me again.”
He continued with a laugh: “I think that’s what I work for. I don’t think anyone really likes me. They miss the good old days.”
It’s a frank stance from someone who has been through considerable turmoil in Hollywood.
After reprising his role as Shaggy in Scooby-Doo 2: The monsters are unleashedLillard expected him to open a new chapter.
Instead, when the film underperformed at the box office, the opposite happened. He said Business Insider by 2024, he had been convinced he would be “#1 on the call list for the next 10 years of cinema”, and then spent years feeling irrelevant.
“I was captivated by the success of what I was doing, I was captivated by the roles that I was getting, I was captivated by this drive to be, quote unquote, famous,” he admitted.
“I went through good times and bad times. I was irrelevant and thought I was never going to work again.”
The turnaround began in 2023, when he was cast as William Afton in Five Nights at Freddy’s.
Since then, the dynamic has continued to strengthen. His recent credits include Chuck’s life, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, Scream 7 And Daredevil: Born Again.
Next, he will appear in Mike Flanagan’s film Carrie TV series and star alongside Pedro Pascal, Will Arnett and Olivia Wilde in Tony Gilroy’s Monster.
Nostalgia or not, it’s quite a line-up.
