In the late '90s, Matthew Lillard was slashing his way into the big time with memorable appearances
in Scream, Hackers, and She's All That.
But before he ever managed hit the A-list, his big screen career seemed to fizzle out.
"My mom and dad are going to be so mad at me."
While he hasn't quite vanished from the film scene, he's certainly endured his fair share
of cinematic setbacks.
So why did Lillard's star status seem to drop so fast?
Here's why you don't hear much about Matthew Lillard these days.
In the shadow of Stu
Lillard is probably best remembered for his turn as Stu, the sidekick killer, in Wes Craven's
1996 classic Scream.
By then, the actor had already turned some heads with his oddball presence in the 1995
cyberdrama Hackers, but he stole so many scenes in Scream with his goofy scare tactics that
his appeal was undeniable.
"See we ask you a question and if you get it wrong, bagah."
The downside of etching that character in viewers' memories, though, is that he's struggled
to establish a screen identity outside of the role.
And since Stu died in the first film, it's not like he could return for any of its sequels.
"Because let's face it baby, these days you gotta have a sequel."
Lillard admitted to The A.V.
Club that even two decades later, he's still being asked about Stu, and said,
"Talking about Scream is like talking about the first girl you ever kissed."
He added that he finds the continued attention to the role "bizarre" and said he really doesn't
understand why it's held such a place in horror fans' hearts.
"Stop it Bea would ya alright, I can't anymore.
I'm feeling a little woozy here."
But that's not the only role that's lingered in Lillard's life …
Long live Shaggy
After Scream, Lillard went on to star in several roles that continued to showcase his signature
zaniness, like his dance-happy dirtbag role in She's All That and as Stevo the punk rock
fan in SLC Punk!.
The movie that really set his career into slower motion, though, was 2002's Scooby-Doo.
Lillard played the peculiar pet owner Shaggy in the live-action film and its 2004 sequel,
but even after that movie franchise ended, Shaggy just stuck with him.
"Now for the main course."
"No"
"You, ha ha ha."
Lillard credited the films with being the biggest momentum killer of his career because
it "took [his] indie credit … and threw it out the window."
But he's also been able to count on the subsequent mini-movies, animated TV series, and video
games featuring the character for steady paychecks.
In fact, Lillard admitted:
"If it wasn't for Scooby Doo, I wouldn't still be in California acting, I'd be somewhere
else doing something else.
Scooby Doo the movie saved my bacon, to be honest—and it still does.
That show is still around and it's the constant job I have and I love doing the voice."
Even so, he's still an ensemble member in that series, which is something he knows all
about …
Wingman central
With few exceptions, Matthew Lillard has almost always been cast as the standout sidekick
character in his movies, especially when they involved his once-frequent co-star Freddie
Prinze Jr.
In fact, Lillard starred alongside Prinze in a whopping five films, including She's
All That, Wing Commander, Summer Catch, and both Scooby-Doo movies.
Their on- and off-screen bromance might have worked well for a while, but even Lillard
thinks it got to be overkill around the fourth collaboration.
He once dubbed himself "Guy Who Was in a Freddie Prinze Jr. Movie Too Many" and has vowed that
the pair won't be seen together on-screen again.
"Yo yo, the beotch was like what, and I was like, later on."
He didn't gain the reputation of being Prize's second banana by design, of course.
But those few films which have given him a chance
at the lead have been kinda regrettable.
He dropped some real talk in an interview with the A.V.
Club, saying:
"The more lines I have, in general, the worse a movie is.
It's very rare that I get say great things in fantastic movies.
So if you see me as like, number one on a call sheet?
In general, that movie is pretty bad."
Speaking of which …
Certified rotten
Lillard's gone back and forth over which film ranks his absolute worst — he's pointed
to both In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale and Home Run Showdown as some cringeworthy
installments on his résumé — but critics have had a field day panning his pictures.
His 1998 comedy-horror film Dead Man's Curve got a giant goose egg of a Rotten Tomatoes
score.
Then, there was Senseless, which lived up to its own name and earned just 6% on the
site.
All told, there've been another half dozen of his films that earned scathing reviews.
While Lillard has starred in a few films that critics liked, including Alexander Payne's
2011 hit The Descendants and his own 2012 directorial effort Fat Kid Rules the World,
the vast majority of his movies have been major critical misses.
Missing the teen beat
Despite some early popularity and good looks, Matthew Lillard wasn't ever really deemed
a heartthrob of the teen magazine scene.
While actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, and Josh Hartnett were literal
poster boys of the Teen Beat era, Lillard wasn't tapped for the same kind of adoration.
Because of that, he's never been promoted to leading man status or given a rom-com role
worth swooning over.
He did have a romantic arc in 2004's Without a Paddle, but that was a buddy comedy first
and foremost — and a bad one, at that.
Considering how crucial that's been in other successful careers in show business, it's
a bummer.
Small screen surprises
One field where Matthew Lillard has had some luck is on the television circuit.
Not only was he a series regular on FX's ambitious crime drama The Bridge, but he's also appeared
on State of Affairs, The Good Wife, and Halt and Catch Fire.
He's also among the impressive cast of TV's Twin Peaks revival, due to debut in 2017,
and revealed that his character in the show will be "epic."
Moral of the story: He might not be a marquee name at the local theater, but TV is giving
him some meat to chew on with his performances.
"Just another beautiful day in paradise."
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