Matthew Lillard credits nostalgia for the resurgence of his Hollywood career. The actor, known for iconic roles in '90s and '00s films like Scream and Scooby-Doo, recently argued on the Phase Hero podcast that a "bunch" of his old movies remain popular, while others, like his ones with Scoob and the gang, are "more popular now" than when they hit theaters.
Nostalgia in the Zeitgeist
"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 told host Brandon Davis, who suggested the actor could be making people feel "comfortable" in a "scary" world. Lillard continued, "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."
People 'Just Miss the Old Times'
He went on to tease that he doesn't think "anyone really likes" him and people instead "just miss the old times." Davis responded, "That's a pretty good reason, though, you make people happy. Come on." Lillard replied, "'Who should we get? Who's old and relatively warm and fuzzy feeling. Let's get Matthew Lillard!'"
In recent years, Lillard has continued his voice work as Shaggy in animated Scooby-Doo movies and starred in the Five Nights at Freddy's film franchise. He has also appeared in two Scream sequels, The Life of Chuck, He's All That (a remake of 1999's She's All That), and the Daredevil: Born Again series.
Embracing the Moment
Lillard told The Detroit News last year that he's "loving every fucking second" of having a moment again in Hollywood. "It will most certainly wane, but while it's here, I'm stepping on every set with 35 years of wisdom packed into my aging body," the actor explained. "As a kid, I just wanted to be number one on the call sheet every time. I wanted to be Freddie Prinze Jr., I wanted to be Matt Damon, I wanted to be Ben Affleck. It just never came my way, and that sort of leaves you with a sadness. I used to have all kinds of jealousy."
He concluded, "And the reality is, at this point, I'm just happy to have the job and I love the work, and I think I'm better suited at this stage in my life than I was as a kid to do good work. It's been fun."
