Matthew Lillard, known for his iconic roles in “Scream,” “Scooby Doo” and “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” has stepped beyond acting and into Dungeons and Dragons, entrepreneurship and more. On April 7, Lillard visited Miami University as part of the school’s lecture series.
Prior to his 7:30 p.m. lecture in Hall Auditorium, The Miami Student sat down with Lillard in an exclusive interview to discuss his expansive career.
Questions and answers have been edited for concision and clarity.
First, we needed to address the elephant in the room: Lillard’s contribution to the viral “Powerful Shaggy” meme that swept the internet long after “Scooby Doo.”
How does it feel to become a meme icon 20 years after filming?
Lillard was quick to respond.
“I don't really care, to be honest,” Lillard said. “I mean, the reality is that at the end of the day, you want the parts that you do as an actor, as an artist, to be relevant, and you want it to be relevant for as long as possible, for as many people as possible.”
He added that while it’s cool that the meme got so big, it’s never his goal — or any celebrity’s — to “become meme-worthy.”
“It’s cool, but I think it’s cooler for my kids than it is for me,” Lillard said.
Lillard’s involvement in kids’ movies and TV shows makes him a cinematic hero for many who grew up on the “Scooby Doo” franchise.
You played a prominent role in the childhoods of so many, including us, due to your involvement with ‘Scooby Doo.’ What does that mean to you to have played that role for so many people?
While Lillard said he has grown to really appreciate this fact and this legacy over time, the movie wasn’t as successful then as it is now, and he felt his role took away from his independent film career.
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“The older I get, the more I cherish that,” Lillard said. “I used to hate Shaggy because I felt like it really derailed my independent movie world that I was going down. I had done a bunch of Sundance films. I did ‘SLC Punk!’ and I loved that world. It’s very artistic, that’s where the credibility lies, and playing Shaggy, I think, for a time, derailed that.”
He related it to the meme he was asked about prior — he cherishes what it means for people, but there are movies he has done that didn’t blow up in the same way as “Scooby Doo,” and those films don’t mean any less to him.
“They’re both passionate projects for me,” Lillard said. “I love my job, I love the parts I get to play and where they land in the zeitgeist is not for me to determine.”
Beyond acting, your two latest ventures have brought you into the liquor industry and into Dungeons and Dragons. How did you get into that?
The answer seems to be a mix of impatience and Lillard’s own nerdy roots.
“I'm not very good at just sitting back; I do a lot of things,” said Lillard. “One of the worst things about being an artist is [the] waiting. As an actor, you're waiting for people to give you permission to do what you love best. And so in the interim, I had a midlife crisis with four of my best friends and we found this idea of creating a high-end accessory company for games like Dungeons and Dragons.”
Lillard has been playing Dungeons and Dragons since he was 21, and the sense of community has always stuck with him. Finding communities is what led him to establish his liquor company, which is built around the horror fandom.
“For me, understanding the value and the power of speaking to fans, and building something that not only acknowledges their passions, but builds something to celebrate it, really made sense to me,” Lillard said.
What can you tell us about ‘Scream 7’ and why you decided to come back to the franchise after all these years?
Lillard began, as usual, with a joke.
“I’m so glad you asked that; I’m about to tell you the entire storyline,” Lillard said. “The movie opens up on… No, I literally can’t say anything.”
While he couldn’t give specifics about the upcoming film, the actor touched on his history with the character and how he was originally supposed to come back for the third film, but in the aftermath of the Columbine High School shooting, the storyline was scrapped.
However, Lillard has always been vocal in arguing that his character, Stu, survived the first film, contrary to what audiences were shown on screen. He said his return in the seventh installment was initially supposed to be a secret, but since people found out, they leaked the comeback.
“I’m thrilled to have an opportunity to come back in ‘Scream 7,’” Lillard said. “My greatest fear is that I don’t wanna be the thing that screws it up, so I hope the fans get a kick out of it and they like what happens and how we go about it.”
What does that legacy mean to you, with the ‘Scream’ franchise?
“The reality is that it’s sort of one of my first big films,” Lillard said. “Obviously, it’s super recognizable. I think that what’s happened over the last couple films is that the characters have started to idolize the killers in the movie, and that reflects directly on Skeet [Ulrich] and I.”
Lillard talked about how meta the films are and how odd it is to him that they are still so relevant today.
“We’re still doing ‘Scream’ [movies] all these years later, and they’re still really successful,” Lillard said. “I’m grateful to be a part of the legacy of that movie.”
Lillard, who didn’t attend college, said that being a part of “Scream” felt like being in college for him. He said he thinks of his time on “Scream” with the cast as his college experience, so it’s a sweet spot for both his life and career.
“I was young, and we were having a blast,” Lillard said. “We were together all the time. We were together for three months. We would go to dinner all the time. We would hang out constantly…that was an amazing experience.”
But “Scream” isn’t the only horror movie in Lillard’s extensive filmography. Most of his films seem to have an element of gritty suspense or darkness.
On your filmography in general, we noticed it trended towards horror, uncanniness or suspense. Why is that, and what draws you to that genre?
At first, Lillard denied the connection.
“I haven't done that many horror movies,” said Lillard. “I mean, I did ‘Scream’ and ‘13 Ghosts,’ and then didn't do anything for a long time.”
He then segued into his host of horror movies coming out.
“Well, this year, obviously ‘Five Nights’ has come into my life, and ‘Scream 7’ is back and another horror thing which I can't talk about here, is coming,” Lillard said.
With this new reflection, Lillard says he is drawn to the high emotional output horror provides.
“I am an actor that is not very subtle,” Lillard said. “I have a lot of energy. I believe great acting lives around people in energy. And so I do that a lot in almost every movie I do. I do too much,
and that lends itself really well to really high-stakes horror films. Any time you're running for your life, you're never going to be super sexy and running for your life, you're like, ‘Oh my God, I'm gonna die.’”
Is there an underrated film that you think everyone should watch?
Lillard had more than one answer to this, depending on what type of film people were looking for. His first recommendation was “In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale.” In the film, he played the role of Duke Fallow.
“It’s the worst movie ever made, so that’s worth it, right? Definitely should watch that,” Lillard said. “Everyone wants to watch a good, terrible movie.”
He also mentioned a film he directed called “Fat Kid Rules the World,” released in 2012, and a film he starred in called “SLC Punk!”
“I’m also in a little independent film that premiered at Sundance [film festival] called ‘SLC Punk!’ which is a very cult movie from ’98 about a punk rocker, and I’m the lead in that movie.”
His last two recommendations were another independent film he was a part of, “Spooner,” and the film “Match,” where he starred alongside Carla Gugino and Sir Patrick Stewart.
Lillard may have dipped his toes in quite a few endeavors over the years, but one thing is for certain: he loves his craft.
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