Matthew Lillard Says Scream Shaped His Career - but Not the Way Youd Think [Exclusive]

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Matthew Lillard

By the time he landed his role in Wes Craven’s 1996 film, Scream, Matthew Lillard had already broken onto the scene through his work in other classics of the decade like John Waters’ Serial Mom and Iain Softley’s Hackers. Still, when it came to the slasher’s call sheet, Lillard wasn’t one of its top-billed performers. Those honors would go to its two leading ladies, Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox, who had already established themselves as stars of the small screen thanks to their main roles in Party of Five and Friends, respectively. For his fellow up-and-coming co-stars like Skeet Ulrich and Rose McGowan, it’s easy to see how Scream changed their lives, putting them on a fast track to land more gigs, so one would presume that the same could be said for Lillard, right? Well, according to the Five Nights at Freddy’s Star, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

During a recent chat with Perri Nemiroff for Collider Forces, the now iconic actor looked back on that time of his life when he felt like he couldn’t get further from icon status if he tried.

"It changed a lot of people’s trajectory. It did not change mine . It was not a moment in any way, shape, or form where all of a sudden I got any different attention. Period. And that really sort of solidified for me, now looking back, I was like, 'Oh, I was destined to be this blue collar actor,' which is great, and I like my career."

At the same time, Lillard recognizes that while his name is not only synonymous with the Scream franchise (despite only appearing in one movie), he’s also had an incredible career, solidifying himself as a standout actor in multiple genres and franchises.

"Don’t get me wrong. If you’d given me my career coming in, I’d be like, 'You’ve gotta be kidding me. That’s incredible.’' But I really wanted to be the number one on the call sheet in every movie I’ve ever done. I just never went that way. And so this idea of a breakout role, this idea of changing trajectory, sure, it made me more relevant to some capacity, but in those early days of Scream , it didn’t open up opportunities."

"'Scream' Was a Movie That Nobody Expected"

Having previously backed such classic genre hits as A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Hills Have Eyes, and, of course, The Last House on the Left, by the ‘90s, Craven was a genre staple. But even Lillard recognizes that the years leading up to Scream weren’t the filmmaker’s best or brightest and that, despite having Cox and Campbell on board, the TV-to-film crossover isn’t what it’s like today. He explained:

"Look, Scream was a movie that nobody expected . Wes Craven, God bless his heart, was on a cycle of not-great movies. It starred two actresses that were on TV, and back then that wasn’t a thing, they didn’t really cross over . And something incredible happened. In the zeitgeist, we caught fire at a moment that, you know, six months later, who knows if it happens? A year earlier, it probably doesn’t. But in that moment, it blew up. So, definitely a pivotal movie in my life."

Now that the franchise has continued past the life of its original filmmaker and grown into six titles with a seventh on the way, Lillard sees how his career has grown right along with it. It may not have been that big push for him back then, but it certainly is part of his legacy now.

"Now , the movie has elevated, its rebirth has elevated me in a way in, I feel like, in the industry, at conventions. Between that and Scooby-Doo , and now Five Nights at Freddy’s , I’ve reached a new plateau in my life, which is really weird, which is unexpected, deeply appreciated, but it’s also like, things just shifted in my life in a way, which is because of Scream , but now it’s like 25 years later."

You can stream Scream now on Max and check out the full episode of Collider Forces with Lillard below.

Scream

A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.

Release Date December 20, 1996

Runtime 111 minutes

Writers Kevin Williamson

Tagline Don't answer the phone. Don't open the door. Don't try to escape.

Watch On Max

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