Matthew Lillard — respectfully — is not a young guy; he’s been around the Hollywood block for some time, having been the voice of Shaggy in plenty of Scooby-Doo media, both in the VA booth and on-screen. But, he’s been netting more roles lately — Five Nights At Freddy’s, Scream 7, Dardevil: Born Again, and more — and rather than attribute it to his acting prowess and luck, like many others would, he’s got a different theory.
Speaking to The Brandon Davis Show (via THR), Lillard is a firm believer that nostalgia is playing a huge factor in his recent resurgence both on the big and small screens. He specifically points to Scooby-Doo 1 and 2.
“Scooby-Doo one and two are more popular now than they ever were when they came out. 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. 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.”
Now, not everyone is on the hype train, notably, filmmaker Quentin Tarantino threw a bit of shade Lillard’s way, criticizing his acting and saying “I don’t care for Matthew Lillard.” The actor has since come to terms with the criticism after realizing that Tarantino is just one person who doesn’t like him within the industry while there’s a sea of people who do appreciate him.
Gabriel enjoys all things entertainment from writing about video games as the Managing Editor for PSX Extreme to covering the latest film and TV news for his own publication — Early Reel. Follow him on X.