Matthew Lillard is not taking his Hollywood comeback at face value. Instead, he believes it is largely driven by nostalgia. Speaking on the Phase Hero podcast, Lillard said the growing popularity of his early 2000s work, especially Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, has played a major role in bringing him back into the spotlight. According to him, those films are “more popular now than they ever were” when they first released.
He described a broader cultural shift where audiences are longing for “old times,” and that sentiment is influencing casting decisions across Hollywood.
Lillard was blunt about his place in that trend. He joked that he does not think people suddenly like him more as an actor, but rather that they associate him with a specific era they miss.
His perspective is shaped by a career that has seen both highs and lows. After reprising his role as Shaggy in Scooby-Doo 2, Lillard expected his career to take off. Instead, the film’s poor box office performance led to the opposite outcome, leaving him struggling to find consistent work.
He later admitted that period forced him to reassess his priorities. He said he had been caught up in chasing fame and success, only to experience stretches where he felt irrelevant and unsure if he would work again.
His return to mainstream attention began in 2023 with his role as William Afton in Five Nights at Freddy’s, which introduced him to a new generation of audiences. Since then, his career has steadily picked up, with roles in projects like Scream 7, The Life of Chuck, and Daredevil: Born Again.
Looking ahead, Lillard is set to appear in Mike Flanagan’s upcoming Carrie series and the film Behemoth, alongside major names like Pedro Pascal and Olivia Wilde.
While his career is clearly on the upswing, Lillard’s take remains grounded. For him, this moment is less about reinvention and more about timing, with nostalgia giving his earlier work a second life and, in turn, bringing him back into Hollywood’s current lineup.