Matthew Lillard is one of those actors who needs no introduction, as his iconic role as Shaggy in Scooby-Doo made him a household name. However, his fame and recognition did not come easily. Like any actor, he had his own struggles, and now the Scream star has opened up about those unexpected challenges.
Matthew Lillard says Hollywood still doesn’t understand his value
Recently, the actor appeared on the I’ve Never Said This Before podcast with Tommy DiDario, where the star discussed several aspects of acting and his career. During the conversation, when the host asked whether Hollywood values him, Matthew Lillard said that Hollywood still doesn’t understand his value.
The 56-year-old actor said, “I get the value. I get sort of the intangibles. But I think what Hollywood looks for is — they look for a movie star. They look for dashing.”
“They sort of want to be able to put you in a bubble, right? Or pigeonhole you. I’ve never fit in that little, perfect bubble. I’ve always been a little quirky, a little gangly, a lot of energy. I’m funny and silly and at the same time can do drama, and they don’t really know where to slot me,” he added.
Lillard went on, “But they felt they could replace me. I still fight for jobs now.” Lillard went on to say that he has been part of several great movies, but nobody ever associates him with that greatness. Instead, they associate someone else with it.
The 56-year-old does not deny his own talent, but he said it still raises questions about why he never got a shot at being the top guy in a $20 million movie. According to him, that is because Hollywood does not see him as that guy.
The Scream star has several iconic roles to his name, including Stu Macher and Shaggy. However, when we look at films where the actor solely took the lead, we can see that, apart from SLC Punk and Spooner, he mostly appeared as an iconic sidekick or part of an ensemble cast in his other films.
