Matthew Lillard Credits Nostalgia for Career Resurgence

Actor Matthew Lillard, known for his roles in the Scream franchise and live-action Scooby-Doo films, credited a surge in nostalgia for his recent career resurgence during an April 22 appearance on the Phase Hero podcast.

The 56-year-old actor pointed to renewed popularity of his early 2000s projects, noting that the Scooby-Doo films are now more widely viewed than at their original release. "Scooby-Doo one and two are more popular now than they ever were when they came out," Lillard said. "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."

Lillard joked that his hiring stems less from personal acclaim and more from audiences seeking familiar faces from simpler eras. "I think that's why I'm working. I don't think anyone really likes me. They just miss the old times," he said with a laugh, mimicking casting decisions: "Who's old and relatively warm and fuzzy feeling? Let's get Matthew Lillard. Talented? No. But do we like him? Yes."