Matthew Lillard Is Taking the High Road After Quentin Tarantino’s Harsh Criticism of Him
The end of last year turned into an emotional curveball for Matthew Lillard. Professionally, things were clicking. He had two high-profile releases in The Life of Chuck and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, and he was great in those!
Then out of nowhere, Quentin Tarantino decided to take a public swipe at Lillard’s acting, and the moment landed harder than anyone expected.
Lillard didn’t sugarcoat his initial reaction. Hearing that kind of dismissal from a filmmaker with Tarantino’s reputation, he admitted, “sucks.” But what followed completely flipped the experience on its head.
Instead of scrambling to defend himself, Lillard watched something rare happen in real time. Fans flooded social media with clips, memes, and heartfelt posts celebrating his performances, his range, and the joy he’s brought to genre cinema for decades.
That unexpected wave of support hit Lillard hard, in the best way possible. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, he reflected on just how overwhelming it felt to see so much affection directed his way all at once. Lillard said:
“It was crazy. I keep showing it to my wife to convince her that I am worthy, that people still like me. I am a piece of ass!... It was like living through your own wake.
“All those R.I.P. emails or tweets and Instagram posts and TikToks, all of the things we see after somebody passes are so sweet.
“And the reality is I just got to live through all of it firsthand — alive and kicking! I can't imagine a more lovely reaction to what happened.”
There’s something strangely beautiful about that perspective. Public criticism, especially when it comes unprompted, can sting in ways that linger. But in this case, it unlocked a reminder that appreciation doesn’t have to wait for a career retrospective or a somber goodbye. Sometimes it just needs a spark, even an uncomfortable one, to bring it pouring out.
Lillard’s momentum doesn’t look like it’s slowing down. He’s returning to familiar territory with Scream 7, directed by Kevin Williamson, which somehow finds a way to resurrect Stu Macher. Yes, that Stu. The film hits theaters late next month, and fans are more than ready to see what kind of chaos he brings back with him.
Beyond Ghostface, Lillard has also wrapped work on Carrie, Mike Flanagan’s limited series adaptation of Stephen King’s classic story, set to premiere later this year.
On top of that, he’s part of the ensemble cast in Behemoth!, the new drama from Tony Gilroy, sharing the screen with Pedro Pascal, Eva Victor, Olivia Wilde, and Will Arnett.
If anything, the whole episode has only reinforced what fans already knew. Matthew Lillard’s work matters to people, and they aren’t shy about saying it when it counts. Sometimes the loudest applause shows up when you least expect it.