Matthew Lillard on the Disappointment of SCOOBY-DOO 2 Flopping: "I Thought I Was Never Going to Work Again"

Matthew Lillard made a name for himself in the ‘90s, with roles in many films that defined the era, like Serial Mom, Mad Love, Hackers, SLC Punk!, She’s All That, and of course, the Scream franchise, which launched him into another realm of stardom.

He was getting roles one after another, and had made it big. Things didn’t slow down in the next decade. He personified the iconic cartoon character Shaggy in the live-action Scooby-Doo movie, and starred in comedies like Without a Paddle alongside other A-listers of the time.

After the sequel Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed was released, giving him his biggest paycheck to date, Lillard believed his career was going to hit a higher trajectory, but after it flopped, he feared the worst.

While offers and roles continued, the caliber hit a decrease, and the actor felt he may never work again, at least in the way he had. He considered taking an offer to compete in Dancing With the Stars, but instead decided to refocus his efforts.

In a recent interview with Business Insider, Matthew Lillard talked about that time in his career, and the roller coaster ride of it all, stating:

“I thought I’d be No. 1 on the call sheet for the next 10 years of movies. And the reality was the exact opposite happened.”

He went on: “I was going to do Dancing With the Stars. And I was like, if I do Dancing With the Stars I’ll never win an Academy Award. If I do ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ I’ll be famous and not a great actor, and I really just wanted to be a great actor. I said [to my agent], ‘I just want to be an actor. I just want to be in movies. I want to reset my expectations.”

He went on to make that reset of his career, starring in some great films like The Descendants, and Trouble With the Curve, and even making his directorial debut with the 2012 movie Fat Kid Rules the World.

He has had many voice roles in countless animated film and TV projects, and had roles in the fantastic series Bosch, as well as returning to the Scream franchise, and finally playing William Afton in the kickoff to the Five Nights at Freddy's live action movie from Blumhouse, which he is set to reprise.

There is a lot to look forward to for Lillard, and when looking back on the entirety of his career, he describes it, saying:

“I’ve gone through good patches and bad patches. I’ve been irrelevant and thought I was never going to work again.”

But there was a light at the end of the tunnel. We can expect to see Lillard in the next Five Nights at Freddy’s movie when it hits theaters next year, and watch out for him in the sports film One Heart, which is based on a true story, and is currently in production.