HARD AT WORK

’90s Star Credits One Thing for Major Career Comeback

People just want to get back to a simpler time.

Scooby-Doo hero Matthew Lillard puts his comeback down to one thing: nostalgia.

After a period of relative quiet following the heady days of the live-action movie’s 2002 release and earlier Scream entries, Lillard is back with a jam-packed 2026. He appears in Scream 7 and stars in the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise, all of which adds up to a remarkable career resurgence.

Appearing on The Brandon Davis Show, he revealed that a yearning for “ye olde times” has brought him back into the spotlight.

Play Video

Lillard, who during the podcast described himself as a “2026 Walton Goggins” because he is appearing “everywhere,” said, “Scooby-Doo one and two are more popular now than they ever were when they came out. 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,” he added. “I think that’s why I’m working. I don’t think anyone really likes me. They just miss the old times.”

“Who should we get? Who’s old and relatively warm and fuzzy feeling?” he imagined creators thinking. “Let’s get Matthew Lillard. Talented? No. But do we like him? Yes.”

In December, Lillard found himself catching strays from iconic director Quentin Tarantino, who attacked There Will Be Blood actor Paul Dano.

“I’m not saying he’s giving a terrible performance,” Tarantino said of Dano. “I’m saying he’s giving a non-entity [performance]. I don’t care for him. I don’t care for Owen Wilson, I don’t care for Matthew Lillard.”

But Lillard later said that despite being caught in the scathing crossfire, he soon found the positive side.

“It felt like I had died and was in heaven watching everyone send out their RIP tweets. I mean, it was really being a part of your own wake, sort of sitting there living through all the nice things people say after you die,” he told People. “Everyone, from the people at the mall this weekend with my kids to George Clooney and James Gunn and Mike Flanagan, I mean, people have sort of been really generous with telling me how much they loved me and liked my work.”

Obsessed with pop culture and entertainment? Follow us on Substack and YouTube for even more coverage.

Harry ThompsonNews Reporter

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.