Matthew Lillard: Scream didn't transform my career
Matthew Lillard admits that the lack of recognition for his performance in 'Scream' showed that he was never going to achieve leading man status.
Matthew Lillard admits that 'Scream' didn't change much for his career.
The 54-year-old star portrayed Stu Macher in the original 1996 film in Wes Craven's horror franchise and acknowledged that it didn't have the same transformative effect for him compared to leading stars such as David Arquette and Neve Campbell.
Speaking to Collider, Matthew said: "It changed a lot of people's trajectory. It did not change mine. It was not a moment in any way, shape or form where all of a sudden I got any different attention. Period.
"And that really sort of solidified for me, now looking back, I was like, 'Oh, I was destined to be this blue-collar actor', which is great, and I like my career. Don't get me wrong. If you'd given me my career coming in, I'd be like, 'You've gotta be kidding me. That's incredible.'
"But, I really wanted to be the number one on the call sheet in every movie I've ever done. It just never went that way. And so this idea of a breakout role, this idea of changing trajectory, sure, it made me more relevant to some capacity, but in those early days of 'Scream', it didn't open up opportunities."
The 'Scooby-Doo' actor also revealed that he is still concerned about movie offers running dry despite being involved in the industry for more than 30 years.
Matthew said: "At 54, I still worry about never working again. I mean, Jimmy Stewart, they say, went to his deathbed thinking, 'That's it. They may never ask me back.'
"And so, look, that insecurity of having a finite career is a really brutal way to live a life, right? I spent the early part of my career really desperate for more work because I defined myself by what I was working on."
