‘Scooby Doo’ star Matthew Lillard confesses ‘weird nostalgia’ over reprise

Matthew Lillard just admitted that his “longing for ye olde times” was the reason for renewed interest in his past roles, and why he was being cast again.

Speaking on the Phase Hero podcast, he pointed to films from the early 2000s which he said were now being watched more widely than at the time of their release.

“Scooby-Doo 1 and 2 are more popular now than they ever were when they came out,” he told the host Brandon Davis.

Lillard continued, “So, I do think there is a weird nostalgia thing happening in our industry and in the zeitgeist, because I think people are longing for ye olde times.”

“I think that is 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.

Lillard rose to prominence with roles like Stu Macher in Scream (1996), then went on to play Shaggy in the live-action Scooby-Doo films released in 2002 and 2004, and acted in films like She’s All That and The Descendants.

On the podcast, Davis joked that casting directors were looking back to find a “familiar face from when people felt better about their lives” and actors like Lillard returning to the screen would make “people feel better.”

“That's why I’m working. I don’t think anyone really likes me,” Lillard replied, admitting, “They just missed the old times.”

Lillard appeared in the 2023 horror film Five Nights at Freddy's as William Afton, a role that he was expected to reprise in the still-in-development third instalment of the franchise.

He is currently starring in Daredevil: Born Again, playing the shadowy political fixer Mr. Charles. He is also appearing in the second season of the Prime Video series Cross, where he plays Lance Durand.