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From Stu and Stevo to Scooby-Doo’s sidekick, Shaggy, no ‘90s or early ‘00s movie felt complete unless Matthew Lillard was in it.
When it comes to millennial cult classics, Lillard was an undeniable staple. Appearing in romantic comedies like Summer Catch and She’s All That to the movie that would launch him into “horror icon” status, Scream, Lillard’s comedic relief and magnetic on screen appeal was seemingly everywhere, and Scream director Wes Craven knew it from the very start.
“Wes Craven pulled me aside one day and said, ‘Someday, you’re going to win an Academy Award,’” Lillard once recalled at a convention about shooting the 1996 hit. “I said, ‘Shut up. You should call my mom and dad and tell them that.’ So he had the phone brought over and he called my mom.”
While the actor has had a dedicated fan following for decades, he previously rejected the idea of being beloved for his past work — until recently.
“Now, I love being able to celebrate things [like Scream],” he told Rolling Stone in an October 2024 interview. “Not that I’m interested in, like, holding on to them so tightly. But in my entire life, I’ve always thought, ‘Who cares about what I’ve done before? Let’s just get to the next.’ Now, as I’m older, I’m not so interested in the next.”
Lillard admitted that there’s a bit “2.0 era” of his career happening — he’s recently starred in hits like Good Girls, Five Nights at Freddy’s and more — and he couldn’t be more thankful for the love.
“I’m super grateful for it. You know, when you’re young and coming up and Scream happens, you’re always looking for what’s next, what’s more, right? Especially as a young actor, you’re like, ‘Scream happened, but yeah, it’s whatever — I want more.’ And it’s when you’re at the top of your journey, when you’re coming around towards the end of your career — not that I’m there right now, but I’m not a new kid on the block, right? You certainly appreciate it so much on such a deeper level,” he said. “It’s so funny, you know. The minute you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m the s–,’ you immediately wipe out. That’s when you fall the furthest.”
While Lillard may be at the top of his career now, fans will never forget how it all began. Keep scrolling for a look back at Lillard in his best roles of the ‘90s and early ‘00s:
‘Serial Mom’ (1994)
Lillard’s first foray into the horror genre came in 1994 with Serial Mom, a dark comedy about housewife Beverly Sutphin (Kathleen Turner), who finds out she has a taste for murder after running someone over with her car. A young Lillard portrays her son, Chip, who watches as his mom grows increasingly out of control — and dangerous. The film is just as silly as it is scary, and set Lillard up for what would be an impressive career in the horror-comedy genre.
‘Mad Love’ (1995)
One year after Serial Mom hit theaters, Lillard was cast in Mad Love, a dark romance starring Drew Barrymore and Chris O’Donnell as Casey and Matt, a pair of teens in love who go on the adventure of their lives when they decide to take a cross country road trip. Lillard only had a small role in the film as one of O’Donnell’s friends Eric, but the project proved his range as an actor — and his ability to hang with the greats.
‘Hackers’ (1995)
Continuing to act alongside the greats — Lillard teamed up with Angelina Jolie for 1995’s Hackers, which follows a group of teens as they uncover a criminal conspiracy with plans to use a computer virus that will capsize five oil tankers. The film introduced a new elevated tone for Lillard, who — while still sporting his then-signature long locks — portrayed Emmanuel “Cereal Killer” Goldstein in this cyberpunk flick way ahead of its time.
‘Scream’ (1996)
There may be six (almost seven) movies in the Scream franchise — and an endless amount of unmasked Ghostfaces — but no one can beat the original duo of Billy (Skeet Ulrich) and Lillard’s Stu. Lillard’s unhinged craze made him a fantastic villain, but his ability mask his murderous streak as the likable best friend allowed him to craft a top tier cover up before the truth is revealed.
Scream is undoubtedly where Lillard broke out in mainstream stardom. Some of the best moments in the final act are actually improvised by Lillard — “You f—-ing hit me with the phone, dick!” — and his brutal death-by-electrocution remains one of the best of the franchise. So good, in fact, fans are still clamoring to see Stu return to seek vengeance on Final Girl Sidney (Neve Campbell) all these years later. I mean, someone could survive a TV falling on their head, right? … Right?
‘SLC Punk! (1998)
Every teen outsider in the ‘90s found solace in 1998’s SLC Punk!, an offbeat comedy about duo Heroin Bob (Michael A. Goorjian) and Stevo (Lillard) who walk the streets’ of America’s “most conservative city,” Salt Lake City, as the only two dedicated punks around. The movie itself is an underrated timeless classic, with a staggeringly impressive supporting cast — Devon Sawa, Jason Segel and Christopher McDonald, to name a few — and a story about finding your own way in a world that pushes you to conform.
Lillard, like always, his hilarious, effusive and lights of the screen, stealing the show at every turn — and not just because of that stellar, bright blue hair.
‘She’s All That’ (1999)
Some might argue that Lillard’s Brock Hudson — a vain, self-centered reality star coming off his stint on MTV’s The Real World who started dating the high school’s Queen Bee Taylor Vaughn (Jodi Lynn O’Keefe) — was meant to be a villain of this beloved 1999 romantic comedy. And, OK, while the character being in his 20s and dating a teenager is a definite ick factor, Lillard still made Brock undeniably memorable with his iconic line delivery, epic wardrobe and extremely impressive dance skills.
Decades later, people are still talking about how great of a love story Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachel Lee Cook’s Zack and Lainey had — but you’ll be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t follow that up with, “But Matthew Lillard’s Brock was the real star of the show.”
‘Summer Catch ‘(2001)
Lillard once again swooped in as the perfect comic relief for this underrated romantic comedy starring Prinze Jr. and Jessica Biel. Lillard plays baseball catcher Billy Brubaker in the film, a teammate of Prinze Jr.’s Ryan Dunne. Both are on the path to the major leagues, hoping a turn in a summer league will get them noticed.
The movie is a typical early ‘00s staple — lots of familiar faces, sexcapades and jokes that didn’t all age that well — but Lillard still managed to make his character noteworthy.
‘Thir13en Ghosts’ (2001)
Lillard returned to his horror roots for this early ‘00s gem, trading in humor for jump scares and gore. While Lillard was technically supporting cast in this truly terrifying flick, his role as ghost hunter Dennis led the way for the story to unfold, and Lillard proved he can play the victim just as well as the villain, any day. (Warning: Don’t watch this film unless you are prepared for endless nightmares.)
‘Scooby-Doo’ (2002)
While some know Lillard as Stu or Stevo, others know him best as Norville “Shaggy” Rogers from 2002’s live action Scooby-Doo. The actor stars opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar, Linda Cardellini and former costar Prinze Jr. to make up the iconic core four — plus one highly entertaining canine — detectives.
Some actors might struggle with bringing such a well-known and beloved comic book character to life, but Lillard flawlessly captures Shaggy’s nervous, goofy persona with his vocal performance, body language, mannerisms and ability to work with a CGI doggo. He was so good, in fact, he reprised the role for the 2004 sequel and became the official voice of Shaggy in all the subsequent animated movies and TV shows from 2010 to 2020. Zoinks!
