In a recent interview, Quentin Tarantino made some disparaging comments about Matthew Lillard, and one early dark comedy in the actor’s career shows the famed director is wrong about his talent. Tarantino was on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast and had some bad things to say about Paul Dano and Matthew Lillard.
For Dano, it was harsh criticism, as he called him the worst actor in SAG. However, for Lillard, it was just more of an opinion, where Tarantino said, “I don’t care for Matthew Lillard.” Despite this, Lillard said the comments “hurts,” and many people have come to the actor’s defense, including James Gunn, who wrote the script for Lillard’s Scooby-Doo.
That said, Lillard’s career goes all the way back to 1990, where he hosted a Nickelodeon show called SK8-TV before he had his movie debut in Ghoulies III: Ghoulies Go to College, and then he starred three years later in a cult classic dark comedy by one of the greatest cult directors in history, John Waters.
Matthew Lillard Enjoyed His Breakout In John Waters’ Serial Mom
In 1994, cult filmmaker John Waters released his dark comedy crime film Serial Mom. The movie stars Kathleen Turner in a shocking role as a suburban housewife and mother who is also a serial killer. However, her reasons for killing people are based on what are really trivial slights to her or her family, or just minor offenses.
On top of Kathleen Turner as the serial killer mom, Sam Waterston played her husband Eugene, while Ricki Lake and Matthew Lillard played her teenage kids, Misty and Chip. Many of her kills were based on slights that she saw done to her kids, as well as herself, such as when she kills Chip’s math teacher for insulting her son.
While the movie received mainly average reviews when released, it has since gone on to become a beloved cult classic, with Roger Ebert praising its use of satire. However, Ebert also said it was hard to laugh at since Kathleen Turner’s serial killer was clearly a disturbed individual who needed help. That is part of Waters’ style, though.
For Matthew Lillard, this was a huge moment. He got a chance to star in a John Waters movie, which was a significant moment for anyone acting at the time. For Lillard, he called it one of the most important moments of his career (via Collider).
“To be on a set with Kathleen Turner in that moment when she was an icon, with Sam Waterston, who is an icon, and with this iconic director, I learned everything. It sort of set the table for the rest of my life, which was fantastic.”
While this was Kathleen Turner’s movie, it brought Matthew Lillard to everyone’s attention in his first major movie role, and it was only two years until he broke out with the most significant role of his career.
Lillard Rose To Fame Two Years Later With Scream
Two years after working with John Waters on Serial Mom, Matthew Lillard picked up the biggest role of his career, and only one other role has come close. Lillard joined the cast of Scream as Stu Macher. He was one of the teens whom the Ghostface killer hunted, until the end revealed he was one of the killers.
It was a huge moment for Lillard, who joined with Skeet Ulrich as the two students who were killing their friends. Lillard is also returning for the next Scream movie, likely as a flashback or vision, and he re-teamed with Ulrich for the horror sequel, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, in 2025. It was Lillard’s big breakout moment.
While Quentin Tarantino might not be a fan of Matthew Lillard, his roles in Scream and Serial Mom before that opened up the door for him to get some more prominent roles. Lillard was incredible in the comedy SLC Punk! and then got another significant role in Scooby-Doo, where he played a pitch-perfect version of Shaggy.
Matthew Lillard Is Better Than Quentin Tarantino Thinks
Quentin Tarantino is not wrong in his comments, for one simple reason. Tarantino said he didn’t “care for” Matthew Lillard’s acting. If that is how Tarantino feels, it is an honest statement, and he has the right to his opinion. However, many people have said it is in bad taste for people in the business to bash their contemporaries.
Matthew Lillard’s career has not had as many highs as some other actors of his generation, but he deserves much more praise than a simple dismissal from Quentin Tarantino. He is still getting roles in movies like the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise and the Stephen King adaptation, The Life of Chuck.
However, to see Matthew Lillard at his best, watch the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 10 episode, “Ballerina” from 2009. That episode sees the legendary Carol Burnett playing a dance club owner named Roxette. Lillard plays her nephew, Chet, and it is soon revealed that Roxette and Chet might be involved with the latest murders.
It was a shockingly horrific performance by both Burnett and Lillard. Burnett earned an Emmy nomination for her performance, and Lillard easily matched up to the famed actress in the episode. It was just one example, but Matthew Lillard deserves a lot more respect than he has received in his long, impressive career.
Sources: Roger Ebert, Collider
- Release Date
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April 13, 1994
- Runtime
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94 Minutes
- Director
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John Waters
