Matthew Lillard admits Scooby-Doo films are more popular today than in the 2000s

• Matthew Lillard believes nostalgia for the early 2000s is driving his current career.
• The actor is currently appearing in Daredevil: Born Again and the series Cross.
• Lillard is confirmed to return for the third Five Nights at Freddy's movie.
  

Actor Matthew Lillard has attributed his recent career resurgence to a "weird nostalgia" currently gripping the entertainment industry and the cultural zeitgeist.

Speaking on the Phase Hero podcast with host Brandon Davis, the 56-year-old actor admitted that his renewed visibility is largely due to audiences "longing for ye olde times."

Lillard, who became a staple of early 2000s cinema, noted that his past projects—specifically the live-action Scooby-Doo films—are arguably more popular now than during their original theatrical runs.

"I think that is one of the reasons I’m having this moment to be honest," Lillard explained, "is because I was identified in that moment, so people are hiring me again."

After rising to fame in the 1990s as Stu Macher in Scream, Lillard became synonymous with the character of Shaggy Rogers.

While he joked that casting directors are simply looking for a "familiar face" from a time when people felt better about their lives, his current workload suggests a significant demand for his range across diverse genres.

Lillard’s "moment" includes high-profile roles in several major franchises. Following his successful turn as William Afton in the 2023 hit Five Nights at Freddy's, he is expected to reprise the role in the franchise’s third instalment.

Currently, he can be seen in the Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again, playing a shadowy political fixer known as Mr Charles, and in the second season of Prime Video’s Cross as Lance Durand.

Despite his self-deprecating claim that "no one really likes me" and they just "miss the old times," Lillard remains one of the most active character actors in the 2026 television landscape.