Matthew Lillard Says He Thought ‘Scream’ Was ‘Lame’ and ‘Nobody’ Would See the Movie Before It Became a Hit

Matthew Lillard has been in some of the most iconic pop culture properties of the last three decades — but when he was covered in fake blood at 6 AM driving home from a night shoot on the original Scream, he was convinced the movie was “lame” and nobody would ever see it.

“This movie’s lame. Nobody’s gonna see it. I’m going to go become a television star,” Lillard recalled telling his castmates during that now-infamous car ride. The pilot he’d just filmed never got picked up. Thirty years later, Scream is one of the most successful horror franchises in cinema history — and Lillard is still riding the wave.

The revelation came during a 30th anniversary Scream panel at New York Comic Con on Friday, where Lillard joined fellow cast members Skeet Ulrich and Jamie Kennedy to look back on the film that changed everything. The panel was part of a larger celebration of the franchise’s legacy, which has now spanned seven films and countless cultural references since Wes Craven’s original slasher hit theaters in December 1996.

The Night That Changed Everything

Lillard painted a vivid picture of that early morning ride. He’d been lying in the back of a van with half a dozen other actors, all still covered in the night’s blood and makeup, shooting the breeze about what came next. Courteney Cox was heading back to Friends. Neve Campbell was returning to Party of Five. And Lillard had just wrapped a TV pilot that he was sure would be his ticket to small-screen stardom.

“That pilot never went, and here we are 30 years later,” Lillard said, drawing laughs from the NYCC audience. “Nobody could have possibly ever imagined” what Scream would become.

The actor, now 56, has a point. When Scream premiered, the slasher genre was considered dead and gone. Wes Craven hadn’t had a hit in years. The cast was largely made up of TV actresses who, at the time, didn’t typically cross over into film. Even Craven’s earlier horror classics — A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Hills Have Eyes — had been released years earlier, and many in the industry assumed his best days were behind him.

From Doubt to Legacy

Scream defied every expectation. It opened to $6.4 million in its first weekend and eventually grossed over $103 million domestically ($173 million worldwide) — a massive return on its $15 million budget. But the box office was only part of the story. The film revitalized the slasher genre, ushered in a new wave of meta-horror, and introduced Ghostface as one of the most recognizable villains in film history.

The franchise has since grown into a juggernaut. Scream 2 arrived in 1997 to even bigger numbers. Scream 3 followed in 2000. After a long hiatus, the series was revived with Scream (2022), Scream VI (2023), and most recently Scream 7 (2026) — which Lillard notes was “the biggest hit the franchise has ever had.”

Lillard’s Unexpected Journey

While Lillard never became the television star he once predicted, his career has been anything but quiet. Beyond the Scream franchise, he starred in the cult classic Hackers (1995), became a household name as Shaggy Rogers in the live-action Scooby-Doo films, and has maintained a steady presence in both film and television. He’s also become a beloved figure in the horror community — the kind of actor fans genuinely root for.

In a recent interview with People, Lillard reflected on his journey with characteristic humility. “Scream, because it changed my life forever,” he said when asked about his favorite scary movie. “There’s nobody in our entire franchise from that first film that thought we would be here 30 years later.”

The actor has also been open about the challenges of navigating Hollywood beyond his most famous role. On the I’ve Never Said This Before podcast, he discussed feeling typecast and the difficulty of being seen as more than “the Scream guy” — even as audiences continue to celebrate the franchise he helped build. “I am just a blue collar actor,” he reflected. “Nobody equates me with greatness.” It’s a striking admission from someone whose work has resonated with millions of fans worldwide.

Yet Lillard’s relationship with Scream remains complicated. Earlier this year, he expressed regret about returning for Scream 7 after the controversial firing of co-star Melissa Barrera. “I went back to do Scream, and I got called out,” he told audiences at a 30th anniversary screening. “I feel bad about that. I feel ashamed about that. Because in that moment I was so excited to go back, I didn’t really think about Melissa and that journey. I didn’t say no.” The moment revealed a more reflective side of an actor who has spent three decades grappling with the consequences of being part of something much larger than himself.

Despite the controversy, Scream 7 proved to be a massive commercial success — the biggest hit in the franchise’s history, according to Lillard himself. The film’s performance underscored a simple truth: Ghostface has become bigger than any single cast member, any single controversy, or any single film. The franchise has taken on a life of its own, sustained by fans who grew up with these characters and new generations discovering them for the first time.

The Ghostface That Won’t Die

What makes Scream‘s longevity remarkable is how it has evolved with each installment. The original was a sharp, self-aware satire of horror tropes. The sequels have continued to comment on the changing landscape of the genre — from franchise culture to social media — while delivering the kills and suspense that fans expect.

Lillard himself has embraced the franchise’s enduring appeal. Despite earlier criticism of Scream 7‘s handling of co-star Melissa Barrera’s departure, he has continued to engage with fans and celebrate the series’ legacy. “I still like being in the movie,” he acknowledged, even if “it may not have been the best idea.”

Thirty Years of Screams

Three decades after that blood-soaked car ride, Scream remains a cultural touchstone. It has inspired countless imitations, reshaped horror cinema, and proven that a smart script and a charismatic cast can overcome even the lowest of expectations.

Matthew Lillard set out to become a television star. Instead, he became something far more memorable — an original Ghostface, a horror icon, and the unlikely face of a franchise that refused to die. And as he proved at NYCC, he can still laugh about the time he thought it would all amount to nothing.

If you want to revisit the films that started it all, our coverage of the Scooby-Doo animated series and the broader world of horror cinema is a great place to start. Because as Lillard learned the hard way, sometimes the movie you think is lame is the one that changes your life.