By: debbie lynn elias
There are few actors whom I have had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing over the years with as much energy and genuine joy and passion as Matthew Lillard. And when it comes to talking directing, his passion and enthusiasm is unparalleled. He is a man that truly loves his craft. Most of you know him best as the lovable scatter-brained Shaggy in the Scooby-Doo movies, both live action and animated, the latter where he voices not only Shaggy but other characters as well. Then there’s SCREAM, a film that took the world by storm, turning into a franchise which made many of its actors household names and faces. And although Lillard has been consistently working over the years, many of his films have fallen under the radar, that is, until now. With Oscar buzz already hot and heavy, THE DESCENDANTS finds Matthew Lillard going toe-to-toe with none other than George Clooney. A film that rings true with characters and story, Lillard is definitely not the first person that comes to mind for the role of Brian Speer. But thanks to a brilliant casting move by director Alexander Payne, Lillard not only shows film audiences the true depth and dimension of his acting skills (something his stage fans already know), but actually steals a scene or two, and a few other things, from Clooney.
I had a chance to talk to Matthew Lillard in an exclusive 1:1 interview, discussing his two great passions – acting and directing.
Hi there!
Hello again, Matthew.
Hello, Debbie Lynn. How are you?
Fine. So, what’s happening with you.
It’s a dream!
The last time I had a chance to talk to you was for a Scooby movie during press for that.
Yea.
You‘ve kind of been laying low…
Sure. Bad movies that don’t need junkets. [laughing]
But you still do voicing.
Yea, yea. That’s great. That’s the greatest job in the world.
That seems to be where your heart lies.
No! Oh God, no! Are you kidding? [laughing]
Okay, your kids are where your heart lies. [laughing]
Yes. [laughing] No, that job is a great job but that’s a job that keeps me out of the poorhouse and makes me $900 a week. It’s just a job that never ends. So, that’s like a 9-5 for me. But no, that’s the thing on the side while I’m just waiting for a good movie to come along, or any movie really.
I was talking with Beau [Bridges] about it, but how hard is it for a good script to come along. It seems like they are so few and far between anymore.
We just don’t make movies like we used to. We went from ten studios making fifteen movies a year to three studios making three movies. And the movies they do make are these huge tent-pole films and $100 million dollar comedies and you need everyone in the film to have a “Q” rating. You pay the top two people on the call sheet and everyone else gets scale. I’m not gonna complain about movies, making money in movies, because it’s a dream. Our industry is like every other industry in the world. We’ve been decimated. It’s been downsized. It’s been squashed and squished. Actors, 100 years ago, they would throw fruit at us when we came to town. And it’s not that different. You look at the Taylor Lautner’s of the world or that 1% – that’s not a blue collar working class actor. That’s a movie star. For all of the blue collar guys, and all the blue collar women, and all those people that made their living on their commercial or three guest stars, have no homes and are now trying to feed their kids, trying to figure out how to make ends meet like everyone else in America. It may be a glamorous job but this is a glamorous week. It’s one week where you get to be glamorous and the rest of the time you’re begging and scrapping and trying to sell your carpet.
You are a dramatically trained actor. Do you ever yearn to do theater and heavy dramatic roles?
Yea. I’m doing a play right now.
Tell me about it!
I’m doing a play called Harbor at the Victory Theater in Burbank. I directed a movie all year. I was like, “I’ll go back after that and just go a play before THE DESCENDANTS comes out.” It’s been great to go back and to every night have an hour and a half on stage. You can act. You don’t have to worry about results. You don’t have to try to get a job or hustle for a job. You just go up and say the lines and be in the moment. So, it’s fantastic. I still teach. I go to class. I still train. For me, I will be an actor no matter what. Whether I’m making money or not. So, for me, it’s important to just keep doing it, whether it’s for money or not.
Playing on stage, does that help you recharge and fuel your energy?
Sure. Yea! Again, unless you’re a guy that’s in it to be a celebrity, and there are those people – and I’m not that guy and the thing that made you fall in love with it [acting] in the first place is doing stage shows, doing plays in high school and in college and then going to New York; I’ve been doing it in LA, I’ve been doing it in New York, going back to do that again, it just reinvigorates what you first fell in love with. It rekindles that energy that is why you did it. It’s not like when I was 14 and this weird kid in junior high school and had nobody to talk to. “You know what I want to do? I want to do movies and make millions of dollars and that’s why I’m doing this”. You’re doing it because you fall in love with it.
What’s the greatest gift that acting has given you?
Oh Jesus! The greatest gift acting has given me? Hmmm. You know, I’m that guy that says….I always wanted to be an actor. So I grew up and I got to live out my dream. But as a kid, I wanted to be the fireman or the guy that wanted to be the policeman. And 9 times out of 10, [kids] end up not doing that and do something else. But I ended up doing what I love to do. So, when I’m doing [acting], I’m doing my most favorite thing in the world. It’s just a matter of – I like the doing of it. I like the acting of it. It’s the business of it that’s a little tough sometimes. But that’s the greatest gift – that I get to do what I love to do.
Now, you’ve stepped behind the camera, directing Fat Kid Rules The World which stars Jacob Wysocki who just wowed us earlier this year in Terri with John C. Reilly How is that for you?
Good. It’s about being a storyteller. As an actor being number one or number two on the call sheet, you can lead by example and you can be on set and you can have all the energy and kind of make sure that your acting department is ready to roll, but at the end of the day you have no real control over the outcome. I like being the storyteller. I like being able to get up there and have everyone, lead a group of people to tell one story. And I like that. I like being a leader. Being an actor I always say is very myopic. It’s all about you, you, you, you you. And I’m not that interested in me, me, me, to be honest. I like being everything. I like set dec, and I like the camera, and I like performances, and I like guiding people, I like the music. I like all those different aspects.
How hands-on are you as a director? I know some directors just step back and leave everything to their respective departments and then others. . .
Every single step. I don’t understand that [hands-off approach]. Maybe I will as I go through the years, but [here] every single shot I storyboarded with my DP. Every single edit I worked with the editor. I sat in the editing room 13 hours a day. I was there with her. I sat right next to her. I don’t know how else to do it. Maybe at some point I’ll learn. It’s that thing where you work three times harder than maybe you should. But thatfs what makes it great. I “Jones” for work when I’m not working . We’re so defined in our culture by what you do and how you do it. We’re Americans and we believe in hard work. I grew up in Michigan. We’re a blue collar family. When I’m not working I don’t feel great about myself. For me, when I get to direct, it’s all day, everyday. And I like that. I like that endurance level. And I have that energy.
Did you write the script also?
I did not. I did a big rewrite, but it was written by [Michael] Galvin and [Peter] Speakman. I also believe in empowering people to be great. I’m not a cameraman. I’m like “Here’s my idea. You take it and run.” I think that you’re the best leader when inspiring the best out of people. So, when it comes to writing, it’s not my speciality.
You‘ve worked in so many different genres now. Is there any one genre that is your favorite or that you would like yet to do?
Yea. I don’t get a chance to do too many period pieces or period stuff. I like that. And I like big choices in stuff. I don’t like simple things. I like bigger, active choices, more energy and bigger choices. If I could do anything, I would do some period stuff. And I would just do stuff that you can make more dramatic choices on.
Do you have anything new coming up on your plate right now?
No. I don’t. I mean, the movie [Fat Kid]. Were still trying to roll out the movie. So we’re hoping the movie finds a home and hopefully, I’ll be doing that for a while.
Will you do the festival circuit with it?
Yes. For sure! If people will have us. The good thing is the movie is good. The movie doesn’t suck. It’s not bad. It’s a good movie.
With you at the helm, I would not think that it would suck!
[Laughing] It could happen! You’ve seen it before. I’ve been in them before.
Yea, but you’re at the helm this time. You‘re not going to let something suck, Matt!
No. I didn’t this time. [laughing] Maybe some day. But this time it’s good. And I’m excited about that. It’s happened and now I want the next thing. The curse of being an actor in this industry is – I teach a lot now – and I’ll say to a group of actors, “Raise your hand if you want a commercial.” And everyone of them will raise their hand. And then I say, “If I give you a commercial, the next thing you’ll want is the next commercial.” And that’s the thing. You’re never satiated. For me at least. There’s this crazy drive to do more, so right now I just want to find my next movie to direct and I’d like to maybe make some money.
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