Monster-Mania: Matthew Lillard on David Lynch vs Wes Craven

Matthew Lillard was one of the featured guests at Monster-Mania in Hunt Valley, Maryland this past weekend. An accomplished actor, he gave us the scoop on working with Wes Craven and David Lynch.

Matthew Lillard, Neve Campbell, Jamie Kennedy and Roger Jackson reunited for a Scream Q & A session at Monster-Mania in Hunt Valley, Maryland. The actor in person is exactly what you would expect. Engaging, witty and clearly loves interacting with his fans.

In 1994, he was cast in John Waters’ zany film, Serial Mom about a Baltimore housewife who may or may not be a murderer. Lillard portrayed Chip, Kathleen Turner and Sam Waterston’s son. Waters isn’t your average director and the subjects that he tackles are far from the mainstream.

This was a great introduction to the actor’s soon to be familiar goofy persona. Whenever you watch Matthew on screen he appears to be coming from a place of pure joy and it is highly entertaining to watch him.

However, while he can definitely play comedic, his edgy side was going to be showcased when he was cast in Wes Craven’s meta movie about horror films, Scream. Craven was one of the most revered directors in genre cinema and beloved by everyone that worked with him.

More from Wes Craven

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• How did Drew Barrymore break the final girl mold in Scream?
• David Arquette: What’s in store for Sheriff Dewey Riley in Scream 5?
• Scream 5: Neve Campbell in talks but do we really need this sequel?

Lillard’s successful turn as Stuart opened doors to other roles that were vast and varied in scope. From a punk rocker in conservative Salt Lake City to Kenneth Branagh’s version of the Bard’s Love’s Labour’s Lost, Lillard was honing his craft and not playing it safe.

Next to Scream, he is probably most remembered for Shaggy in 2002’s live action Scooby-Doo. As the actor grew older, he continued to seek out eclectic roles and experiences. 2017 saw him enter the world of the guru of bizarre, director David Lynch.

Much like cult director John Waters, Lynch also has a cache among cinephiles who clearly love his alternate realities and off the wall movies. Matthew portrayed William Hastings in Twin Peaks: The Return on Showtime becoming a part of a world that was forged in 1990 when the original series ran on ABC.

Working for two powerful yet very different directors we wondered if the actor could compare and contrast their styles so we asked him. This was his response:

"“I will tell you the similarities. They both direct in joy. They both have this different sense of moviemaking. They’re making films that most people don’t make. David Lynch meditates twice a day. He is a huge proponent of the practice. This gives him this inner sort of effervescence and I think Wes had the same thing. There was a quiet stillness to Wes that would hold the room. He would whisper notes and the entire room would stop and listen. David has the same thing and he’s weirder.”"

Since it is the Halloween season, you can revisit Matthew’s performance in Scream on Freeform this month, on Oct. 12 at 6 p.m., Oct. 18 at 3 p.m. and Oct. 28 at 3:10 p.m.

What is your favorite Matthew Lillard character? Let us know in the comments.