Matthew Lillard Says ‘Scream’ Changed His Life Forever

Matthew Lillard knows exactly what his favorite scary movie is — and the answer will surprise no one.

“Scream, because it changed my life forever,” Lillard recently said when asked about his favorite horror film, giving a nod to the famous line from the 1996 classic.

The question echoes the chilling opening scene of Scream, when Ghostface asks Drew Barrymore’s character, “What’s your favorite scary movie?” That moment became one of the most memorable lines in horror history and helped launch one of the most successful slasher franchises of all time.

Lillard, now 56, played Stu Macher in the original film. Looking back, he says no one involved expected the movie to have such a long life.

“There’s nobody in our entire franchise from that first film that thought we would be here 30 years later,” he said.

At the time, horror movies — especially slasher films — were not at their peak. Director Wes Craven hadn’t had a major hit in a while, and the genre had slowed down. Lillard admits he saw it as just another small project.

“I was like, ‘Oh, this is a little horror movie. It’ll be fun,’” he recalled. “Little did I know it would change my life.”

The film featured a now-iconic cast including Drew Barrymore, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Skeet Ulrich. At the time, some were better known for television roles, and crossovers from TV to film were less common than they are today.

Nearly three decades later, the franchise is still going strong. A seventh installment, Scream 7, is set to hit theaters on Feb. 27, 2026.

For Lillard, the 30th anniversary feels like a milestone.

“So much of your life, you’re just fighting to get your next job,” he said. “When you get to a benchmark like the 30th anniversary, you have to stop and assess how far you’ve come.”

He admits there were dark times in his career when he feared he might never work again. Like many actors, he experienced moments of success followed by uncertainty.

“You have a moment of relevance and then it dissipates,” he said. “You’re forced to ask, ‘Who are you and what are you going to do next?’”

Now, Lillard is enjoying what he calls a “renaissance.” In recent years, he has appeared in the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise, joined Mike Flanagan’s upcoming adaptation of Carrie, landed a role in Daredevil: Born Again, and signed on to star in Behemoth! alongside Pedro Pascal.

“It’s been really lovely,” Lillard said of this new chapter. “Through thick or thin, through good days and bad, how lucky I’ve been and how blessed I am in this career.”

He has also embraced his Ghostface legacy outside of acting. Through his company, Find Familiar Spirits, Lillard helped launch a Ghostface vodka in partnership with Fun World, the company that owns the rights to the iconic mask.

“It’s humbling,” he said. “Building things that you’re passionate about and sharing that passion with people who love the same thing really makes the work light and joyful.”

Thirty years after donning the Ghostface persona, Lillard is still grateful — and still very much in the game.