Matthew Lillard says ‘beautiful’ reaction to Tarantino’s diss about him was ‘like living through your own wake’

‘Scream’ star acknowledged that ‘nobody has to like me’ but still found the support ‘lovely’

Matthew Lillard couldn’t be more grateful for the overwhelming support he received from fans and peers defending him against Quentin Tarantino’s harsh criticism of his acting.

Last month, the Oscar-winning director made headlines for saying he “didn’t care for” the Scream star, Paul Dano or Owen Wilson. All three instantly received an outpouring of love from within Hollywood. Lillard, 56, was defended by his The Life of Chuck director, Mike Flanigan, who labeled him “the goddamn greatest.”

He was also recruited by Ryan Reynolds for a Mint Mobile commercial, in which the latter declared in a voiceover: “There are only two things that are universally loved: saving money and beloved actor Matthew Lillard.”

“It was like living through your own wake,” Lillard told Entertainment Weekly of the tributes and support. “All those R.I.P. emails or tweets and Instagram posts and TikToks, all of the things we see after somebody passes are so sweet. And the reality is I just got to live through all of it firsthand — alive and kicking! I can’t imagine a more lovely reaction to what happened.

“It was crazy. I keep showing it to my wife to convince her that I am worthy, that people still like me,” he quipped. “I’m a piece of ass.”

Matthew Lillard (left) said overwhelming support from fans and peers after Quentin Tarantino diss was 'beautiful' (Getty)

Lillard reprises his ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ role as William Afton in the 2025 sequel (© 2023 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.)

Acknowledging that “nobody has to like me. Nobody has to like any actor out there, obviously. It’s personal preference. I am not everyone’s first choice, that is obvious,” Lillard added, “but to then have that kind of reaction was beautiful.”

The Pulp Fiction director made the controversial comments during an appearance on Brett Easton Ellis’s podcast to discuss his ranking of the best movies made in the 21st century. Tarantino picked 2007 film There Will Be Blood as his fifth-best movie of the century and said it would have been higher on the list if it weren’t for Dano’s performance.

“[Dano] is weak sauce, man. He is the weak sister. [Daniel Day-Lewis] is eating him [alive]. Austin Butler would have been wonderful in that role. He’s just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy,” Tarantino said. “I’m not saying [Dano is] giving a non-entity performance. I don’t care for him. I don’t care for Owen Wilson. I don’t care for Matthew Lillard.”

Lillard previously addressed Tarantino’s disparaging remarks at GalaxyCon in Columbus, Ohio, saying: “The point is that it hurts your feelings. It f***ing sucks. And you wouldn’t say that to Tom Cruise. You wouldn’t say that to somebody who’s a top-line actor in Hollywood.”

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

He remarked that he was “very popular in this room. I’m not very popular in Hollywood… two totally different microcosms, right? And so, you know, it’s humbling and it hurts.”

Dano, too, has since broken his silence on Tarantino’s hurtful assessment and the ensuing outrage. “That was really nice,” he told Variety. “I was also incredibly grateful that the world spoke up for me so I didn’t have to.”