Matthew Lillard Shares Heartbreaking Reaction After Quentin Tarantino Criticizes His Acting

Actor Matthew Lillard has built a career out of playing the chaotic, the heartfelt, and the unexpectedly unforgettable, from Scream to The Descendants to She’s All That and even James Gunn’s early live-action Scooby-Doo movies.

And yet, none of it has managed to charm Quentin Tarantino, who recently announced that he does not care for Lillard’s acting. Or, apparently, for Lillard at all. During an appearance on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, Tarantino casually tossed Lillard onto a list of actors he thinks miss the mark.

He said:

"I don't care for him, I don't care for Owen Wilson, and I don't care for Matthew Lillard.”

Cue the Nene Leakes GIF reaction: “Now why am I in it?” Because last we checked, Lillard hasn’t appeared in a single Tarantino film—the man is catching strays from projects he wasn’t even invited to.

And clearly, the Twin Peaks: The Return actor has better things to focus on.

He told the crowd at last Saturday’s GalaxyCon in Columbus, Ohio:

“Quentin Tarantino this week said he didn't like me as an actor… Yeah, whatever. Who gives a sh*t?”

After fans began booing the remark, Lillard stopped them and explained that he wasn’t fishing for outrage but he wanted to be honest about how it felt.

Lillard said:

“It hurts your feelings… And he wouldn't say that to Tom Cruise. He wouldn't say that to somebody who's a top-line actor in Hollywood. I'm very popular in this room. I'm not very popular in Hollywood. Two totally different microcosms. So it's humbling, and it hurts.”

A fan yelled, “We love you!” and Lillard quietly replied, “Thank you.”

The moment quickly went viral, especially among fans who have championed Lillard’s late career resurgence.

You can watch the clip here:

People reached out to a representative for Tarantino for comment.

Lillard’s supporters were swift and loud — partly because the actor is in the middle of a major upswing. He recently reprised his villainous role as William Afton in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, the box office-topping horror sequel. He’s also headed back to the Scream franchise as Stu Macher in Scream 7, and he has a role in Marvel’s upcoming series Daredevil: Born Again.

In September, he told People:

“I’m nervous, because at this point in my life, the only thing I can do is sort of ruin how people consider Stu.”

Lillard’s relationship with Scream has become one of the great “never say never” arcs in horror. His character, Stu Macher, was seemingly killed off in the 1996 original, yet he’s remained a fan favorite and a conspiracy theory legend for nearly three decades. With his return in Scream 7, he's stepping back into a role that shaped his early career—and one fans have refused to let go of.

Back at GalaxyCon, he reflected more broadly:

“As you're rounding second base headed for home on a career, to get a resurgence so late in life is a gift. You don't see it very often.”

Fans immediately took to social media to rally around Lillard, flooding timelines with support and reminders of his beloved status.

Meanwhile, Tarantino’s remarks weren’t limited to Lillard. The director used his time on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast to criticize multiple actors, most notably Paul Dano, while discussing There Will Be Blood, which Tarantino ranked fifth on his list of films of the century. According to Tarantino, the movie would have placed higher were it not for Dano’s performance.

He told Ellis:

“And the flaw is Paul Dano. Obviously, it’s supposed to be a two-hander, and it’s also so drastically obvious that it’s not a two-hander… He is weak sauce, man. He’s a weak sister.”

Hollywood, unsurprisingly, did not share Tarantino’s appraisal.

Without naming Tarantino, director Matt Reeves, who worked with Dano on The Batman, posted on X:

Ben Stiller chimed in to call Dano “brilliant,” while Simu Liu added that he is “an incredible actor.”

This wave of support mirrors the reaction now building around Lillard. Fans online have praised him for his vulnerability. In contrast, others pointed out the irony: Tarantino has made a career out of championing actors he personally admires, yet seems baffled when people return the favor to performers he dismisses.

And in Lillard’s case, the dismissal stings even more because he has never set foot in a Tarantino movie—not even a cameo, not even a background extra. It’s a little like getting kicked out of a club you’ve never been inside.

But what resonated most from Lillard’s comments wasn’t bitterness. It was the honesty of an actor who knows the industry doesn’t always love him back, but is finally seeing a late career renaissance driven by fans, creators, and studios who do.

And while Tarantino may not “care for” Matthew Lillard, the rest of Hollywood, and certainly the internet, seem more than happy to fill the gap.