Matthew Lillard Thought “Scream” Would Flop, and Planned a TV Career Instead

Matthew Lillard spent the early hours of one morning in 1996 convinced his career was about to leave horror behind. He told a New York Comic Con panel that he rode home from the “Scream” set around 6 a.m., covered in fake blood, and decided “Nobody’s gonna see it.” He planned to become a television star instead.

The actor, who played Stu Macher in the 1996 slasher, shared the memory at the film’s 30th-anniversary panel on Saturday. Skeet Ulrich, Jamie Kennedy and original Ghostface stunt performer Lee Waddell joined him on stage.

Lillard said his castmates were making similar plans that night. Courteney Cox expected to return to “Friends” and Neve Campbell to “Party of Five.” Lillard had just filmed a pilot, which never went to series. He said nobody involved could have imagined what followed.

The film became a hit. It launched a seven-film franchise, and the latest installment arrived earlier this year. Lillard returned for that sequel after three decades. He had admitted beforehand that he felt nervous about reprising the role, and Stu had long been considered dead, with writer Kevin Williamson confirming the character’s death more than once.

Lillard has voiced the same surprise before. In an earlier interview, he said no one on the production expected anything beyond a standard ’90s horror film. The failed expectations extended to his own path. He recently told a video series that he came to resent the live-action “Scooby-Doo” films after the sequel underperformed at the box office. He said his career took a real nosedive after the second movie.

The panel also turned to what the film means to audiences. Lillard said fans often describe Billy and Stu as their “queer awakening,” and that he and Ulrich feel it matters to hold that space. Kennedy offered a drier take on fans who call the movie their comfort watch, joking that he asks who hurt them.

The gap between Lillard’s 6 a.m. verdict and the film’s 30-year afterlife is what stands out. The cast read a night shoot as a stepping stone to better work. Audiences have kept returning to the film for three decades.