Matthew Lillard was an actor struggling to make ends meet in the early aughts — until Freddie Prinze Jr. stepped in.
“The reality is that [our film] Summer Catch came in a time when we didn’t have money, and I had auditioned, and I felt really good about my audition, and I loved it,” Lillard, 55, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting his partnership with Exact Sciences’ Cologuard test. “And I actually sent the director, Mike Tollin, three telegrams, advocating for myself to play the catcher. The problem was, I’m 6’4. He’s like, ‘Dude, there are no 6’4 catchers.’”
Lillard explained that while Tollin thought he was “great” and promised to “use” him at some point down the road, the director didn’t think he was right for a role that required him to portray a catcher on a minor league baseball team. Prinze. Jr, meanwhile — Lillard’s longtime pal and two-time former costar — had already been cast as pitcher Ryan in the 2001 film, so Lillard picked up the phone for a favor.
“I called Freddie. He and I had done She’s All That and Wing Commander. And I’m like, ‘Hey, if you can put in a good word for me, I’d really love to be your catcher,’” he recalled. “And like, the next day, I got the offer.”
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Summer Catch follows Ryan (Prinze Jr.) as he joins a summer baseball league on Cape Cod in hopes of making it to the majors. While there, he meets and falls in love with the daughter of a wealthy family, Tenley (Jessica Biel), who is summering on the Cape. Lillard plays Bobby, Ryan’s catcher and wisecracking BFF who serves as a sounding board for his friend’s personal and professional woes.
Turns out, Prinze Jr.’s display of friendship happened at a time when Lillard “needed it most” — right before he and his now-wife, Heather Helm, were about to tie the knot. (Lillard and Helm wed in 2000. The couple share three children.)
“Freddie came through for me [right before] my wife and I were about to get married. My wife had quit her job,” Lillard explained. “And when you’re a blue collar, working class actor and you’re like, 10th on the call sheet or seventh on the call sheet, you’re not getting paid the millions of dollars people expect. So it was a real struggle at that time of my life, and he made a call that made that happen. So for that movie, I’m very grateful.”
Summer Catch marked the third time Lillard and Prinze Jr. shared the screen after 1999’s She’s All That and Wing Commander. They duo would later team up again for 2002’s Scooby-Doo and its subsequent sequel, where they portrayed Shaggy and Fred, respectively.
Earlier this summer, Prinze Jr. joked that Lillard was in his personal debt during a stress test with Men’s Health, telling the outlet, “Matthew doesn’t cause me stress, but I did give him a lot of work, and he should thank me.”
Lillard, for his part, doesn’t disagree.
“I really do!” he told Us with a laugh.
He’s since been sure to pay it forward. Lillard said he made sure to sing Skeet Ulrich’s praises when Five Nights at Freddy’s game creator Scott Cawthon came to him about potentially casting his former Scream costar in the upcoming sequel.
“[Scott] was like, ‘What do you think about Skeet for this role in the second movie?’ And, you know, I jumped at the opportunity to brag on my friend,” Lillard shared. “I think he’s a dear man. I think he’s really talented and a joy to have on set.”
Lillard, of course, portrays Big Bad William Afton in the Five Nights films, a serial child murderer with the dreams of living forever. Ulrich, meanwhile, will join the sequel as Afton’s former partner, Henry Emily.
According to Lillard, both he and Ulrich were largely chosen for their roles thanks to their consistent and thoughtful interaction with long-time, dedicated Scream fans.
“Skeet and I, if you’re in our line [at conventions], will stay extra long to make sure people are taken care of,” he explained. “And our lines are long, so we often stay really late, and that sort of energy really resonated with Scott in terms of commitment to fans and loving that whole interaction.”
Lillard — who will reprise his role as Stu Macher a.k.a half of the original Ghostface team in the upcoming Scream 7 — noted that it’s always a blessing when given the opportunity to play a part in a “beloved” franchise. “It’s just such a gift,” he said.
Another gift Lillard has been given is the chance to partner with Exact Sciences, thanks to his reputation as a Scream King.
“I’m kind of an expert at scary,” Lillard claims in his new ad for the campaign, which notes a list of spooky things that include “a grown man with frosted tips” — a nod to his ‘90s hairdo — and “forgetting to screen for colon cancer when you turn 45.”
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“I personally have seen the ravages of cancer. It’s a horrible disease, and it just sort of made sense,” Lillard said of his decision to partner with the company. “I felt like it’s doing good in the world. And it just kind of fit who I am in this spooky season and really what I believe in. Because at the end of the day, if we can inspire people to get tested, that’s a win for humanity. And God knows we need all the wins we can get right now.”
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 hits theaters on December 5.
