Quentin Tarantino recently made a lot of people upset when he took shots at some beloved artists in Hollywood while ranking his 20 favorite films from the 21st century on The Bret Easton Ellis podcast. The director's most infamous comments were about Paul Dano. Speaking about 2007's There Will Be Blood, where Dano co-starred with Daniel Day-Lewis, Tarantino said: "[Dano] is weak sauce, man. He is the weak sister. Austin Butler would have been wonderful in that role. He's just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy. The weakest f—ing actor in SAG [laughs]."
However, Dano wasn't the only actor he spoke badly about. He also expressed his dislike of Loki star Owen Wilson and of upcoming Daredevil: Born Again star Matthew Lillard. The Kill Bill director specifically said: "I don't care for [Paul Dano], I don't care for Owen Wilson, I don't care for Matthew Lillard." Lillard has been a staple in Hollywood for many years. He garnered fame for his role as Stu in Scream, before starring as Shaggy Rogers in the James Gunn-penned Scooby-Doo movies from the early 2000s.
Now, Lillard has spoken out about Tarantino's comments. A video was posted on TikTok of the actor addressing the comments with fans at GalaxyCon in Columbus, Ohio. Lillard stated: "Quentin Tarantino this week said he didn't like me as an actor." Upon him saying that, the crowd started to boo, to which the actor replied: "Eh, whatever. Who gives a sh—t."
He then explained the comment hurt his feelings, as it made him feel like he was not an important enough presence in Hollywood: "[Listen], the point is, 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. I'm 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."
Lillard may not be what would traditionally be considered an "A-lister" in the industry, but he's undoubtedly a beloved performer with an impressive career and remarkable acting abilities. He is capable of believably portaying a character as lovably "goofy" as Shaggy, while also delivering disturbing performances as Stu in the Scream franchise and William Afton in Five Nights At Freddy's.
The actor has experienced a career renaissance in recent years. As mentioned, he's joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 as Mr. Charles. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Head of Marvel TV Brad Winderbaum revealed his character will be an antagonist to Wilson Fisk:
"He plays a character named Mr. Charles. The story is about power. When Wilson Fisk takes over New York, not just as a mayor but as a king in a way, it puts him in a new class of power players on the international stage. Matthew Lillard's character represents that. So he's a bit of a new antagonist on the field, but he's as influential in many ways as Fisk is. That power negotiation at a very high level of politics and international diplomacy is also fun to watch. He is dealing with Mr. Charles up here and Daredevil down here for different reasons. So he's getting squeezed a little bit."
He also reprised his role as William Afton in Five Nights at Freddy's 2, and will portray Stu once again in the highly anticipated Scream 7.
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 will arrive on Disney+ on March 4, 2026.