Matthew Lillard Has Some Wholesome Advice For Future Scooby-Doo Stars

It's been a long road, getting from there to here. The Hanna-Barbera animated series "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" debuted on CBS in the fall of 1969, and it was a big enough hit to last 41 episodes over the course of its three seasons. By 1960s and 1970s animation standards, that is an incredibly long time. What's more, "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" remained in reruns in perpetuity and was still being broadcasted well into the 1990s. The series has spawned endless reboots and spin-offs over the years, including ... Well, it would take too much space in a short article like this one to list all the Scooby-Doo media currently in the world. As of this writing, Netflix is developing a live-action "Scooby-Doo" TV series, while /Film has previously ranked the best 14 "Scooby-Doo" movies.

Through all the reboots and adaptations, though, a few elements have remained consistent. Casey Kasem famously voiced the hippie character Shaggy in "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" and his immediately-iconic voice reached a new generation. Kasem's voice (along with those of actors Frank Welker and Don Messick) have since become the gold standard for all "Scooby-Doo" actors.

Nevertheless, Matthew Lillard did the impossible in 2002 and set a new standard with his portrayal of Shaggy in director Raja Gosnell's live-action "Scooby-Doo" movie that year. Lillard's broad, physical performance as Shaggy, infused with a little whimsical heart, re-defined the character for a new generation. And because the film was a hit, Lillard was recognized on the street by the children who loved his rendition of the character. This phenomenon even left Lillard feeling the need to give advice to the next actor to play Shaggy in live-action. Speaking to Polygon in 2025, he encouraged the next Shaggy to remember that it's okay to talk to kids.

Matthew Lillard understood that, when he signed on to play Shaggy, he had the pressure of an entire legacy on his back. When he starred in 2002's "Scooby-Doo," the franchise was already 33 years old and was beloved by multiple generations of kids. That means he faced a particular actorly challenge: making a character his own while at the same time paying homage to the Casey Kasem personality established before him. He also knew that "Scooby-Doo" is deeply beloved by young children and that playing Shaggy would put him on little kids' radars. But rather than resent that you'll be recognized by kiddos, Lillard advised that actors learn to see it as a sign of flattery. As he put it:

"We are caretakers of a character that goes way beyond who we are, and that's the only thing that's important. [...] Do your best job to represent your version of him. And at some point, you know, you're going to be in public and some kid's going to call you Shaggy — and understanding that's a badge of honor rather than anything else."

Lillard not only learned the lesson with Shaggy, but he's likely going through a similar phenomenon thanks to his involvement in the two ultra-successful "Five Nights at Freddy's" movies. In those films, he plays a vicious serial killer in a Yellow Rabbit costume. Although a villain, the character is beloved by the many young fans of the "Freddy's" video games. I would imagine that if Lillard is recognized on the street for playing the Yellow Rabbit, he knows exactly how to talk to fans, primed by years of being recognized as Shaggy.

 Lillard is a marvelous actor. Quentin Tarantino is wrong.