Matthew Lillard Discusses His Experience on Twin Peaks: The Return (2017)

I have been a fan of Matthew Lillard since his unforgettable supporting role as "Cereal Killer" in Hackers (1995) and he later cemented his place in my all-time hall of fame of actors with his surprising twist performance in Scream (1996) and his irascibly charming Shaggy in Scooby Doo (2002). So when the full cast list for Twin Peaks: The Return was released back in 2016, I was happy to find his name among the rest of the 200+ people acting in the revival. In the video clip below, he shares some of his pride and frustration working on this role in a very secret production.

I am sure his inclusion in the series came as a surprise to most others, but I felt he was a perfect fit with the style and tone of the original Twin Peaks (1990-91). Strangely, many in Hollywood just typecast him as a "stoner teen" and unfairly relegated him to little more than real-life friend Freddie Prinze, Jr.'s movie sidekick in Wing Commander (1999), She's All That (1999), and the Scooby Doo movies. In fact, after Scooby Doo in 2002, it might be fair to say his acting career stalled, forcing Lillard into a low-profile era. And I hope his great performance on Twin Peaks finally gets him the attention and diversity of roles he has been patiently waiting for and richly deserves.