Matthew Lillard told People magazine that he is “very excited” to star in Quentin Tarantino’s film. That’s why he said it “sucked” when the director criticized him along with co-stars Paul Dano and Owen Wilson last year. Lillard added, “I think he’s a great filmmaker. It was kind of disappointing to just get punched in the mouth.”
In a viral interview on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast last fall, Tarantino slammed Dano as “the weakest shitty actor in SAG” and added that he “doesn’t care” about either Lillard or Wilson.
“I felt like I died and was in heaven when I saw everyone sending RIP tweets,” Lillard told People about the reaction that followed. “So, it was really part of my own wake, and it was like sitting there and living with all the nice things that people said to me after I died…From people who were at the mall with their kids on the weekends to George Clooney, James Gunn, Mike Flanagan, everyone, I mean, people were so generous with telling me how much they loved me and loved my work.”
Many of Lillard’s former Hollywood collaborators took to social media to defend Tarantino after his comments went viral. Mike Flanagan, who directed Lillard on “The Life of Chuck” and also cast him in the upcoming “Carrie” reboot, called Lillard “a great person.” James Gunn worked with Lillard on the movie Scooby-Doo and calls him “one of my favorite guys (and actors).” George Clooney accepted an award from AARP and even said that any of the actors Tarantino criticized were “an honor to work with.”
Lillard originally weighed in on Tarantino’s comments while speaking at GalaxyCon in Columbus, Ohio. “Who cares,” he said, but acknowledged, “It hurts feelings. It sucks. And you wouldn’t say that to Tom Cruise. You wouldn’t say that to a leading actor in Hollywood.”
Lillard said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly last month that it was “crazy” to get so much support from fans and industry insiders for Tarantino’s diss, adding, “I try to convince my wife that I’m worthy and that people still like me. No one has to like me. Obviously not everyone has to like the actors out there. It’s a personal preference. I’m not everyone’s first choice, of course, but it was great to get that kind of response.”
Dano similarly received widespread support from fans and industry insiders. Speaking to Variety at Sundance, Dano said he was “really happy” to see such a reaction, adding, “I was also very grateful that the world spoke up on my behalf so I didn’t have to.”
