The Original Scream Actor Gets Candid About His Role 27 Years Later

Shout Actor Matthew Lillard offers a candid answer about what the role of Stu Macher really means to him. Released in 1996, Wes Craven’s iconic slasher film would launch a franchise that now consists of six installments, the most recent of which was released earlier this year. While there have been many memorable Ghostface killers over the years, Lillard’s Stu, who served as the surprise villain in the first film alongside Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), remains a clear favorite.

Now, 27 years later, Lillard opens its doors Stu’s legacy in the Shout franchise in a recent interview with Collider. The actor shares some surprising thoughts on what the character really means to him after all this time, revealing that it’s the audience’s response to the character that really interests him. Check out Lillard’s full comment below:

“I don’t really care about Stu Macher. It’s a role that I played. It’s like if you’re a plumber, do you care about the house you built down the street and around the corner? No, it’s your job. And I love this job, it’s nice to have it on my CV, but the reality is it’s a role I did over 20 years ago.

“So what’s important to me is that what it means to other people is deeply relevant when you see them all the time, and powerful. It’s not something I understood before this. “

Stu’s Scream Legacy Explained

While it’s always difficult for a franchise to top its first installment, Stu and Billy have really taken on a life of their own as Sidney Prescott’s (Neve Campbell) story continues. The revelation that it was actually two Ghostface killers and not just one came as a surprise in the first film, and the disjointed dynamic between the two collaborators was both hilarious and terrifying. Billy definitely met his end in the first film, but Stu’s death was a bit more ambiguous, leading to lingering theories in subsequent films.

One of the most important theories that remained important even in Scream 6 it’s that Stu remains alive in the world of films and may not be done killing yet. After all, the franchise is no stranger to characters suffering seemingly fatal injuries and miraculously surviving. The two most recent installments have even touched on and played into theories that Stu is alive, with the 2022 one. Shout filled with references to the character and Scream 6 with dialogue that suggests there is an in-universe question as to whether he is truly dead.

THE Scream 6 END, however, presents a moment that could be considered a nail in the coffin for these lingering “Stu lives” theories. After a climactic confrontation, Kirby (Hayden Panettiere) pushes the exact TV that killed Stu onto Ethan’s (Jack Champion) head, and it very clearly kills him. However, it seems that despite this, the theories surrounding Stu will persist and that the character will continue to occupy a prominent position in Shout traditions.

Source: Collider

Shout

Wes Craven turned the horror slasher genre on its head with the 1996 release of Scream, the first in the long-running franchise. The residents of Woodsboro discover a series of murders are being committed by a dangerous, mask-wearing ghost killer obsessed with classic horror films. To survive, a group of high school students, a journalist and a city deputy will have to subvert expectations of horror and stay one step ahead of the killer.

Release date

December 20, 1996

Cast

Jamie Kennedy, Skeet Ulrich, Drew Barrymore Rose McGowan, Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Roger Jackson, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard

Rating

A.

Duration

111 minutes

Writers

Kevin Williamson

Franchise

Shout

Following

Scream 2, Scream 4, Scream 3

Director of Photography

Mark Irwin

Producer

Cary Woods, Cathy Konrad

Production company

Woods Entertainment, Dimension Films

Budget

$14 million