Matthew Lillard's Hesitation to Join Dancing with the Stars

Matthew Lillard has chosen to avoid participating in "Dancing with the Stars" for specific reasons. The 54-year-old actor explained his thoughts during a recent interview with Business Insider.

After his 2004 film, "Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed," unexpectedly struggled at the box office, an opportunity arose for Lillard. "I was going to do Dancing with the Stars. And I was like, if I do Dancing with the Stars, I’ll never win an Academy Award," Lillard stated. He felt that joining the reality show might affect his reputation as a serious actor. "If I do Dancing with the Stars, I’ll be famous and not a great actor, and I really just wanted to be a great actor."

Lillard, known for his role as Shaggy in the "Scooby Doo" films, anticipated great success in Hollywood. "I thought I’d be No. 1 on the call sheet for the next 10 years of movies," he said. However, he acknowledged that his career trajectory did not match his expectations.

During the interview, Lillard reminisced about his struggles in the acting industry. He faced a roller-coaster journey filled with ambitions and disappointments. "I was caught up in the parts I was getting, I was caught up in this drive to be quote-unquote famous," he shared. He experienced phases of success and irrelevance along the way, at times feeling uncertain about his future in acting.

Lillard has been candid in discussing the challenges facing many working actors. In a Us Weekly interview from June 2022, he reflected on survival in a tough industry. "I don’t think a lot of working-class actors talk about how hard it is to survive from job to job," he noted. He has structured his life to cope with the unpredictable nature of acting, seeking roles that highlight his skills as he ages.

As he puts it, "I think I’ve always been a character actor, but as you get older, not a lot of leads in movies are 50-year-old character actors." He believes that roles similar to those of actors like Bryan Cranston typically emerge later in their careers, representing aspirations for actors of all kinds. "You just get these moments sometimes where you get to really act," he added.

Lillard openly shared his experiences and insecurities from his early industry days. "I look back at all my life and these moments where I was such a cute boy and I was like, I always felt super insecure," he admitted. He expressed that many actors share similar fears of inadequacy. "You’re not cute enough. You’re not talented enough. You’re not sexy enough. And I just think none of that fear serves you."

Matthew Lillard's journey offers insight into the complexities and pressures within the acting profession. His story reminds us of the balance actors strive for between fame and artistic fulfillment.

Earlier, SSP wrote that Jessica Simpson celebrated 7 years of sobriety.