Matthew Lillard has admitted that he felt like he was observing his own wake after he was flooded with messages of support following Quentin Tarantino’s criticism of him.
The US actor, 56, was the target of director Tarantino’s vitriol in a now-infamous podcast episode, in which he made disparaging comments about Lillard and fellow actors Paul Dano and Owen Wilson.
In a new interview, Lillard joked that the outpouring of love he received in response felt as though he was witnessing his own funeral.
“It felt like I had died and was in heaven watching everyone send out their RIP tweets,” he told People. “I mean, it was really nice being a part of your own wake, sort of sitting there living through all the nice things people say after you die.
“Everyone, from the people at the mall this weekend with my kids to George Clooney and James Gunn and Mike Flanagan, I mean, people have been sort of been really generous with telling me how much they loved me and liked my work.”
Lillard first addressed Tarantino’s remarks in December during an appearance at GalaxyCon in Columbus, Ohio, saying it “f***ing [sucked]” that the Kill Bill director had aired his negative views.
In his appearance on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, Tarantino, 62, said he “didn’t care” for Lillard while also calling Dano “weak sauce” and claiming he was the “big giant flaw” in Paul Thomas Anderson’s film There Will Be Blood.
“Quentin Tarantino this week said he didn’t like me as an actor,” a TikTok showed Lillard telling fans at GalaxyCon, before adding: “Eh, whatever. Who gives a s***.”
The Scooby-Doo and Scream star continued: “The point is that it hurts your feelings. It f***ing sucks. And you wouldn’t say that to Tom Cruise. You wouldn’t say that to somebody who’s a top-line actor in Hollywood.”
Lillard said Tarantino’s remarks “sucked” particularly because he would “love” to be in one of his movies: “I think he’s a lovely filmmaker, and to just sort of get punched in the mouth was kind of a bummer.”
However, he maintained that he was grateful for the support he had received: “At the end of the day, it was kind of lovely.”
Dano also said he was grateful for the support he received in an interview last month, while his Little Miss Sunshine co-star Toni Collette said more plainly: “F*** that guy! He must’ve been high... it was just confusing. Who does that?”
Lillard reprises his role as Stu Macher this month in the latest instalment of the slasher franchise Scream, alongside co-stars Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courteney Cox.
