By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
The original Scream used a simple phone call to deliver what would become one of the creepiest lines in horror history: “What’s your favorite scary movie?” In the universe of the film, it’s a great way to introduce us to the psychology of masked killers whose minds were completely warped by their obsession with horror movies. In the real world, it’s a great question to ask fellow horror fiends because it reveals plenty about their personality. Do they prefer slashers, psychological thrillers? Ghost stories or possessed dolls? Once you know what makes them scream, you know what makes them tick.
For fans of that first Scream movie, there’s no use asking who their favorite horror icon is. While Skeet Ulrich had his bloody, broody charm, most prefer Matthew Lillard, whose over-the-top performance instantly cemented his reputation as a legend of scary cinema. Later, he became an accomplished voice actor, bringing characters like Shaggy from Scooby-Doo to brilliant life. Recently, Lillard appeared at a fan convention and went off on Hollywood hiring generic celebrities for big animated films rather than voice actors. While he didn’t name any names, most interpreted these words as a swipe at Marvel veteran Chris Pratt, whose voice acting is the worst part of the Super Mario Bros. movies.
Living The Scream
Recently, Matthew Lillard was a guest at FAN EXPO Denver, and he appeared on a panel in which fans could ask him questions. One fan asked the Scream actor why it is so much easier for traditional actors to become voice actors rather than voice actors becoming traditional actors. It’s a provocative question, and one that Lillard is uniquely suited to answer. After all, he is a man who effectively straddles two worlds. He was a traditional actor who became a voice actor and, like many before him (including Mark Hamill and JK Simmons), has continued to perform in both spaces.
Lillard surprised the audience with his answer: “I think Hollywood has made a huge mistake by hiring actors that are not able to carry a part with [their] voice,” he said. “As an actor, you have full function, your face, your body, you have all these things that you can play on when you’re on the screen, but a voice actor has only their voice to work.” Summing up his thoughts on the matter, Lillard said, “The ability to carry a film, as the lead of a film with only a voice, is a power very few people have. And the idea that they keep hiring crappy celebrities to carry huge films is killing us.”
The Face Of The Problem
Understandably, that last part has fueled some serious discussion among animation fans online. Just who are the “crappy celebrities” who are being hired “to carry huge films” rather than traditional actors? The most obvious answer would be Chris Pratt, the former Parks and Recreation actor who became a cinematic superstar thanks to the Guardians of the Galaxy films. The success of his Marvel movies soon made Pratt Hollywood’s go-to choice to play generic action heroes. Later, he was inexplicably chosen to voice Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, something many Nintendo fans thought was a slap in the face to longtime actor Charles Martinet.
Martinet is a veteran voice actor who served as the voice of Mario for over 30 years. Instead of giving the role of Mario to the guy who spent decades voicing him, though, Illumination and Nintendo gave it to Chris Pratt so they could have a more famous name attached to the part. It was, frankly, a disastrous decision. Pratt seemingly put no effort into actually voice acting, and he just sounds like a slightly more chipper version of Star-Lord. The same can be said of Seth Rogen, who played Donkey Kong; he made no effort to do an actual voice, so this intimidating ape sounds just like a bored stoner.
Not Another Shaggy Dog Story
Honestly, this was the perfect year for Matthew Lillard to speak out against Hollywood hiring recognizable actors who are terrible at voice acting for their big-budget animated features. 2026 has already seen the release of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Hoppers, and Animal Farm, all of which are filled with generic celebrity names. The same thing will happen later this year with Toy Story 5, The Cat in the Hat, and even The Angry Birds Movie 3. Obviously, some actors are better than others (Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are perfect in Toy Story), but Lillard’s point remains: whenever there’s a blockbuster cartoon, professional voice actors never get the big parts.
It’s worth noting that Lillard isn’t saying this from a place of professional bitterness. With his reappearance in the latest Scream, a strong role in Daredevil: Born Again, and an upcoming part in Superman: The Man of Tomorrow, his career is hotter than ever. Additionally, he’ll be voicing Shaggy again next year in Yokoso Scooby-Doo! He’s established himself as an acting legend in two different worlds, and he worked his butt off to do so. Lillard is understandably angry at Hollywood dismissing experienced voice actors in favor of bland marketing and blatant cronyism. Here’s hoping his speaking out resonates as much with studio execs as it did with fans.
Until something changes, though, we’ll all have an honest answer to a very Scream-like question. “What’s your favorite cartoon movie?” The answer: nothing with Chris Pratt in it, that’s for damned sure!
