Carrie, Cult Classics & Chaos: A Sit Down with Matthew Lillard

Episode of Morbid · October 5, 2026 · 1 h 52 min

Actor Matthew Lillard joins Morbid hosts Ash Kelley and Alaina Urquhart to discuss Mike Flanagan's Carrie, Scream, Five Nights at Freddy's, his career and Dungeons & Dragons.

Summary

Matthew Lillard appeared in studio with Morbid hosts Ash Kelley and Alaina Urquhart in a loose, comedic conversation that opened with Lillard pretending to be Josh Hartnett and quizzing Urquhart about her past work as an autopsy technician. The main subject was Mike Flanagan's eight-episode Amazon Prime adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie, in which Lillard plays Principal Grail. Lillard praised lead Summer H. Howell and Samantha Sloyan, described Flanagan's unusually thorough preparation, and said the series centers on an anonymous social media account, which Flanagan pitched to King as the reason for a new version.

Lillard spoke about being an overweight, learning-disabled teenager who relied on humor to survive, his long jealousy of former roommate Paul Rudd, his tendency toward self-deprecation, and the current resurgence in his popularity, including an apology to an influencer he snapped at during the Scream 7 premiere. He described his decades-long Dungeons & Dragons group and recommended author Christopher Buehlman.

On Scream, Lillard argued the film worked because of its precise casting, recounted that the opening sequence saved the production, said he originally read for Billy, and explained why he and Skeet Ulrich embrace the 'first husbands of horror' label for LGBTQ fans. He discussed being cast as William Afton in Five Nights at Freddy's, his view that Hollywood underrates films like Thir13en Ghosts and Scooby-Doo, and his finances, saying he was paid $5,000 a week on Scream and once sold his house and fired his representatives before The Descendants revived his career. The episode closed with a would-you-rather round.

Chapters

0:00
Josh Hartnett bit and autopsy questions
Lillard opens posing as Josh Hartnett and questions Urquhart about what bodies look and smell like during autopsies.
6:52
Podcasting, celebrity and the Summer Catch dance
Lillard expresses interest in hosting a podcast, comments on aloof celebrities, and says his famous dance scene was rehearsed for weeks.
9:10
Carrie and Mike Flanagan
Lillard praises Summer H. Howell and Samantha Sloyan and describes Flanagan's rehearsal process and set rules.
18:30
Outsider childhood, jealousy and self-talk
Lillard recounts his difficult adolescence, his jealousy of Paul Rudd, and the harm of self-deprecation.
28:32
Emotion and acting
The group discusses crying, emotional detachment, and Lillard's advice on releasing emotion.
32:18
Modernizing Carrie through social media
Lillard explains how an anonymous social media account drives the new Carrie, his principal character, and Stephen King's approval.
40:48
Stephen King roles and dream casting
Urquhart pitches King roles for Lillard and he discusses hopes for a Dark Tower adaptation.
44:58
Being the weird kid and fame
Lillard reflects on outsider identity, his career resurgence, and apologizes for snapping at an influencer at the Scream 7 premiere.
51:46
Dungeons & Dragons
Lillard describes his 35-year Dungeons & Dragons group and recommends Christopher Buehlman's novels.
55:58
Scream
Lillard discusses Scream's casting, the opening sequence that saved the film, reading for Billy, and the 'first husbands of horror' label.
1:13:28
Five Nights at Freddy's
Lillard explains villain psychology and recounts how he was cast as William Afton.
1:26:16
Thir13en Ghosts and Hollywood respect
Lillard argues Hollywood underestimates the popularity of his cult films and attributes his resurgence to FNAF and conventions.
1:34:21
The Curve and actor finances
Lillard details his Scream pay, selling his house to reset his life, and The Descendants turning his career around.
1:43:18
Would you rather and sign-off
The hosts close with a rapid would-you-rather round and invite Lillard back.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

Matthew Lillard
Lillard says Summer H. Howell was chosen for the lead role after auditions of 1,400 candidates.
“the woman that plays Carrie, her name's Summer H. Howell, and she is, uh, they auditioned 1,400 girls”
Listen from 10:16 · Carrie (2026 TV series)
Matthew Lillard
Lillard argues Samantha Sloyan is among the best working actors and has been overlooked.
“this woman is literally one of the best actors working today, and has been for a long time, just nobody sees it”
Listen from 12:31 · Carrie (2026 TV series)
Matthew Lillard
Lillard says the cast unusually had every script in hand before production began.
“along comes the next script. When we signed up, we had all eight scripts”
Listen from 15:12 · Carrie (2026 TV series)
Linked moment · 21:15Skip to 21:15 using a listen link in the info box.
Ash Kelley
Kelley describes Morbid as an inclusive space for its 'weirdo' listeners.
“Because we always say you're the table or we're the table that anybody can sit at”
Listen from 21:15
Matthew Lillard
Lillard says he was long jealous of his former roommate Paul Rudd's success, which harmed his mental health.
“But I was, for the longest time, so jealous of his success”
Listen from 23:30 · Fame
Matthew Lillard
Lillard argues that self-deprecating talk is harmful because it sticks.
“It doesn't serve you at all, because the bullshit you say to yourself sticks”
Listen from 26:48
Matthew Lillard
Lillard says an anonymous social media post is the pivot point of the new Carrie's story.
“Once this social media, anonymous social media post goes up, the whole story changes”
Listen from 33:50 · Social media and adolescent mental health
Matthew Lillard
Lillard recounts Flanagan's pitch to King that social media offered a new way to tell the story that the 1970s versions could not anticipate.
“And when you wrote this back in the 70s, and De Palma shot it in the 70s, nobody could know what the scourge of social media would be”
Listen from 38:23 · Carrie (2026 TV series)
Matthew Lillard
Lillard says Stephen King watched the full Carrie series twice.
“He watched it twice through. Which is such a huge compliment”
Listen from 38:57 · Stephen King adaptations
Matthew Lillard
Lillard hopes King will use his influence to get The Dark Tower adapted despite fragmented rights.
“my hope is that as Stephen King gets older, that he will want to see the Dark Tower made”
Listen from 43:56 · Stephen King adaptations
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart pitches Lillard to play Leland Gaunt in a Needful Things adaptation.
“I think you should be Leland Gong then for Needful Things. I think we should do that”
Listen from 44:22 · Stephen King adaptations
Matthew Lillard
Lillard says he is experiencing a career resurgence and is more popular than ever.
“I'm having this crazy resurgence in my career as an actor and my popularity. I've never been more popular”
Listen from 47:40 · Fame
Matthew Lillard
Lillard apologizes to an influencer he snapped at during the Scream 7 premiere.
“So if that young lady's out there, I apologize. I was a dick”
Listen from 50:22 · Fame
Matthew Lillard
Lillard says he has played Dungeons & Dragons with the same acting-school friends for decades.
“we have been playing since I was 21, and I'm 56 years old”
Listen from 53:40 · Dungeons & Dragons
Matthew Lillard
Lillard argues that removing any member of Scream's cast might have caused the film to fail.
“the crazy thing about it, I think if you take any of those people out in terms of the casting, the movie may”
Listen from 59:05 · Scream (1996 film)
Matthew Lillard
Lillard recounts that Scream faced shutdown until the opening sequence was rushed to Miramax.
“they rushed and shot that sequence, opening sequence, and then sent it to Miramax. And they kept the movie alive”
Listen from 1:00:37 · Scream (1996 film)
Matthew Lillard
Lillard explains he embraces the 'first husbands of horror' label to support struggling LGBTQ youth.
“if for some reason us calling ourselves the first husbands of horror makes an impact, it makes them feel seen and empowers them”
Listen from 1:10:15 · Scream (1996 film)
Matthew Lillard
Lillard argues that no film villain believes they are evil; each must have a motive.
“No, I don't believe anyone in the history of films believes they're evil”
Listen from 1:13:48 · Five Nights at Freddy's (film)
Matthew Lillard
Lillard says the director persuaded him to take a small role by framing William Afton as the franchise's central villain across three films.
“But he is the Voldemort of this universe. And we want to make three movies”
Listen from 1:17:56 · Five Nights at Freddy's (film)
Matthew Lillard
Lillard describes Five Nights at Freddy's as a major commercial hit.
“it's a $30 million movie that made $300 million”
Listen from 1:19:21 · Five Nights at Freddy's (film)
Alaina Urquhart
Urquhart says causes of death are sometimes invisible even after a body is opened.
“Sometimes it's somebody who looks like they're sleeping and it doesn't look like anything has happened”
Listen from 1:21:58 · Autopsy
Matthew Lillard
Lillard argues Hollywood undervalues the popularity of his cult films, limiting his career.
“I think it's because Hollywood doesn't understand how popular Scooby-Doo is, how popular 13 Ghosts is, how popular SLC Punk is”
Listen from 1:27:22 · Thir13en Ghosts
Matthew Lillard
Lillard says the industry now prioritizes profit margins over quality, squeezing supporting actors.
“our industry, especially now, is more interested in making a higher margin than they are making a good movie”
Listen from 1:36:58 · Actor compensation in Hollywood
Matthew Lillard
Lillard discloses he was paid modestly for Scream despite its later success.
“Scream, like we worked for four weeks and I got paid $5,000 a week”
Listen from 1:38:10 · Actor compensation in Hollywood
Matthew Lillard
Lillard recounts resetting his life by selling his house and firing his representatives.
“I fired my agent, my lawyer and my manager in three consecutive phone calls”
Listen from 1:39:38 · Actor compensation in Hollywood

People

In the conversation

Alaina UrquhartCo-host of Morbid, autopsy technician and author of the Butcher novels
Ash KelleyCo-host of the true crime podcast Morbid
Matthew LillardAmerican actor known for Scream, Scooby-Doo and Five Nights at Freddy's

Discussed

Mike FlanaganAmerican filmmaker who created the 2026 Carrie series
Stephen KingAmerican horror novelist and Chizmar's collaborator on the Gwendy books
Summer H. HowellActress who plays Carrie White in the 2026 series
Samantha SloyanActress who plays Carrie's mother and appeared in Midnight Mass
Paul RuddAmerican actor and longtime friend of Hamm
Wes CravenDirector of Scream
Kevin WilliamsonScreenwriter of Scream
Drew BarrymoreActress killed in Scream's opening sequence
Emma TammiDirector of Five Nights at Freddy's
Scott CawthonCreator of the Five Nights at Freddy's games
Christopher BuehlmanFantasy author of The Blacktongue Thief
George ClooneyAmerican actor, Lopez's co-star in Out of Sight
Josh HartnettAmerican actor Lillard impersonated in the opening bit

Topics

The Union Screaming House
Morbid · Oct 19, 2026 · 59 min
Morbid hosts Alaina Urquhart and Ash Kelley recount the Union Screaming House haunting in Missouri, after chatting about spooky books and Mike Flanagan's Carrie.
Listener Tales 108: 90's Tales!
Morbid · Mar 26, 2026 · 1 h 3 min
Morbid hosts Ash Kelley and Alaina Urquhart dress as Scream characters and read four listener-submitted 1990s tales about Paul Bernardo, the Jersey Devil, premonitions and hauntings.

From the publisher

Weirdos! We’re continuing the most wonderful time of the year with a truly iconic guest that you have been asking for: Matthew Lillard!! He joins us to talk shop about his current projects as well as his incredible body of work, all the while proving that he is human charisma with a little bit of chaos sprinkled on top! We honestly haven’t laughed this much during an episode EVER! In the episode, we chat about his upcoming Amazon Prime series Carrie where he rejoins the Flanaverse! It’s INCREDIBLY well acted, written, and directed! So prepare yourself to stream your next Spooky Season hyperfixation and appreciate the countless brilliant performances in this incredible adaptation of the Stephen King classic! We also dive into his resume (Scream, Thir13en Ghosts, Life of Chuck, The Curve, Five Nights At Freddie’s, Serial Mom, Scooby Doo, The Descendants ) and talk about why he is loving this latest chapter in his life! Catch Carrie on Amazon Prime on October 7th! We promise you will be as obsessed with it as we are! Check out Find Familiar Spirits, featuring their Ghost Face Blood Orange Killer Collection Box Set as well the GORGEOUS Macabre Spirits boxes featuring the perfect pairing of spirits, art and current voices in horror!

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on October 6, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: Film Interviews·TV & Film·Games