Three phone calls, one audition, and Matthew Lillard’s career turnaround: “I have to just change my life”

Matthew Lillard says an offer to appear on Dancing with the Stars made him confront the gap between his Hollywood reputation and his career prospects. He turned it down and made three phone calls to dismiss his agent, manager and lawyer, then reset his life and career.

The article links that decision to Lillard’s unexpected audition for Alexander Payne’s 2011 film The Descendants, in which he played a man having an affair with George Clooney’s character’s wife. The role did not instantly transform his career, but showed him he could still win unexpected parts. The article says he has since returned to horror, reprising Stu Macher in Scream 7 and appearing as a villain in Five Nights at Freddy’s.