Matthew Lillard, best known for his roles in “Scooby Doo” and “Scream,” has made more than 30 films in his 13-year career. The 33-year-old Michigan native’s latest picture, “Without a Paddle,” is an adventure-comedy co-starring Seth Green and Dax Shepard.
QUESTION: Did you do many of your own stunts?
MATTHEW LILLARD: Most of them, yes. Shooting in the lovely country of New Zealand, where they invented the sport of jumping off the side of a bridge with a rubberband attached to your foot, really helped. The great thing about the action stuff is that you can see us, really scared.
Q: So you were afraid riding those rapids?
ML: It was the most intense film experience I’ve ever had. We had such small life preservers because they had to fit under our costumes. And none of us had any body fat — we were all in shape because we had to be in our underwear for six weeks. So when you got dumped in the water, it was pretty scary.
Q: Are you an “extreme” type of guy?
ML: I’m not a real thrill-seeker. On our days off, Dax was out riding dune buggies and jumping off bridges. Me, I like to do this thing called reading. I like being an actor, but I don’t necessarily like being an actor who (does his own stunts).
Q: There’s a very funny scene in which the three of you are forced to huddle together in your underwear. Was it awkward, like doing a love scene?
ML: The cuddling scene was nothing like doing a love scene. Nothing! No erections were had in the course of making this movie. OK, maybe one or two, but not in that scene.
Q: You mentioned the film being shot in New Zealand. Does it bother you that an American film about the Pacific Northwest is made overseas because it’s cheaper?
ML: It drives me crazy. Let me tell you right now, it’s a real problem. What’s happening now is that right-to-work states and foreign countries are giving back half the budget on films, and California can never compete with that. New Zealand is great, and the crews are wonderful, but our industry in Southern California is being destroyed. There are a lot of very talented people in Southern California that are really fighting for jobs, fighting for their families.
Q: How has it affected you personally?
ML: I’ve done 30-plus movies, and only two of them have been made in Southern California — and one of those, I produced. Nobody really wants to hear about the plight of an actor like me, but the reality is, I like being home. I like being in my own country. I know that might sound ethnocentric, but I like it here. I’ve worked all over the world, but I can’t work (at home). It’s a shame.
Q: You’ve got a wife and child. What sort of toll does all that traveling exact on your family life?
QL: Last year, I was home all of 12 weeks. And 12 weeks of sex is no good. I think that’s the single reason why Hollywood families go to hell in a hand-basket. First of all, the temptation is ridiculous. What Seth Green or Dax Shepard face on a daily basis is different than a plumber in middle America. And you’re away from home, so if you don’t bring your family with you, you’re bound to screw it up in some way.
Q: So you bring your family with you?
ML: Absolutely.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 20, 2004. Read the original PDF.