Matthew Lillard is no stranger to appearing in a horror movie or two, from Scream to Thirteen Ghosts, but his recent role as the villain in Blumhouse’s video game adaptation Five Nights at Freddy’s has put him back on the map and impressed movie goers everywhere, including his own children.
Lillard told The Hollywood Reporter that when he first secured the role of undercover killer slash puppet master William Afton, he knew little about the game, but his kids were over the moon and let him know how big the movie was going to be. “I came home, and I was talking to my wife about it, and my middle child heard me say Five Nights of Freddy’s and were like, ‘Wait, who are you playing?’ I said, ‘William Afton and some rabbit.’ And they were like, ‘Dad. That is going to be huge!’”, the Scooby Doo actor said. “Then, my son came in, and he affirmed the exact same thing.”
Afton is the main antagonist in the FNaF video game series, originally introduced as the co-founder of Freddie Fazbear’s Pizzeria and Entertainment company, who later turned into a child serial killer and hid the bodies of his victims inside the restaurant’s many animatronics. In the movie, we first meet Afton as a careers advisor named Steve Raglan, but by the end of the film, he is unmasked as the evil Afton.
Despite negative reviews from critics, the FNaF movie has become extremely popular with fans and has reached the $250 million milestone at the box office, making it the highest-grossing horror movie of 2023 so far. Lillard’s kids went to see the movie as soon as it came out and were overcome with pride. “My middle kid called me crying because they were so happy for me when the movie came out. I think they were very proud of me for being a part of it.” he said, later adding that this is the first time in his career that his kids have been able to watch one of his movies in theaters.
It looks like Lillard’s kids will have more opportunities to be proud of their dad, as in an exclusive interview with SFX, director Emma Tammi said she would love to turn Five Nights at Freddy’s into a trilogy.
Five Nights at Freddy’s is available to watch in theaters now or stream on Peacock. For more frightening films still to come, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming horror movies of 2023 and beyond.
