During a panel at FAN EXPO Denver, as reported by ScreenRant, Lillard used the stage to voice a pointed frustration with how studios approach casting in major animated films.
The actor, best known for his long-running work as Shaggy in the “Scooby-Doo” franchise, was responding to a question about why the transition from live-action acting to voice acting appears more common than the reverse. His answer quickly turned into a broader critique of industry priorities.
Matthew Lillard Questions Hollywood’s Casting Priorities in Animation
Lillard did not hold back in describing what he sees as a growing disconnect between celebrity culture and voice performance. “I want to say that I think Hollywood has made a huge mistake by hiring actors that are not able to carry a part with [their] voice,” he said during the discussion.
He expanded on the distinction between screen acting and voice work, emphasizing that animation strips performers down to a single expressive tool. “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,” he added.
The “Scooby-Doo” veteran then underscored what he believes is being lost in the current casting landscape. “The ability to carry a film, as the lead of a film with only a voice, is a power very few people have,” he said.
He closed his remarks with his most pointed criticism, aimed squarely at the industry’s reliance on recognizable names to sell tickets. “And the idea that they keep hiring crappy celebrities to carry huge films is killing us,” Lillard said, drawing a clear line between marketing-driven casting and performance-driven storytelling.
While Lillard did not name specific productions, his comments arrive amid ongoing debate around celebrity-heavy animated pictures, with recent examples often cited by critics including Illumination’s “Super Mario Bros. Movie,” where Chris Pratt voiced Mario, and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5,” which continues its A-list tradition with returning stars Tom Hanks and Tim Allen alongside newer additions such as Bad Bunny among the ensemble cast.
