Matthew Lillard recently addressed being singled out by Quentin Tarantino during a podcast, where the renowned director expressed his dislike for certain actors, including Lillard, Paul Dano, and Owen Wilson.

During an appearance at GalaxyCon in Columbus, Ohio, Lillard, 55, openly discussed Tarantino’s remarks. Fans in the audience were quick to voice their displeasure at the director’s comments, which have sparked a wave of reactions.

“Quentin Tarantino this week said he didn’t like me as an actor,” Lillard stated, his tone indicating both defiance and disbelief. The Michigan-born actor, known for roles in films like “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” “Scooby-Doo,” and “Scream,” shrugged off the critique, saying, “Whatever, who gives a s***.”

Yet, beneath his casual dismissal lay a candid admission of the impact such words can have. Lillard acknowledged that hearing such harsh criticism from an acclaimed filmmaker was painful, perceiving it as an unnecessary jab.

“It hurts your feelings, it f***ing sucks and he wouldn’t say that to Tom Cruise,” Lillard remarked, highlighting what he sees as a disparity in how actors are treated. “He wouldn’t say that to somebody who’s a top-line actor in Hollywood … it’s humbling, and it hurts.”

Lillard said that while he was ‘very popular’ among the fans at the event, he was ‘not very popular in Hollywood,’ as they were ‘two totally different microcosms.’

Actor Matthew Lillard, 55, has responded to Quentin Tarantino, 62, putting his name on a list of actors he didn’t like on a recent podcast. Pictured December 2 in LA

A fan in the crowd told the actor, ‘We love you!’ which he thanked them for. 

Tarantino made the initial remarks earlier this month in an appearance on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast.

The Pulp Fiction director said that he considered the 2007 film There Will Be Blood from filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson to be one of the top 10 of this century.

Tarantino said, ‘It would stand a better chance to be in number one or number two if it didn’t have a big, giant flaw in it – and the flaw is Paul Dano.’

Tarantino described Dano as ‘the weak sister’ of the period drama, which garnered leading man Daniel Day-Lewis one of his three career Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Tarantino continued: ‘Austin Butler would have been wonderful in that role. [Dano’s] just such a weak, weak, uninteresting guy. The weakest f***ing actor in SAG.’

Tarantino then piled on with two more names of actors he wasn’t partial toward: ‘I don’t care for Owen Wilson, I don’t care for Matthew Lillard.’ 

Lillard’s career has been on the upswing in recent years, following his lauded performance as William Afton in 2023’s Five Nights at Freddy’s 

The Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood writer-director was pictured in LA last month 

And while it doesn’t appear that Lillard will be cast in Tarantino’s 10th and final film, his career has been on the upswing in recent years, following his lauded performance as William Afton in 2023’s Five Nights at Freddy’s.

Among the projects he’s been seen in since then include the sequel Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 and The Life of Chuck; and the TV shows Faster, Purple Worm! Kill! Kill! and Melon Playground.

Lillard is also slated to appear in upcoming releases such as the film Scream 7 and an adaptation of the horror classic Carrie.

‘It’s been a really strange moment,’ Lillard told Too Fab earlier this month. ‘I think a lot of it stems from the success of Five Nights. I think that sort of reinvigorated my career in a really profound way.

Lillard added, ‘And I’m here for it. I’m excited and just really grateful to get these opportunities again.’

Lillard told the outlet he was enjoying the moment as his star continues to rise: ‘For so much of my career, it was always about like, “What’s next? What’s next? What’s next?” … climbing this ladder of … career and success.

‘And as you get older, it’s nice to every now and then stop and just appreciate how far up you’ve come.’

Lillard said he hadn’t lost his sense of humility amid the pileup of promising projects.

‘Certainly in this moment, where I’m having all these things happening and having this like resurgence,’ he said, ‘you can’t help but to be grateful and just to be here, still working, still doing the thing I love and getting more opportunities than I’ve ever had.’