Matthew Lillard "sucked at everything" until he discovered acting.
![Matthew Lillard is best known for starring in the Scooby-Doo franchise but insisted he never chased fame](/image-library/partners/bang/land/1000/m/matthew-lillard-is-best-known-for-starring-in-the-scooby-doo.jpg)
Matthew Lillard is best known for starring in the Scooby-Doo franchise but insisted he never chased fame
The 54-year-old actor is best known for his role as best known for his role as Shaggy Rogers in the live-action 'Scooby-Doo' film series alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar and found renewed recognition when he starred in 'Five Nights at Freddy's' in 2023 but recalled that his whole journey with his passion came out of his "awkward" teen years when his dad gave him an ultimatum.
Speaking on the YouTube series 'JayBee and Milly', he said: "I was an obese teenager, I moved when I was the most awkward age possible, I have a severe learning disability, I have glasses, I have braces and I sucked at everything except for acting. So, at some point in eighth grade, my dad said to me I could either take an acting class or a typing class.
"We used to have typewriters, typing classes. So I took the acting class and that basically started a journey that still goes today. I'm 54 years old and I've been chasing it ever since."
The 'She's All That' star - who has also voiced the role of Shaggy in the classic franchise since 2009 - noted that he didn't really have a desire to be famous and instead found success just by exercising his passion rather than "desperately chasing" a celebrity status.
He added: "The funny thing is most people wouldn't [have chosen the acting class]. There's so many people out there who, the last thing they wanna do is be in front of people or centre of attention. My dad thought I'd be a great salesman and I think he wanted me to have the ability to stand in front up of people and to present myself.
"My mom and dad never said no. I didn't graduate thinking I wanted to be famous, I just kept doing the stuff that I really wanted to do and nobody told me that it was a bad idea so I just eventually ended up finding success rather than desperately chasing the idea of being famous. There was a natural love and passion for it that kept propelling me a little bit more forward every time."
Tagged in Sarah Michelle Gellar