Why Dean From Good Girls Looks So Familiar
After appearing in "Mad Men" and "Tin Star," Christina Hendricks headlined her own series in "Good Girls." The comedy series hit NBC in 2018 and debuted to mostly positive reviews — the first season holds a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes. Subsequent seasons were widely praised, with the entire series resting at a wholly fresh 86%. Despite the positive reception, "Good Girls" was ultimately canceled due to scheduling issues and financial worries for broadcaster NBC.
The series starred Hendricks, Retta, and Mae Whitman as three fed up suburban moms. Upset with their husbands and daily routines, they decide to take their lives back into their own hands by pulling off a daring heist. Their brief moment of triumph turns into a nightmare as they are thrust into a world of crime, deceit, and other capers that make them question their morals.
While the show ultimately belongs to the titular "Good Girls," one standout is Dean Boland, the husband to Hendrick's character. Boland is best remembered for cheating on his wife and throwing the family into financial turmoil: Hendrick's Beth ultimately kicks off the crew's first heist in the hopes of recouping Dean's losses. Dean is played by Matthew Lillard who has had a strong and diverse career in Hollywood since he first sprung onto the scene. There's a strong chance you might have seen Lillard before, especially in a few nineties classics.
Matthew Lillard was one-half of Ghostface in Scream
Matthew Lillard's breakthrough role was in Wes Craven's trend-setting slasher film "Scream." The film hit cinemas in 1996 and became an instant classic for satirizing the genre, and its self-aware nature. The film holds a fresh 79% on Rotten Tomatoes and went on to gross over $100 million (via Box Office Mojo).
In "Scream," a mysterious killer with a passion for horror films sports a Ghostface mask and terrorizes the teens of Woodsboro, California. Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and her friends attempt to unmask the killer and find out why they are being attacked. In the film's nail-biting third act, it's revealed that the killer behind the mask is actually Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), Sidney's boyfriend, and Stu Macher (Lillard), a goofy friend in their inner circle.
Lillard presented Stu as an unhinged high school student influenced by the violence on screen, hoping to replicate it in real life. Ultimately, the murdering duo get the boot from Sidney and news reporter Gale Weathers (Courntey Cox). Lillard was set to return in "Scream 3" but tragic, real-life events changed the film's plot. Despite dying at the end of "Scream," Lillard returned as an unnamed partygoer in "Scream 2" and "Scream 4." He most recently voiced a fictionalized version of Ghostface in "Stab 8," the in-universe film from 2022's "Scream."
The success of "Scream" spawned an entire franchise, with the most recent entry, also titled "Scream," grossing over $130 million (via The Numbers). Production has already started on a sixth entry, which will continue the exploits of Sydney and Gale as they find the latest Ghostface killer.
Matthew Lillard played a TV star in She's All That
After appearing as the maniacal Stu in "Scream," Matthew Lillard took on a less intensive role with the 1999 rom-com "She's All That." The film featured rising stars Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachel Leigh Cook, Paul Walker, and Kieran Culkin. In the film, Zack (Prinze Jr.) is disheartened when he discovers that his girlfriend Taylor (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) has been cheating on him with wacky TV star Brock (Lillard). In a bid to protect his ego, he vows that he can make any girl popular, and begins courting the geeky Laney (Cook).
An adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's production "Pygmalion," the film received mostly negative reviews. The film holds a lukewarm 42% on Rotten Tomatoes. While the film didn't make a splash with critics when it debuted in 1999, modern critics have praised the film, with outlets like Glamour and Marie Claire ranking it as one of the best rom-coms of all time. Lillard later appeared in the gender-swapped remake "He's All That," which arrived on Netflix in 2021. This time, the actor was a high school principal — and, yes, a different character than the one he played in "She's All That." Cook also popped up for the remake as the mother of Addison Rae's character, the film's lead.
Interestingly enough, Lillard and Prinze Jr. would later team up for what would become the "Good Girls" star's most iconic role to date.
He's best friends with Scooby-Doo
Perhaps Matthew Lillard's most notable role is appearing as Shaggy Rogers in the live-action "Scooby-Doo" films. Written by future "Guardians of the Galaxy" scribe James Gunn, the first film in the franchise hit cinemas in 2002 and opened to less than stellar reviews. Nevertheless, the film has gone on to become a cult hit and has been reevaluated in recent years (via Wicked Horror). The film also starred Freddie Prinze Jr., Lillard's "She's All That" co-star.
The live-action take on the hit cartoon series follows the titular dog and the rest of the Mystery Inc. crew as they band together once again to solve the hauntings plaguing a terrifying amusement park on a remote island. Despite the film's negative reviews, Lillard was praised for his performance as the endearing and always-hungry Shaggy Rogers, with his take on the character feeling exactly like the animated version. Veteran movie critic Roger Ebert gave the film an abysmal 1 star rating but couldn't ignore Lillard's promising performance as Shaggy.
A sequel, "Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed," was later released in 2004, with Lillard reprising his role as Shaggy. A third film was ultimately scrapped, ending the franchise's theatrical live-action efforts. Despite the rest of the live-action cast retiring from their "Scooby-Doo" roles, Lillard was brought on board to voice Shaggy in various animated films and shows. Lillard took over the role after original voice actor Casey Kasem retired and, as of this writing, shows no signs of stopping.
The Good Girls star played a misunderstood high school principal in Twin Peaks
"Twin Peaks" originally debuted on ABC in 1990 to rave reviews. Co-created by auteur David Lynch, the series followed an FBI investigation into the murder of the mysterious high school student Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) in the idyllic town of Twin Peaks. Despite being one of the most influential TV programs ever, the series wasn't able to sustain viewership and was ultimately canceled after Season 2. After a follow up film, "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me," that detailed the events leading up to Laura's murder, Lynch focused on other projects.
After 25 years, Lynch and his co-creator Mark Frost returned to the surreal series for a third season, dubbed "The Return." The series continues the investigation into Palmer's murder, though it also features a treasure trove of other mysteries that, in one way or another, relate to the town of Twin Peaks. In this third season, Matthew Lillard appeared as William Hastings, a high school principal with an interest in paranormal activities. The character, who gets arrested in the first episode, sparks off the season's intriguing mystery. Through his thorough research, the innocent Hastings becomes involved in a conflict between the FBI, paranormal entities, and a nefarious doppelganger. Vanity Fair praised Lillard's performance, calling it "intentionally corny and terrifyingly two-faced."
After his appearance in "Twin Peaks," Lillard would go on to join Christina Hendricks in "Good Girls" as a series regular. With "Good Girls" now over, Lillard continues to voice Shaggy Rogers in various "Scooby-Doo" adventures. With a diverse filmography and a slew of iconic rules under his belt, we can't wait to see where the star pops up next.