Warning: This post contains major spoilers for Five Nights at Freddy’sMatthew Lillard is being very candid about the pressure of living up to his Five Nights at Freddy’s part. Lillard plays the ever-important William Afton in a franchise that has enjoyed dozens of video games and books. The live-action adaptation has been so successful that it has already secured $200 million at the box office on a budget of $20 million, despite having already been released on the streaming platform Peacock.
Because he plays the chief antagonist, Lillard has felt major pressure on his shoulders. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor explained that this movie has revived his career, but he was struggling with the idea of playing such an iconic villain. He also talks about his children’s love for the role and even walks through the Five Nights at Freddy’s ending. Check out his quote below:
I play a character that is living in plain sight in the world, and he is a horrible monster. Toward the end of the film, when my daughter can’t handle a situation, I have to step in and take over. I do not accomplish that goal and end up meeting my demise. It’s the first step in a journey that has this rich canon that spans multiple video games. I play a monster who, at the end of the day, gets his comeuppance and is thrown into this horror realm that he created.
The hard part about playing this part is the pressure I put on myself to honor the fans, to deliver a great performance in an iconic role. There are millions of kids worldwide, and people that started playing as kids and are now adults, that have an expectation that this film will deliver on a really great level. So, being this iconic bad guy, the amount of pressure I put on myself to not suck is pretty extraordinary. That’s the hardest part.
I think [my kids are] more chuffed that I’m in the movie than with the performance in the movie. My middle kid called me crying because they were so happy for me when the movie came out. They went to the movie with all their friends, and I think they were very proud of me being a part of it. It was important to me, and I think it was fun for my family. I haven’t been in a movie that’s appeared in a movie theater since they can remember. For me, personally, it has been a very humbling moment in my career. I’m 53, and I’ve had a couple franchises in my career that have been successful. I [had thought] maybe that part of my career is dead and over, and that’s fine. I’m still doing all kinds of fun stuff, and I’m really excited about the things I’m doing. To get this opportunity out of the blue to have another franchise that could make a real impact on my career is humbling and exciting, and my kids are thrilled.
Springtrap’s Role In Five Nights At Freddy’s
As Springtrap, Lillard serves as the primary villain in a movie filled with ghosts and monsters. His role is to kill as many people as possible, while keeping Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza in the perfect position to haunt any unsuspecting child that comes across it. He even takes advantage of his daughter by forcing her to do his bidding to keep the pizza parlor drawing victims to his gates.
Lillard’s role in the franchise will not end there, as Springtrap is not a character who struggles to reappear in the Five Nights games. Afton’s Yellow Rabbit suit constantly returns across the various games, leaving Lillard in a prime position to reprise his role in future movies. Even with Vanessa in a coma, any potential sequels will need to feature Vanessa coming to terms with Afton’s villainy and her own culpability in his actions. That, alone, can draw another appearance from Afton.
Springtrap is generally known as the overarching threat of the entire franchise, which is likely why there was so much pressure on Lillard’s shoulders. After Lillard faced a long-term stumbling block that left him with nothing more to do than reprise his role as Shaggy, this rolecould very well revive his career. It may have been difficult to star in Five Nights at Freddy’s, but Springtrap is the perfect part for him to play.
