Matthew Lillard had hit rock bottom. He had just been offered a gig that would have made him a boatload of money, but in turn would set him back further than he’d ever been from the ultimate goal; winning an Academy Award. The gig was Dancing with the Stars and Lillard turned it down.
As the 2012 Audience Award-winning Fat Kid Rules director took the stage at SXSW, he reflected on that time. Lillard quipped, “I was Freddie Prinze Jr.’s best friend for 10 years.” That’s not really a sustainable place to be for an actor. He was losing credibility and wasn’t getting work.
What do you do in that situation? If you’re Matthew Lillard you fire everyone. Agents, publicists, managers…gone.