Matthew Lillard Teases His ‘Scream’ Reunion With Skeet Ulrich In ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’ (Exclusive)

Matthew Lillard is bringing the thrills once again in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 — and he’ll have a little help from one of his most iconic Scream co-stars.

Lillard, who reprises his role as serial killer William Afton in the Five Nights at Freddy’s sequel, will be joined in the new film by Skeet Ulrich, who starred alongside him in the 1996 Wes Craven slasher.

Ahead of the Dec. 5 release of Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, Lillard opened up to PopCulture.com about bringing his fellow Ghostface on board as the pivotal character Henry Emily.

“It was great,” Lillard said of adding Ulrich to the world of Five Nights at Freddy’s. “I think that [Five Nights at Freddy’s creator Scott Cawthon] saw the success that having me there was in terms of the Scream [fandom], and I think the reality is that both Skeet and I collectively do a really good job of seeing communities and seeing fans and meeting them where they’re at — respecting and cherishing that relationship with the fans and the actors.”

He explained, “There are some actors out there that really embrace the fandoms, and Skeet and I really do embrace the fandom of Scream … and respect their passion and hold space for their fandom.” It’s that approach toward passionate fandoms, in addition to Ulrich being a “great actor,” that Lillard thinks led to his Scream co-star joining Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.

“I’m excited,” Lillard teased. “I think it’s going to be a blast. I think people are going to love where that relationship goes potentially in future films.”

Getting to explore the character of Afton further in the franchise’s second film left Lillard with “some pretty fun stuff to play with,” he teased, noting that there’s more to come with the “evil monster” if a third Five Nights at Freddy’s film comes along.

“It’s exciting that we get to do a sequel — that’s the fun part — and we get to explore [Afton] more,” Lillard told PopCulture. “I can’t wait. Hopefully, the movie does really well, we get a third movie, and the third movie is, I think where we really get the William Afton [lore].”

“It’s a little like Voldemort,” Lillard continued, comparing his character to the infamous Harry Potter villain. “We tease him, we talk about him, and then finally he gets his film. So I’m hoping in the third movie, I really get to get after it.”

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 premieres in theaters on Friday, Dec. 5.