Matthew Lillard's FNAF Role Made His Daughter Cry - And That's Important To Him

"Five Nights at Freddy's" may not have resonated well with critics, but it scored high with audiences and took the box office by storm, netting over $250 million worldwide. The enormous success of the video game franchise-turned-film hit no doubt made fans and people behind the production immensely happy. In fact, the movie's success made one fan, specifically star Matthew Lillard's daughter, shed tears.

"I think they're more chuffed that I'm in the movie than with the performance in the movie," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "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."

Lillard first appears in "Five Nights at Freddy's" as Steve Raglan, a shady career counselor who offers the seemingly unemployable Mike (Josh Hutcherson) a chance to redeem himself with a graveyard shift as a security guard at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, a shuttered restaurant and entertainment palace.

Over the course of five nights, Mike discovers that animatronic creatures come to life in the broken-down venue, and it's all tied to the insidious actions of Steve's real-life persona, William Afton. The father of a local police officer and Mike's friend, Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), William is behind the horrifying disappearance of six children — including Mike's long-lost brother — and five of their souls are trapped within the animatronic characters.

"Five Nights at Freddy's" isn't Matthew Lillard's first family-focused project. In 2002, he starred in the iconic role of Shaggy in the live-action film adaptation of the classic cartoon series "Scooby Doo."

Like he found out with his Scooby Doo movies, Lillard discovered that "Five Nights at Freddy's" has an enormous worldwide fan base. As such, he was determined not to disappoint audiences with his interpretation of William Afton. "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," Lillard told THR. "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."

Lillard also told THR that being featured in a movie as big as "Five Nights at Freddy's" is humbling since the actor thought his glory days were likely behind him after being in a couple of successful film franchises. Apart from his Scooby Doo live-action and animated work, Lillard has also starred in the Scream series, and his involvement in "Five Nights at Freddy's" appears to be a blessing in disguise.

"I'm still doing all kinds of fun stuff, and I'm really excited about the things I'm doing," Lillard told THR. "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."