Matthew Lillard Says Feeling Like an ‘Outsider’ Helped Him Relate to “Carrie”: ‘I Personally Was Picked On’ (Exclusive)

Julia MooreTue, October 13, 2026 at 5:25 PM UTC

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Matthew Lillard in ‘Carrie.’Credit: Courtesy of Prime -

Matthew Lillard plays Principal Grayle in the new Carrie TV series, whose life is upended by Carrie White’s arrival

He tells PEOPLE how being a father of three and his experiences being “picked on” in his early life influenced his portrayal of the character in the “exciting” new adaptation

Carrie is now streaming on Prime Video

Matthew Lillard found a personal connection to the struggles explored in the new Carrie TV series

Lillard plays the beleaguered high school principal whose world turns upside down with the arrival of Carrie White (Summer H. Howell) in the Prime Video adaptation of Stephen King’s 1974 horror novel. The character’s “responsibility is to take care of all of his kids,” Lillard, 56, tells PEOPLE, which is something he could relate to as a father of three himself. He shares Addison, Ace and Liam with wife Heather Lillard.

“I mean, listen, as a father, mother — there’s always a different lens to any sort of piece of content, certainly,” he says. “I definitely felt connected to the story.”

Matthew Lillard with wife Heather Helms and their two kids Ace Lillard and Liam Lillard in April 2025Credit: Matthew Lillard/ Instagram

That sense of paternal protectiveness wasn’t the only thing he tapped into. “I personally was picked on and grew up feeling like an outsider. My kids have had that experience at times,” he shares. “Certainly, on social media, I’ve experienced it. My kids have experienced it.”

In the series, Carrie is targeted by fellow students through an anonymous Instagram account that initially singles her out, but soon expands its reach to the entire school population, teachers included, setting in motion a devastating series of events.

“Definitely, it connects you to the material emotionally, which I think enriches your performance in ways that I don’t think are different,” Lillard says. “But it’s just — my humanity is painted by being a father.”

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A familiar face in horror — though he’s hesitant to accept that tag (“I don’t know how to respond to that,” he says) — Lillard admits that it wasn’t necessarily the genre that drew him to Carrie. “My bucket list is really working with friends and great storytellers, and luckily for me, for us, Mike Flanagan is that,” he says of the series’ showrunner, writer and director.

“I think that when you’re talking about current filmmakers, there are, I think, living right now, a whole battery of great directors. And for a long time I think that people really considered Mike Flanagan as a horror director, and that’s gone out the window. I think he’s one of our great storytellers in cinema today, and I feel privileged to be his friend.”

Matthew Lillard in ‘Carrie’Credit: Amazon

Before filming, Lillard says he didn’t revisit any previous adaptations of King’s book, nor did he reread it. “The idea of going back to reference an incredibly classic Stephen King tale didn’t make sense because we were onto a whole new iteration,” he explains.

“And I think that’s what’s exciting. I think that people will have these moments that they’re excited about — the prom scene, the locker room scene. You’re coming for the IP, but you’re going to get this Flanagan take on it, which is expansive and more than you could ever possibly imagine.”

Carrie is now streaming on Prime Video.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”