The “Scooby-Doo ”movie cast: Where are they now?

Alright gang, let's split up and search for clues on what Matthew Lillard, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and the rest of the gang have been up to since 2002.

After hitting theaters in June 2002, it took some time for the live-action Scooby-Doo to achieve the cult status it deserved. Derided at the time as a cheap, crude cash-in on the beloved Hanna-Barbera cartoon, many critics overlooked how the gags were actually quite faithful to the show's original tone.

Whatever your feelings about Scooby-Doo and its 2004 sequel, Monsters Unleashed, it’s hard to deny that the casting department nailed it. Who better to play super-sleuths Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy than Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Linda Cardellini, and Matthew Lillard? (Where was the Academy Award for Achievement in Casting when we needed it?)

Reviews be damned, Scooby-Doo went on to gross $275 million worldwide — which adjusted for inflation is nearly half-a-billion dollars — and Monsters Unleashed topped out with $181 million worldwide. As years go by, the Scooby-Doo films only grow in esteem, with Guardians of the Galaxy and DC-head James Gunn co-writing the screenplays, giving them a dose of latter-day cred.

Join Entertainment Weekly as we revisit the live-action Scooby-Doo movie casts.

Matthew Lillard (Shaggy Rogers)

In both Scooby-Doo and Monsters Unleashed, Matthew Lillard dons the signature goatee and green V-neck tee of Shaggy Rogers, who joins forces with his canine confidante to bring the mystery-solving gang back together at the beginning of the first film. However, the actor has expressed mixed feelings about what the franchise represented during a certain period of his career.

"I had this moment where I had done big movies, and I had been the lead in Scooby-Doo. I got paid a lot of money, it was a huge success, and I was like, ‘Oh I’m set. I’m going to now sort of control my own destiny. I’m a legit Hollywood sort of success,’” he told The Ringer in July 2017. “Which was actually the farthest thing from the truth, because I had really kind of pigeonholed myself to be this kind of [hack], on a movie that nobody respected and nobody really liked, and I was kind of like, people sort of thought of me as a hack at that time. At least I felt that way.”

Before Scooby-Doo, the Michigan-born actor had his first notable film credit in John Waters’ Serial Mom (1994). From the mid-'90s to the early-2000s, he went on to star in a variety of classic teen films like Scream (1996), SLC Punk (1998), She’s All That (1999), and Thirteen Ghosts (2001).

After playing the goofy, over-the-top Shaggy in the live-action films, Lillard continued to voice the character in various animated projects, including Be Cool, Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo and Guess Who, and more. He also has reinvented himself as an actor with dramatic turns in Alexander Payne’s The Descendants (2011) and in episodes of Twin Peaks: The Return and Good Girls. Additionally, he played the main antagonist William Afton in the 2023 film adaptation of Five Nights at Freddy’s, a role he will reprise in the forthcoming sequel.

Since 2000, Lillard has been married to realtor Heather Helm, with whom he shares three children: daughter Addison and sons Liam and Jackson.

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Daphne Blake)

Sarah Michelle Gellar struts in the purple platform boots of the fashionable and upbeat Daphne Blake in both live-action Scooby-Doo flicks.

In February 2023, Gellar told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live that the cast initially filmed a "less-than-family-friendly" version of the original Scooby-Doo. "There was an actual kiss between Daphne and Velma that got cut. I feel like the world wants to see it. I don't know where it is," she said. "There was a great line too that I'll never forget. We were having a fight, Daphne and Fred, and then I yell at him, 'And that ascot makes you look gay!' And I slam the door and they cut that, too."

The actress has been working since she was four years old, making her onscreen debut in the 1983 television film An Invasion of Privacy. She appeared on All My Children before landing the title role on the iconic WB series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. During this time, Gellar became somewhat of a scream queen with parts like the ill-fated Helen in I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and the similarly doomed Cece in Scream 2 (1997), then starred in the 1999 cult classic Cruel Intentions.

After Scooby-Doo, she went on to other projects like The Grudge (2004), its 2006 sequel The Return (2005), and Suburban Girl (2007). After taking a nearly decade-long break from film — during which time she reprised her Cruel Intentions character for an unaired television spinoff — Gellar appeared in the movies Clerks III (2022) and Do Revenge (2022). She also starred on Paramount+'s short-lived supernatural series Wolf Pack in 2023.

After meeting on the set of I Know What You Did Last Summer, Gellar began dating Scooby-Doo costar Freddie Prinze Jr. in 2000. They married two years later and have two children, a daughter Charlotte and a son Rocky.

Freddie Prinze Jr. (Fred Jones)

Freddie Prinze Jr. takes on the role of the blond ascot-wearing leader of the Mystery Inc. gang in both Scooby-Doo movies. However, later he openly expressed his regret for filming them.

“There was too much bait-and-switch on the first one. The studio was not honest with me in any way, shape or form. They were not straightforward,” Prinze Jr. told TooFab in March 2023. "I've been on two jobs where I've had regret [after] doing it, and Scooby was one of them."

"I didn't fully appreciate Scooby until it was seen and children came up to me, like, 'Oh my gosh,'" he continued. "All of a sudden I was like, 'Hey, man, we did good.' We did good, there's legit millions of people [who] love this movie. It wasn't the movie I wanted to make, but I appreciate that and it made me change my outlook on it."

Before Scooby–Doo, Prinze Jr. — the only child of stand-up comedian and actor Freddie Prinze — got his start as a teen heartthrob in films like The House of Yes (1997) and I Know What You Did Last Summer and its 1998 sequel. He also appeared opposite his Scooby-Doo costar Matthew Lillard in She’s All That and Wing Commander (1999).

Since playing Fred Jones, Prinze Jr. headlined his own short-lived sitcom on ABC, Freddie; popped up in episodes of Boston Legal, 24, Bones, and Punky Brewster; and lent his voice to Kanan Jarrus on Star Wars: Rebels, as well as in Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Additionally, he had a cameo alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar in Clerks III and starred in the Netflix holiday rom-com Christmas With You (2022).

Prinze Jr. shares two children with Gellar, with whom he's been married since 2002.

Linda Cardellini (Velma Dinkley)

Jinkies! Linda Cardellini breathes life into the iconic Velma, the brains behind Mystery Inc. who's forever losing her glasses.

"Velma has been around since 1969; I just went trick or treating with my daughter and there were a lot of Velmas out there," Cardellini reflected on the character's legacy to EW in November 2022. "So I love that she still has this place in culture that is sort of always active for decades."

Prior to sporting Velma's signature bob haircut, the actress had her start as Lindsay Weir alongside a slew of now-famous faces on Freaks and Geeks. She then followed with the perm-wearing Chutney in Legally Blonde (2001).

After Scooby-Doo, Cardellini landed the regular role of Samantha Taggart on ER; appeared in episodes of New Girl, Mad Men, and Bloodline; did voice work on Regular Show and Gravity Falls; and earned film credits for Brokeback Mountain (2004), Daddy's Home (2015) and its 2017 sequel, A Simple Favor (2018), and Green Book (2018). She also joined the MCU in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) as Laura Barton, a role she reprised in Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Hawkeye. Additionally, Cardellini earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Judy Hale on Dead to Me.

Since 2013, Cardellini has been engaged to her fiancé, Steven Rodriguez, with whom she shares a daughter.

Isla Fisher (Mary Jane)

The year before portraying Mary Jane — Shaggy's airplane meet-cute while headed to Spooky Island — in the first live-action Scooby-Doo, Isla Fisher had made her film debut in the German slasher The Pool.

After Scooby-Doo, the Australian actress landed her Stateside breakout role in Wedding Crashers (2005), followed by parts in movies like The Lookout (2007), Hot Rod (2007), Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009), The Great Gatsby (2013), Now You See Me (2013), Nocturnal Animals (2016), and Godmothered (2020). She also voiced Maggie opposite Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx in the talking-dog comedy Strays (2023). On TV, Fisher had stints on Bored to Death and Arrested Development and plays a werewolf on Peacock's Wolf Like Me.

Fisher married Borat actor Sacha Baron Cohen in 2010, though they announced in April 2024 that they had jointly filed for divorce the year before. Together, they share three children: daughters Olive and Elula and son Montgomery.

Rowan Atkinson (Emile Mondavarious)

In the first live-action Scooby-Doo, Rowan Atkinson plays the long-haired and bearded Emile Mondavarious, Spooky Island's owner and Scrappy-Doo's hostage.

After breaking out in 1979 in The Secret Policeman’s Ball, the British comedian earned his first feature film credit in the off-brand James Bond vehicle Never Say Never Again (1983). However, Atkinson is most recognized for his titular role on Mr. Bean, a character he played across various TV and movie projects since 1990.

Post–Scooby-Doo, he's continued to play Mr. Bean on Mr. Bean: The Animated Series and Handy Bean — as well as in several films — and starred in the Johnny English film franchise and on Netflix's Man vs. Bee. In 2023, he worked opposite Timothée Chalamet in Wonka.

Atkinson has two children with his ex-wife, makeup artist Sunetra Sastry. After 24 years of marriage, the couple divorced in 2015 following Atikinson's affair with actress Louise Ford, with whom he now shares a child.

Neil Fanning (Scooby-Doo)

Neil Fanning voices the titular Great Dane, Shaggy's Scooby-snack-loving partner in crime, in both Scooby-Doo live-action films.

"I misspent my childhood watching a lot of cartoons...I warm up every day that I have to perform the voice [of Scooby-Doo]. But it comes really naturally, and that’s half the trick, keeping it natural.... It’s like — 'hummmeeemmph!' — pretty much do that and I’m in," Fanning told Today in March 2004. "Basically, there are three elements to Scooby: He’s happy, he’s hungry, or he’s scared. Pretty much, that warmup just covers the whole gamut of his emotions very quickly."

Before lending his voice to the iconic character, the Australian actor and stuntman performed for 14 years in the Police Academy Stunt Show at Warner Bros. Movie World in Queensland before managing the show for many years. The same year he voiced Scooby-Doo for the live-action film, he did stunts for the films The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course and Ghost Ship.

Following Scooby-Doo, Fanning's latest on-screen credits include a 2009 episode of Sea Patrol and a 2016 episode of Wanted. He also coordinated stunts for the films The Great Raid (2005) and Daybreakers (2009) and was a stunt supervisor for three episodes of Surviving Summer.

Fanning is a father of three children.

Seth Green (Patrick Wisely)

Seth Green takes on the role of Patrick Wisely, Velma's love interest and museum curator of the Coolsonian Criminology Museum, in Monsters Unleashed.

Ahead of the Scooby-Doo sequel, Green made his big-screen debut at the age of 10 in Hotel New Hampshire (1984), and later acted in films like Radio Days (1987), Can't Buy Me Love (1987), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), and the Austin Powers trilogy (1997, 1999, 2002). However, Green became most known for voicing Chris Griffin on Family Guy and co-creating the stop-motion sketch comedy series Robot Chicken.

Post–Scooby-Doo, Green continued to appear on screen, with various TV and film credits for Dads, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Rookie, and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022). He also earned additional voice roles in various films and TV shows, including Howard the Duck in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy (2014, 2017, 2023) and episodes of What If.

In 2010, Green married actress Clare Grant, with whom he's worked on many projects like Holidays, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and more.

Peter Boyle (Jeremiah "Old Man" Wickles)

In Monsters Unleashed, Peter Boyle appeared as Jeremiah "Old Man" Wickles, the ex-convict whose house full of traps ensnared Mystery Inc.

The veteran actor began his Hollywood career during the late '60s, with supporting parts in various films before gaining more recognition in Joe (1970). Though he became most known for his role as the Monster in Young Frankenstein (1974), Boyle also graced the silver screen in movies such as Taxi Driver (1976), Red Heat (1988), Malcolm X (1992), and The Santa Clause (1994) and its 2002 sequel. On the small screen, he won an Emmy for his 1995 guest stint on The X-Files and played Frank Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond for nine seasons.

Following his role in Scooby-Doo, Boyle appeared in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006) and died at age 71 that same year.

Boyle is survived by his wife — theater producer Loraine Alterman — and their two daughters, Lucy and Amy.

Tim Blake Nelson (Dr. Jacobo)

Tim Blake Nelson takes on the role of the evil Dr. Jacobo in Monsters Unleashed — thanks to his son.

“A movie I was going to direct fell through, and I called my agent and said, ‘Look, I now have this free summer. Is there anything you can find me?’ Two days later, my manager and agent called and they said, ‘Well, we have an offer for you to do Scooby-Doo 2,’” he told Tulsa World (his hometown newspaper) in August 2023. “I was on the phone in my son’s room, and I said, somewhat derisively, 'Scooby-Doo 2?' And then Henry looked up at me, and he said ‘You can be in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?' And I said ‘All right, I’m going to do this.’”

Prior to his appearance in the second live-action Scooby-Doo film, Nelson made his movie debut in This Is My Life (1990) and went on to feature in films such as Heavyweights (1995), Donnie Brasco (1997), The Thin Red Line (1998), O Brother, Where Art Thou (2000), and Holes (2003).

Following his portrayal of Dr. Jacobo, the Juilliard-trained actor booked memorable roles, including Samuel Sterns in The Incredible Hulk (2008); Dr. Allen in Fantastic Four (2015); and the titular character in the Coen brothers' The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018). He also appeared on TV shows like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities, and Poker Face. Nelson is slated to reprise his role as Samuel Sterns in Captain America: Brave New World in February 2025.

In 1994, Nelson tied the knot with Lisa Benavides, with whom he shares three sons.

Alicia Silverstone (Heather Jasper Howe)

Alicia Silverstone is Heather Jasper Howe, the newscaster who runs a smear campaign against Mystery Inc., in Monsters Unleashed.

The San Fernando Valley-born actress started her career at age 16 in an episode of The Wonder Years. After gaining traction with appearances in the music videos for Aerosmith's "Cryin'," "Amazing," and "Crazy," she soon transitioned to leading parts in films like The Crush (1993) and Hideaway (1995) before taking on her most iconic role as Cher Horowitz in Amy Heckerling’s Clueless (1995). Other notable roles include Emily in Excess Baggage (1997), Batgirl in Batman & Robin (1997), and Kate Fox on Miss Match (for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe).

Post–Monsters Unleashed, Silverstone acted in films like Beauty Shop (2005), The Art of Getting By (2011), and Ass Backwards (2013). After a memorable performance in The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017), the actress scored more parts in The Lodge (2019), Senior Year (2022), and the miniseries Reptile.

From 2005 to 2019, Silverstone married musician and radio host Christopher Jarecki, with whom she shares a son named Bear.

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Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.