“Scream” star Matthew Lillard is getting candid about the importance of colon cancer screenings after starring in an ad for Cologuard. The ad, titled “Screen” parodies elements of “Scream” and puts emphasis on the fact that the at-home colon cancer screening test is nothing to be afraid of.
Lillard acknowledges that the prospect of getting tested for the disease can be nerve-wracking, telling People, “When you start considering being tested, all of a sudden your mind does horrible things. And here is this ability to alleviate the stress.”
But the actor believes in Cologuard, and was able to speak on how easy the process actually is. “You ask your doctor, they prescribe the test, it arrives at your door and you ship it back,” he explained. “That’s literally all you have to do.”
Matthew Lilliard Joins Other Stars Who Have Tackled the Subject
GettyLillard is not the only celebrity to speak out about the importance of cancer screenings. “Dawson’s Creek” star James Van Der Beek has been open about his colorectal cancer diagnosis, and has emphasized the importance of testing.
“To me, the biggest misunderstanding is that you need to have symptoms to get screened,” he told USA Today. “I was very healthy, in amazing cardiovascular shape, and had full-blown stage three cancer, and I didn’t know it.”
“RHOBH” star Teddi Mellencamp is currently battling stage 4 cancer that began with a melanoma diagnosis, and recently urged fans to get regular skin checks no matter what else is going on with their health.
“Today” co-anchor Craig Melvin has also spoken out about health screenings, after losing his brother Lawrence Meadows to colon cancer in 2020. âThe reality is, had Lawrence gotten checked earlier, he might still be with us,” Melvin shared with People.
Lillard Is Using His Celebrity Platform for a Good Cause
Lillard told People that he was initially nervous about doing the ad, as he’d never appeared in a commercial before, but the importance of the matter at hand won out over his anxiety. “At the end of the day, I think we made something that has the potential to [change people’s lives].”
The actor hopes his Cologuard ad has the desired effect of helping people understand that home testing is nothing to fear. “The goal here is to bridge the gap between people going, ‘That’s weird. I’m not doing that’ to, ‘Oh my God, how easy,’” Lillard explained.
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