John Lithgow looks back on his role in “Shrek,” where he played the villainous Lord Farquaad in the hit 2001 animated film. Despite the character’s disappearance in the first film, the actor expressed genuine excitement about reprising the role.
The “Shrek” franchise has become one of DreamWorks’ most successful projects, spanning multiple sequels and spin-offs that have attracted a global fan base. Excitement is building for the fifth installment, which will bring its iconic characters back to the big screen.
John Lithgow wants to explore the story of Lord Farquaad
John Lithgow was on “The Tonight Show” to talk about his latest projects, and the conversation touched on one of his most beloved roles, Lord Farquaad in “Shrek.” Jimmy Fallon mentioned that the first film had just celebrated its 25th anniversary, to which Lithgow said its popularity still endures.
“Well, unfortunately I never got a sequel because I got eaten by a dragon in the first one,” Lithgow said. The tyrannical Lord Farquaad, of small stature, indeed met his demise on “Shrek” in the middle of his supposed marriage to Princess Fiona, when the dragon swallows him whole and spits out his crown.
“Everyone else went on and made millions in just five minutes,” Lithgow said. Fallon suggested that Lord Farquaad could return with a prequel showing how he became lord, to which Lithgow responded, “I’m available.”
The actor recalled the gingerbread scene
Lord Farquaad only had less than 10 minutes of screen time in “Shrek,” but despite that, he remains one of the most beloved villains. Lithgow explicitly remembers voicing the scene where Lord Farquaad tortures Gingerbread Man.
According to Lithgow, he shot the scene with writer Conrad Vernon, who helped him with clues and temporarily voiced the gingerbread man. “They went looking and looking for the right gingerbread man, and they ended up hiring him. And he became the gingerbread man for five ‘Shrek’ movies! Me? Eaten by the damn dragon,” Lithgow said with mock exasperation.
Not only did Vernon return as Gingerbread Man in all of the “Shrek” films, but he also co-directed “Shrek 2” and will co-direct the fifth installment in the franchise.
John Lithgow expressed interest in past interviews
This isn’t the first time the 80-year-old award-winning actor has said he wants to see Lord Farquaad again. In 2024, Lithgow said he would say “yes in a minute” if asked to return to the franchise. However, it was quite difficult since his character was dead. “It turns out you can’t recover from being eaten by a dragon,” he added.
In the musical short “Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party”, Lord Farquaad was briefly seen singing “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees while in the belly of the dragon. Lithgow returned to voice the ghost of Lord Farquaad in “Shrek 4-D,” an attraction that debuted at Universal Studios in 2003, which was later released on television, streaming and home video.
The actor had misconceptions about ‘Shrek’
In 2025, Lithgow revisited some of his most iconic roles for Varietyincluding Lord Farquaad. The actor admitted that while he thought the project looked “fun” to do, he didn’t think it was a “big deal.”
“I thought it was like a Saturday morning cartoon or something. It’s no big deal,” Lithgow said. He also revealed that it took four years before “Shrek” was released, saying, “They would bring me back here about once every eight months to record new material. And it was like, ‘Oh, I have to do this ‘Shrek’ thing again? What is that?'”
“Shrek” officially began production in late 1995 and was released in 2001, grossing over $484 million worldwide on a budget of $60 million.
‘Shrek 5’ release delayed twice
In July 2024, DreamWorks officially announced “Shrek 5”, announcing a release date of July 2026. However, the date was pushed back to December 2026, and then again to June 2027. It is unclear what caused these setbacks.
The last film in the franchise, “Shrek Forever After,” was released in 2010 and focused on Shrek, who was thrust into a dystopian alternate reality after signing a contract with Rumpelstiltskin.
“Shrek 5” will return with its ensemble cast, including Mike Myers (Shrek), Cameron Diaz (Fiona) and Eddie Murphy (Donkey), as well as newcomers Zendaya, Marcello Hernandez and Skyler Gisondo, who will voice Shrek and Fiona’s triplets, Felicia, Fergus and Farkle.
