Although Lillard was able to make Afton convincing enough despite the limited number of scenes he was in, there’s much more to be explored about this enigmatic “FNAF” character. In the video games, Afton is overarchingly evil and thoroughly committed to his experiments, no matter the cost. Moreover, he never falters due to moral limitations and does not feel remorse after setting off a chain of tragedies that has impacted countless lives over decades. Lillard’s rendition harbors similar motivations and worldviews, but the live-action “FNAF” films have a unique chance to fill in the blanks and present Afton’s point of view, no matter how twisted it becomes with time.
Lillard spoke about this need to flesh out Afton to better understand his motivations — while we know about his horrific deeds, there’s little insight into the kind of man he was before these events, and what shaped him to walk down such an extreme path. Lillard hopes that the sequels can help us understand Afton better:
“[…] I mean, I barely got to touch him, right? I got to kill my daughter [Vanessa], but we know nothing about him. We know nothing about his history, about his journey. All those things that the fans have filled in for year after year, I’m excited to, with Scott [Cawthon] and Emma [Tammi], fill in all those pieces that the fans have always wondered about. That’s the thing is, how do we fill out expectations and how do we fill out the lore? I’ll be excited to be a piece of that story.”
If Lillard returns as Afton in a “FNAF” sequel, there is a chance to weave something more terrifying than killer animatronics and missing children who are caught in a loop that is seemingly impossible to break.