Matt Dillon Quotes & Sayings

One of my biggest fears is not being able to break out of a rut; of becoming a prisoner to my ways, unable to change course. But in my mid-thirties, I learned you can change your thinking. — Matt Dillon

I'm not the greatest boyfriend, but I'm not a creep. It's more like I'm ... absent-minded. — Matt Dillon

Sunsets are great. Sunrises are a mixed bag. You either got up way too early or went to bed way too late. — Matt Dillon

I like doing comedy, I like doing drama. Naturally I like to do, I like doing dramas, I like conflict, and when I do a comedy, you know, I've found that, like, romantic comedy is the trickiest one, because often it's neither: it's not romantic and it's not funny. So, like, I like a comedy that's biting. It's biting humor or really quirky humor. — Matt Dillon

I think a lot of directors, they come out of film school, they don't know anything about acting. Or they're writers that don't know anything about the process. And I think they're afraid sometimes to talk to actors and be honest with actors. — Matt Dillon

It seems to be that more and more people are asking you to work for nothing on films, and that's unfortunate because you have to make a living. On the other hand, I don't do a better job because I get paid a lot of money. I'm never like, 'I'm not going to work as hard because I'm not getting paid as much.' — Matt Dillon

As an actor, you can't be off the market for too long. — Matt Dillon

Looks aren't a big thing to me. I keep reading these articles in fan magazines about me, and I don't even know who they're talking about. It's boring. — Matt Dillon

These are people who haven't gone through the legal means to becoming citizens like our forefathers did. They want all the benefits but none of the responsibilities. — Matt Dillon

I have always wanted to play different kinds of stuff, but it's hard, first to find good material, and then to change people's perception of you so they'll let you do it. I mean, I would really like to play a poet, but once they get this notion of you as a street guy, it's hard to change that. — Matt Dillon

I don't fall in love easily. It's odd; one of the first things I think about when I go out with a woman is what it would be like to be married to her. And yet I have a tough time committing. — Matt Dillon

Directing myself definitely made me a better actor. And, you know, I think actors have the best track record when they turn to directing. Writers, too. I knew how to direct actors because I've been there and I know what I like. — Matt Dillon

It was being young and sensitive and an actor. There was a lot of pressure, everything was a hurdle. — Matt Dillon

I think the reason I've survived that long is because I've taken my work so seriously. Maybe sometimes too seriously, but it's always been important for me to do my best regardless of the film. I think the biggest compliment I get is when people on the street stop me and say they've liked the choices I've made. — Matt Dillon

Of course, if you're gonna make movies, you gotta make movies, and I'm not gonna say no to a good role. — Matt Dillon

A lot of people say I've missed out on a lot because I started acting at such a young age. What's so obvious to me is that I actually was really lucky. I gained a lot and I got a head start in what I wanted to do in life. A lot of people in their late 20s, early 30s are just beginning to figure out where they want to go. — Matt Dillon

I grew up with the white picket fence. My dad went to work nine to five, and he had a station wagon. — Matt Dillon

I've always wanted to do action stuff. I like it. You really want something that's special; that's got something special about it and not cheesy, I guess. I'll tell you something, it's fun, it's different. Comedy is difficult. Doing comedy is very difficult. Action stuff is fun. — Matt Dillon

I'm not a Buddhist, or a card-carrying member of any religion. — Matt Dillon

What's really great about Buddhism is its rational, informal quality. Coming from my experience of growing up a Catholic, I found Buddhism to be refreshingly easygoing and forgiving. — Matt Dillon

I don't worry about whether a character is likable, as long as the character is believable. — Matt Dillon

In politics there are so many holes, so many contradictions, you don't know what's happening. — Matt Dillon

There were six kids in our family, and I grew up fast. I had to do a lot of things on my own. I was a rebellious teenager. That's why coming into the film business was good for me because it gave me some discipline. Once I became an actor, I had to grow up a little more. — Matt Dillon

We get caught up in all the stress - 'Got to do this, is this the right thing for me to do?' - but what about the thing you want to do? That's what'll keep you young. It's empowering, not becoming a prisoner of some other person's idea of what you should be. — Matt Dillon

Actors don't generally go asking other actors for advice too much, but I'll take suggestions wherever I can. — Matt Dillon

Acting is very competitive. There are few good scripts out there and the ones that are good are very competitive. You look at your options and often times they're not too appealing. — Matt Dillon

I tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve. I've had my share of mood swings, believe me. But it's a powerful thing when you realize that you have dominion over your behavior and your passions. — Matt Dillon

One of my greatest fears is not being able to change, to be caught in a never-ending cycle of sameness. Growth is so important. — Matt Dillon

Well I can tell you that for me generally speaking that I think things that I deal with are all to do with not accepting things, not excepting life on life's terms. My life becomes a lot easier when I'm willing to just accept. I don't have to like circumstances as they are, but I have to accept them and that's where I always seem to get thrown, when I try to will my way instead of accept things the way they are. — Matt Dillon

I do get bottled up in interviews. You're thinking about what you're saying, and suddenly you get all tangled. So people think I'm sullen, or that I don't have much to say. But my friends will tell you: a lot of times I talk too much. — Matt Dillon

I don't know why, but I like the saxophone. — Matt Dillon

It's really nice to be able to do something that you've never done. I think that's the gift of being an actor because I get to play a cop, a racist cop and I've never done that before. It's nice to inhabit these other worlds especially when you get to work with great actors. — Matt Dillon

One of the things I've learned over the years is that you only do what you can do as an actor. You do the best job you can, but you have no control over so many elements that are going to determine the outcome of that film. I never pay attention to what happens after. — Matt Dillon

Racism was just a tool to deal with frustration and pain and that people are in denial about the way we feel and desperately trying to control their environment the way their lives are. And ultimately their scapegoats aren't going to make them feel better, it's just going to increase hatred and the problem gets worse and worse. — Matt Dillon

The worst thing I could be accused of is that I'm a one-way dude, only out for myself. But the worst thing a woman can do is not to say anything. Especially when you're starting a relationship. — Matt Dillon

I look for really great characters. I say great because as long as they're really good, there's something you can do. And really good storytelling. And when people ask me what the story is, I say it's really several stories really. They're intermeshed. — Matt Dillon

It's a pretty good job being an actor, but it's work sometimes. And when I say work, I mean it's a job. You're going to a job. — Matt Dillon

I don't like to give out advice. I make suggestions when I get to know somebody a little bit, but I don't know about advice. — Matt Dillon

I like conflict, drama's conflict and if you don't have that in the character it's really not a worthwhile role to play for me. — Matt Dillon

The great, rewarding thing about directing is that you're overseeing the whole thing. When you're an actor, you're just one department. — Matt Dillon

I don't know why, but audiences are often sympathetic to thieves. Sometimes they are more sympathetic to thieves then they are to earnest people. What does that say about society? — Matt Dillon

I only hear my own voice. When you start hearing other voices, then it's time to worry. — Matt Dillon

I think playing somebody who's schizophrenic is such a lesson as an actor. It gets you totally out of your comfort zone, because you can't rely on your technique, your external stuff. You've really gotta look inward, in a way. — Matt Dillon

I had acting teachers, and one of the things that was encouraged was to keep it fresh, to be spontaneous. That's the magic of film often. — Matt Dillon

I like to take chances. The actors I admire are the ones who aren't afraid to make themselves nasty, bad or even goofy. I've never shied away from controversial characters. — Matt Dillon

I don't hide out. If you build a wall around yourself, it draws people to invade it. Fear is the enemy. — Matt Dillon

The growing pains of ... being an actor, that was a little frustrating at times because you feel like you have great capacity to do many things. And yet there seems to be a misunderstanding about who you are and what you're trying to do. And that requires patience, and people eventually will understand. — Matt Dillon

To be honest with you, there's nothing that bores me more than sitting around with a bunch of actors talking shop. I love actors and I've got friends that are actors. They're interesting people. But for some reason, usually when it comes round to talking shop, there's a part of me that doesn't like it. — Matt Dillon

The first music I was ever exposed to was Irish folk music, like the Clancy Brothers. My father plays that and Christmas songs. — Matt Dillon

I don't like movies where everything happens fast. I like the buildup, the obstacles, the mystery. — Matt Dillon

Those are the kinds of roles you can really sink your teeth into. Characters with an edge. When you're playing someone who's sort of seedy, there's less limitation, there's so much space you can travel. There's room to move in. — Matt Dillon

I'm drawn to women who live in a world different from my own. I don't believe you have to marry someone from your own backyard. James Joyce married a woman who never read any of his books. — Matt Dillon

When I was twenty-two it was a lot harder to get hurt by women. It was easier for me to, you know, cheat on a girlfriend. I can't lie like that anymore. — Matt Dillon

I'm ambitious. I do think you have a tendency to be less happy sometimes when you're a seeker. You can be disenchanted because you're not getting what you want, and you're always striving and looking ahead instead of just being in the moment. — Matt Dillon

When I started out as an actor I knew very little, which was probably a good thing. I was totally open. You don't judge yourself, you do it. — Matt Dillon

One thing that everybody told me about directing was, 'Never compromise'. And the whole job is a compromise. So it's very paradoxical. How do you not compromise when the whole thing is about compromise? — Matt Dillon

I sometimes think love is God's way of hoodwinking people into having kids. You fall in love, and all that passion goes into procreating and wanting children. — Matt Dillon

It's important to air your concerns and fears with someone you trust. When you're honest about how you can change and grow, and where your weaknesses are, then you open the door for improvement and change. — Matt Dillon

I think anytime you can do something you haven't seen or done in a film before, it's always a great day as an actor. — Matt Dillon

Obviously all religions get corrupted by man. The initial ideas are interesting but once they get organized they seem to become about politics and other things and they get misinterpreted ... Have faith but do the work. Live your life right. Dont expect things to happen. Thats why Im put off by magical realism. — Matt Dillon

People get really nuts around cars. They get angry at cars, they get angry at their car, they get angry at people driving in cars; there's something really comical about that, about automobiles. — Matt Dillon

I don't consider myself a Hollywood liberal, but I have my convictions and my beliefs. — Matt Dillon

I like to do comedy, but I'll be perfectly honest, I prefer to do drama and more character-driven-based stuff, generally. — Matt Dillon

It's tough when you started out as young as I did to look back and see how far I've come. I try to be easy on myself and go 'Look man, you were younger, you were learning; you learn, you grow.' But I'm not my best judge. I always feel like my best work is still ahead of me. — Matt Dillon

My driving, I've been accused of not being the best, most safest driver. — Matt Dillon

Fame is part of me and my life as an actor. I enjoy the creative aspects of my life as an actor. I enjoy directing and acting as well. But the bottom line for me is not prestige and power. It's about having an exciting, creative life. — Matt Dillon

It seems like a cliche, but you do grow up a lot faster when you travel a lot, go through things like this interview, spend time away from home and hang around with other actors. It's inevitable that you're not going to have a so-called normal childhood. — Matt Dillon

Love is messy. It's not something that's real clean. — Matt Dillon

I've always liked Southeast Asia a lot. It's a wonderful place, an easy place. People are great, there's a lot of history and culture, and I like the serenity of Buddhism there. It's very beautiful. I find that to be a very nice place to visit. — Matt Dillon

I know this sounds kind of crazy, but I think we're all actors. — Matt Dillon

I used to make fun of the kids in school who acted or went to dance class. — Matt Dillon