Rumblefish, Drugstore Cowboy, The Outsiders
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$40 Million
“Well, my favorite word is verisimilitude. That means the appearance of truth. And that’s what we’re doing when we make films, we’re making something that appears to be something we recognize, but it’s not the truth. It’s not real, it’s fictional. But it appears that way! And that is a very powerful thing because it makes us feel. It is an illusion that gives you a very real emotion.” Matt Dillon began acting in middle school and went on to become one of the biggest teen idols of his time. He’s since enjoyed four decades of success as an actor and director.
Matt Dillon’s work in films like Little Darlings, The Outsiders, and The Flamingo Kid earned him bona fide heartthrob status early in his career. He’s been working in the industry ever since -- not just in front of the camera, but also behind it. Here’s a closer look at the prolific and celebrated career of this iconic actor.
From Cutting Class to Movie Star
Matthew Raymond Dillon was born on February 18, 1964 in New Rochelle, New York and grew up in Mamaroneck, New York. He was one of six siblings, including the actor Kevin Dillon.
Dillon got his big break in 1978 when casting directors for the teen drama Over the Edge found him cutting class in middle school. They encouraged him to audition for the role, which went on to become his big-screen debut. While the film’s release was limited, Dillon earned rave reviews for his performance. This led to subsequent opportunities in the teen sex comedy Little Darlings alongside Kristy McNichol and the teen dramedy My Bodyguard. Both movies were box office hits, and made Dillon’s face a familiar one among teen audiences.
The early 1980s were a breakthrough moment for Dillon, who was cast in the adaptations of three popular S.E. Hinton novels: Tex, The Outsiders and Rumble Fish. Dillon said of the writer, “She is wonderful. She was on the set of Tex and The Outsiders, and she really understands the way kids think -- especially male kids. She was the first person that really understood teenagers.”
In addition to being recognized for his acting talent, Dillon was also getting plenty of notice for his appearance. “Matt Dillon is improbably handsome, a fact that has been noticed by several million teenage girls,” wrote Roger Ebert in 1983 when Dillon was just 18. This sort of attention was foreign to Dillon at the time. “I can’t understand it. 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,” he told Ebert in an interview.
Next up for Dillon came Rumble Fish and The Flamingo Kid. All the while, the young actor pined for new challenges. “I’d like to play some parts that are not featured through the whole film. If you notice, in most films, the lead role usually isn't the character role; the lead role has to stand there and represent something, while the character role can experiment more. I'd like a role where I could pop in and out of the story."
Dillon's choice of roles over the next decade signified his interest in branching out while highlighting his versatility as an actor -- starting with 1989’s critically acclaimed Drugstore Cowboy, in which he played a troubled drug addict. In the 1990s, Dillion added Singles, To Die For, Wild Things, Beautiful Girls and There’s Something About Mary to his resume. He took home an MTV Movie Award for “Best Villain” for his work in the latter.
From Acting to Directing and More
Dillon continued to build on his career in the 2000s in City of Ghosts, which he also wrote and directed; Factotum; You, Me and Dupree; Disney’s Herbie: Fully Loaded and Crash, for which he earned both Golden Globe and Oscar nominations. In 2006, Dillon earned yet another honor: being tapped to host Saturday Night Live. The same year, Dillon received the San Sebastián International Film Festival’s prestigious Premio Donostia prize. He was honored with the Cairo International Film Festival Special Award the following year.
In addition to film, Dillon has worked on many television shows, including Modern Family, The Simpsons, and Wayward Pines, for which he was nominated for a “Best Actor on Television” Saturn Award in 2016.
Dillon's extensive career has also included 1995’s award-winning play, The Boys of Winter, on Broadway, as well as appearances in music videos, including in Madonna’s “Bad Girl” and The Pogues’ “Fairytale of New York.” He tried his hand at being on the other side of the camera when he directed the music video for Dinosaur Jr.’s “Been There All the Time” in 2007.
Most recently, Dillon earned rave reviews in the Lars von Trier movie, The House that Jack Built, for which he was nominated for multiple awards, the Robert Award and a Bodil Award, for his portrayal of the titular serial killer. He also took home "Best Actor" honors at the Canary Islands Fantastic Film Festival. A sign of Dillon's commitment to his craft, as well as the respect he's garnered over the years as an actor? In addition to von Trier, Dillon has worked with many of the world’s most esteemed directors, including Francis Ford Coppola, Gus Van Sant, Bent Hamer and Cameron Crowe.
Given Dillon's diverse career to date, what's coming next? Expect the unexpected might be the best advice. He recently told The Talks, “The challenge of doing something that’s kind of fresh or uncharted territory is always something that is what I’m looking for as an actor. Making movies can be really creatively fulfilling, especially when it’s a good environment, when there’s a positive energy, when the director fully embraces the potential for failure because without that there can’t be freedom. If you’re so tight that you have to get it perfect, you don’t have the freedom to try something different. Those simple things make me more comfortable, make me more happy. I like my work; that’s where I’m happiest.”
Dillon has also underscored the importance of being happy in your work -- especially as it pertains to acting. “When you’re having fun, the audience experiences that. The joy you’re feeling when you’re making a film is transmitted to the audience, even if it’s not a movie that’s supposed to “enjoyable.” We actors are players, after all; we are creating, and creating is a very fulfilling thing,” he said.
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