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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 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
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It was being young and sensitive and an actor. There was a lot of pressure, everything was a hurdle.
Matt Dillon -
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 -
Actors don't generally go asking other actors for advice too much, but I'll take suggestions wherever I can.
Matt Dillon -
That's the great thing about being an actor, you know, you can just jump to different jobs.
Matt Dillon -
I don't like movies where everything happens fast. I like the buildup, the obstacles, the mystery.
Matt Dillon -
As an actor, you can't be off the market for too long.
Matt Dillon
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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 -
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 -
I don't consider myself a Hollywood liberal, but I have my convictions and my beliefs.
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 -
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 -
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
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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 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 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 -
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 -
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 -
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
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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 -
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 -
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 grew up with the white picket fence. My dad went to work nine to five, and he had a station wagon.
Matt Dillon