MATT DILLON
‘I WAS NEVER CONSIDERED PART OF THE BRAT PACK IN AMERICA BACK THEN'
It is so funny. I look at it now and I think at the time I thought I was on top of the world. but I didn‘t realise how young I was. I was the second youngest guy out of the group of actors. yet I was the most established at the time.‘
I‘m so glad I didn’t jump ship when the rest of the actors seemed to become more famous doing en vogue Brat Pack movies. Dillon turned his back on films like St lz'lnto's l-‘ire and Risky Business. Ile protests: ‘I was never considered part of the Brat Pack in America back then. The Brat Pack was really this (‘alifomian group who did all those John Hughes movies.’
No. Dillon‘s choices were far more interesting. I stuck with him through thick and thin. livery Dillon film. whether it he Rehel. Kansas or Drugstore ( 'ou'hoy. was an instant classic in my eyes. I know that when most people think of Dillon they picture a dumb actor but look back at his (‘V and you‘ll be surprised by how good an eye he has for a part. He picked characters for the art and not just to make money. liven in comedies like Singles and There‘s .S'otnething About Mary. Dillon showed he was above the norm by parodying his own dumb image.
When I started writing about lilm in I998. I did wonder if I would ever get to interview Dillon. My dream was to ask him the same questions that Andy Warhol had asked him in an Interview magazine article alter he‘d made his first couple
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26 THE LIST 1/ Nov 1 Doc 2005
of lilms as a l7—year-old. lt wasjust my luck that Dillon hardly made a movie in that period as he
was busy prepping his directorial debut ('in of (Ihosts. As far as acting went. he did a couple of
hilarious turns in One Night at Me(’ool's and Deuces Wiltl. but alas no interviews.
To my horror ('ity of (iltosts went straight to video in the UK. Dillon was stung when the film was given no support. 'When I think about ('it_\' (fill/lusts. it was a film that I didn’t compromise on. I got to work with great actors and made a sizeably ambitious film with a reasonable budget. Unfortunately. we are not living in a meritocracy in this day and age.‘
For my part I was starting to doubt that my date with destiny would ever happen. In desperation I even thought about interviewing Dillon about Spike Lee (about whom I’ve recently written a book). After all. Lee had bitched about Dillon when he tttrned down the John 'l‘urturro part in Do the Right Thing and if you look closely. Dillon is in Malcolm X for about a millisecond. Asked why he let Do the Right Thing slip. Dillon says: 'I remember that there was a qtiote from Spike. something like. “Matt's dicking me around." In reality. I really loved the script but it came down to whether I would do that. or I would do Drugstore ('owhoy. and to be honest Drugstore ('ou‘hoy made more sense to me.‘
This year it seems that the world has come around to my way of thinking about Dillon. Ile
The many faces of Matt Dillon (clockwise from top left): One Night at McCool’s; playing Chinaski in the new screen version of Factotum; with Bridget Fonda in Singles; and Big Town.
received rave reviews for his performance as a racist cop in (‘rash and was the best thing in llerliie l’ullv Lora/ell. As for l'iu'totunt. Dillon puts his own unique stamp on the fabled llenry (‘hinaski Dillon researched the role by chatting to (‘harles Bukowski‘s widow and watching videos of the author giving poetry readings. Dillon argues: "l‘his guy is a working-class hero. a guy who is a voice for all those lost souls. all those people who work dead end jobs or people who are just lost.‘
In many ways it is the same rebel without a cause role that Dillon launched his career playing. Two decades on and he is much more astute at conveying inner emotional turmoil. There has definitely been a change in approach since he tried his hand at directing and for many people it’s made him a better actor. But I would argue that Dillon has always stood ottt from the crowd. and is only now getting the credit that he deserves. Part of me was desperately worried about chatting to him as there is that well known saying that you should never meet your heroes as it will only lead to disappointment. Luckily for me. my hero is Matt Dillon. and he has still not let me down.
Selected release from Fri 18 Nov.