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.”

“I know this sounds kind of crazy, but I think we're all actors.”

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

“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.”

“It was being young and sensitive and an actor. There was a lot of pressure, everything was a hurdle.”

“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.”

“That's the great thing about being an actor, you know, you can just jump to different jobs.”

“I don't know why, but I like the saxophone.”

“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.”

“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.”

“Love is messy. It's not something that's real clean.”

“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.”

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

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

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

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”