Matt Dillon gives more importance to the characters than the storyline
Wednesday, November 29, 2023 at 9:12
Marrakech – American actor, director and screenwriter Matt Dillon affirmed, Tuesday in Marrakech, that he attached more importance to the characters of a film than to the script.
Liking “putting himself in the shoes of a character and becoming someone else”, the big screen giant expressed, during a meeting organized as part of the “In Conversation with…” section of the 20th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival, his recognition of the first directors with whom he collaborated.
Dillon, who favors improvisation over exact knowledge of the script, said he appreciates the freedom of play that certain directors gave him to bring the characters and scenes to life.
Passionate and creative, the hero of “Drugstore Cowboy”, “Crash” and “The House that Jack Built” brilliantly interprets the most complex roles, thanks to his “encyclopedic” culture which allows him to explore the experiences of each of the characters and understand their psychological traits.
Aware of the reality of the film industry and the many challenges that directing poses, Matt Dillon said he wanted to teach his actors to “be comfortable” without knowing the script.
“I try not to be a control freak and allow myself the possibility of losing myself,” he confided to the many moviegoers present.
Matt Dillon’s film career spans more than three decades. He starred in films such as “Outsiders” (1983) and “Rusty James” (1983), directed by Francis Ford Coppola, “Drugstore Cowboy” (Gus Van Sant, 1989), “Singles” (Cameron Crowe, 1992) , “Mary at all costs” (Peter and Bobby Farrelly, 1998), “Sexcrimes” (John McNaughton, 1998), “Crash” (Paul Hagis, 2004), “The House that Jack Built” (Lars von Trier, 2018) and “Asteroid City” (Wes Anderson, 2023).
In 2003, he stepped behind the camera with “City of Ghosts,” which he co-wrote with Barry Gifford. In 2006, he was named Best Supporting Actor for “Crash”. His performance earned him his second Independent Spirit Award, after that obtained for “Drugstore Cowboy”. He recently starred opposite Patricia Arquette in the series “Apple High Desert”.
A member of the board of directors of Refugees International since 2008, Matt Dillon has carried out missions in Burma, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo and has produced short documentaries to raise awareness of the plight of refugees and internally displaced people due to conflict and climate change.
He just completed a music documentary called “El Gran Fellove” about legendary Cuban scat singer Francisco Fellove. Matt Dillon is also a visual artist.
Between tasty anecdotes and open discussions on their vision and practice of the profession, actors, directors, screenwriters and producers are invited as part of the “In Conversation with…” section to exchange freely with the festival public.
