Crash spurs Oscar nominee Matt Dillon’s career

Matt Dillon, in the race for the best actor in supporting role, is uneasy that he alone got the nomination for the 78th academy awards for Crash.

21 February 2006
LOS ANGELES, USA

Crash, the movie that got Matt Dillon an Oscar nomination for the Best Actor in Supporting Role, has also infused life into the career of the Hollywood star.

The 41-year-old Dillon asked the query himself and answered during the 25th anniversary Oscar luncheon for nominees at Beverly hills: "Has it invigorated my career? Yes”.

Dillon’s contenders for the Oscar 2006 award are George Clooney for Syriana, Jake Gyllenhaal for Brokeback Mountain, William Hurt for A History of Violence and Paul Giamatti for Cinderella Man.

Dillon did a slew of unnoticed roles early in his career, but his claim to fame started with To Die For, the 1995 movie in which he played Nicole Kidman’s husband and the super hit comedy There's Something About Mary, which was released in 1998. 

The actor said Crash’s universality of appeal stemmed from the fact that it connected with all people at some point or the other, although it was a “really American story, with a landscape particular to Los Angeles”. 

Matt Dillon, who was elated to be in the company of director Steven Speilberg and Geroge Clooney for the luncheon, said, "It's really awesome."

The actor said he initially doubted fans reaction to the role of the brutal cop he played in Crash, but realized that they really differentiated between actors and characters. 

The actor went on record to say that audiences were delighted that the film addresses issues raised by racial tensions rather than fanning tensions as he feared. Dillon said the film initially struggled as no one was ready to finance it.

Matt Dillon also said he was also disappointed that only his was the sole Oscar nomination that Crash bagged.

He said Terrence Howard, Don Cheadle, Thandie Newton and Ryan Phillippe were all the people who he thought were worthy of a nomination for Crash, though Terrence Howard has been nominated for the Best Actor role for his performance in Hustle and Flow.

Matt Dillon was recently selected for the 2006 Ray-Ban Visionary award. The Ray-Ban award is given for individuals with “extraordinary passion, creativity and leadership, whose work showcases vision, imagination and originality.” 

Dillon, a bachelor, is now working on a film Factotum, an autobiographical adaptation of writer Charles Bukowski ‘s life. Factotum has in its cast Lili Taylor, Fischer Stevens and Marisa Tomei . It would be featured in at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.

Dillon has also been cast alongside Michael Douglas and Kate Hudson in the comedy You, Me and Dupree, being produced by Universal Pictures.