Actor Matt Dillon Has an Exciting Side Career Hardly Anyone Knows About
Actor Matt Dillon may be known for his diverse film roles, but it turns out he also has a thriving second career.
Dillon, 62, kicked off his career in the early '80s in films like Little Darlings and The Outsiders. As the decade went on, he began to earn acclaim with roles in films like Gus Van Sant's Drugstore Cowboy, in which he played a drug addict who robbed pharmacies, and 1992's Singles, where he personified the '90s grunge look. '90s classics like There's Something About Mary and Wild Things solidified his stardom, as have more recent films like Factotum and Crash. But in a unique twist on the actor's success, he recently revealed his true passion is his painting career.
Dillion sat down with The New York Times Style Magazine and revealed his second career as an artist. While he doesn't have any formal art training, he grew up surrounded by art and artists. As an adult, he took up painting during quiet times on movie sets and during breaks in hotel rooms. But it was just about ten years ago that the actor decided to delve into large-scale pieces and finally rented his first studio.
How Does Matt Dillon Feel About the 'Celebrity Artist' Stereotype?
In the NYT article, Dillon was asked if he thinks about being perceived as a celebrity painter.
"I like doing different things," he replied. "I guess that can work for you or against you."
The actor and artist continued, speaking about the desire of the world to pigeonhole people.
"[Some] people are always going to say, ‘You go over here in this little corner,'" he added. "The big struggles for me, and probably for a lot of artists, are control and freedom and discipline. The joy is when you accept the thing after you've wrestled with it for a long time."
What's Next for Matt Dillon?
Don't worry about Dillon giving up acting, however. The actor is set to lead the upcoming Magnificent Seven series adaptation at MGM+, Variety confirmed in February. Dillon will play Chris Adams, the role originated by Yul Brynner in the original 1960 film.
Variety shared a description of Dillon's character, and it sounds like a doozie.
"Stoic, steady under pressure, and with an unflinching gaze that does most of the talking for him, Chris has no patience for hypocrisy or cruelty and holds fast to a quiet moral code rooted in fairness and restraint," the description reads.
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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 8:11 AM.