ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, January 24, 1997 TAG: 9701240028
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NEW YORK
SOURCE: RIC LEYVA ASSOCIATED PRESS
At Sushisay, Matt Dillon's favorite Manhattan sushi bar, lunch ends promptly at 2 o'clock, no exceptions. Unless the tardy one is Dillon, of course.
Flushed from a failed dash to make it on time, Dillon arrives at 2:05, apologizing profusely for being late and thanking the staff for granting him a few minutes grace.
``They're very strict here,'' Dillon says, leaning across the table, conspiratorially lowering his voice. ``We better order up.''
A few minutes later, a crack team of sushi chefs start slicing up bite-size slabs of raw fish in a blur of flashing, razor-sharp cutlery.
Out of nowhere, a tiny waitress with an impossibly huge smile appears by Dillon's side, shaking hands while mock-scolding him for letting too much time lapse between visits.
The blushing movie star is gracious, even grateful, seeming downright flattered by the attention. He promises not to be such a stranger and the waitress disappears behind her smile.
``I love people,'' Dillon says afterward with a big grin of his own, hungrily rubbing his chopsticks together. ``Some actors hate being famous and shut themselves away. Not me.''
Who is this guy, this genial prince? Where is the young man so frequently portrayed in the media as a sullen, self-absorbed hothead?
``The people saying that are probably basing it on the films I've done, some of my characters. I guess I've played into some stereotype,'' Dillon says as a waiter brings steaming bowls of miso soup.
``I do have a little bit of temper at times, but usually it comes and goes,'' he says between sips, blowing on his spoon. ``It's not like I carry it around with me. If you don't deal with things when they come up you're going to have to deal with them later on, and they're going to be 10 times bigger.''
Awaiting the release of his latest film, ``Albino Alligator,'' Dillon is one happy screen actor, especially proud of his work in the claustrophobic hostage drama - Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey's directorial debut.
``I think I'm getting better all the time,'' Dillon says. ``I keep learning and my desire to learn keeps getting greater. In that sense, I feel like I'm right where I'm supposed to be.''
A few minutes later, digging into a plate of toro (rich fatty tuna) sushi and cucumber rolls, Dillon is perfectly at ease, open to almost any question. He's even willing to discuss some unhappy past run-ins with reporters.
``There's been interviews I've done where the writer later wrote stuff like, `And then he goes into his dark brooding mode, his dark place.' And I don't remember any of that, we were just talking,'' Dillon says. ``Writers are always looking for an angle.
``I don't like to be characterized as moody, who would? But most actors I know are moody,'' he goes on. ``Most of the good ones have turbulent emotional lives at times, and that's not to say they're not healthy or sane. They're probably healthier in many respects.''
Dillon's ``Albino Alligator'' role, a petty crook with a bad attitude, isn't likely to change his angry-young-man image any, although his intense performance should boost his reputation as a gifted natural actor.
While still a teen-ager himself, he broke into the business playing troubled teens in such films as ``The Outsiders'' and ``Rumble Fish.''
Dillon went on to similar angst-filled roles in ``The Saint of Fort Washington'' and ``Tex'' before his crowning achievement: a seamless 1989 portrayal of a pharmacy-robbing junkie in ``Drugstore Cowboy.''
Talking excitedly while eating, Dillon explains why he has embraced such thorny roles with gusto.
``I'm an emotional person,'' he says, waving a half-eaten piece of sushi for emphasis. ``And one of the gifts of being an actor is that we're encouraged to feel, to really get in touch with our feelings. So many people in society are shut down in that way, you know. They're afraid to feel, they don't want to feel, because it hurts sometimes.''
And Dillon's film career hasn't been all grim, with lighter roles in movies such as ``Little Darlings,'' ``Flamingo Kid,'' ``My Bodyguard,'' ``Singles,'' ``To Die For,'' ``Grace of My Heart'' and ``Beautiful Girls.''
Staying busy since his 1979 screen debut in ``Over the Edge'' at age 14 has taken its toll on Dillon, now 32, maturing him beyond his years.
``Sometimes you finish a job and you really feel like you left a little piece of yourself behind, a little piece of your heart,'' Dillon says wearily. ``And that's OK, that's all right. What you gain is much more than you left behind.''
Leaving his 20s behind, Dillon welcomes the lessons of experience.
``I've sorted a few things out,'' he says, leaning across the table and lowering his voice again. ``I don't want to do a therapy session here, but one thing I've learned is that my whole life isn't my work. The whole sum of who I am isn't limited to what I do for a living, to the roles I've played on screen.
``I have my own life story to live out, and accepting that makes life much richer and more interesting, knowing that all my experiences are valuable, not just the part people see in movie theaters.''
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Matt Dillon's a pretty good crook with a pretty badby CNBattitude in "Albino Alligator." color.