Prior to the characters first appearance he was compared to Scott Robinson, who leaves the series a few episodes prior to Matt's arrival. While producers were keen to fill the void left by the character's departure, Paske thought the comparisons were unfair. He told Sean Whittington from "Sunday Mail TV Plus" that "he played a totally different character and we're totally different in real life. I suppose it's just natural for people to make comparisons like that." He added that "generally he's a nice ordinary sort of teenager." Paske told Ian Morrison in "Neighbours: The Official Annual" that "maybe Matt is a bit too like Ashley Paske" In another interview, Paske said Matt was nothing like his previous roles, adding "Matt's not going to be such a goody." Matt is characterised as a troubled teenager and has issues with his parents. Paske told Darren Devlyn from "TV Week" that Matt is hard to categorise, adding "he's not good or bad but has a lot of personal problems." Paske did not think that Matt was very interesting after playing him for one year. He told Jane Noone from "TV Guide" that "Matt's a bit dry and dull in some ways."