WHEN I SAY THE NAME WILLIAM H.
MACY, I AM WILLING TO BET YOU
THINK OF ONE OR TWO THINGS,
"SHAMELESS" OR "FARGO" THAT PUT
MACY ON THE MATCH.
"SHAMELESS," MACY SPENT NINE
SEASONS PLAYING A MAN THAT'S A
COMPLETE MESS.
THERE IS SO MUCH MORE EXPANDING
FROM SMALL STAGES TO BROADWAY
AND TV AND MOVIES RANGING FROM
BOOGIE NIGHTS TO SEA BISCUITS.
MACY AND I GOT TOGETHER HERE IN
NEW YORK FOR A SUNDAY SIT-DOWN
TO TALK ABOUT THAT PROLIFIC RUN
OF WORK AND THE LATEST SEASON OF
"SHAMELESS."
>> THAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH
WORKING.
TOO MUCH IN SUSTAINABLE.
>> WILLIAM H. MACY HAS ONE THING
IN COMMON WITH HIS CHARACTER
FRANK GALLAGHER.
>> HE'S A HARDWORKING GUY, HE'S
GOT SOMETHING COOKING ALL THE
TIME AND HE GETS A GREAT SENSE
OF HUMOR.
FRANK IS THE FAMOUSLY DEADBEAT
DAD ON "SHAMELESS.
>> DID YOU SLEEP HERE AGAIN?
>> IS THERE ANY HOPE FOR FRANK
GALLAGHER?
CAN HE CLEAN HIMSELF UP?
>> I DON'T THINK SO.
HE'S COMMITTED TO HIS
SELF-DESTRUCTION AND
FANTASIZING.
FRANK, DON'T YOU REALIZE YOU ARE
KILLING YOURSELF, I AM NOT AN
IDIOT.
I KNOW I AM KILLING MYSELF.
SO ARE YOU, I AM JUST HAVING
MORE FUN.
>> WERE YOU TRYING TO FIND ME
WHEN I WAS IN THE ICU FOR
MONTHS?
>> WHAT DO YOU GET PLAYING
FRANK?
IT IS FUN BEING A RASCAL.
I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT HOW
I LOOK.
I AM GOOD AT TAKING ANOTHER
DESPICABLE CHARACTER PUTTING
ANOTHER FACE.
IT HAS DONE ME WELL IN MY
CAREER.
>> MACY EARNED FIVE NOMINATIONS
PLAYING FRANK.
HE TURNED AN ACTOR INTO AN ICON.
THE 68 YEARS OLD WAS BORN IN
MIAMI IN 1950.
THE SON OF A DISTINGUISHED WORLD
WAR II VET WHO LATER WORKED IN
INSURANCE.
MACY TURNED TO ACTING IN COLLEGE
BY A YOUNG TEACHER AND FUTURE
FAME PLAY RIGHT NAMED DAVID
MAMMON.
>> I WENT TO A LIBERAL COLLEGE,
IT WAS A HIPPIES COLLEGE.
DAVID MAMMON WAS MY TEACHER.
BEFORE DAVID, MY KCURRICULUM WA
WOMEN GETTING STONE.
HE TOLD ME EVERYTHING I KNOW.
>> MACY JOINED MAMMET IN
CHICAGO.
MACY SPENT MORE THAN A DECADE
DOING BROADWAY IN NEW YORK.
>> WHAT WAS THE BREAKTHROUGH?
>> I LEFT NEW YORK AND MOVED TO
L.A. FOR THE SAME REASON AS MOST
ACTORS.
AT THAT POINT, I HAD ENOUGH
CREDITS AND PEOPLE KNEW ME THAT
I WAS WORKING AND E.R. CAME JUST
AT THAT TIME.
>> HE'S THE HEAD OF E.R., WATCH
OUT, HE EATS STUDENTS FOR LUNCH.
>> THEY WERE GOOD AS GOLD TO ME.
I CAN SMELL IT THEN FINALLY I
GOT "FARGO."
>> IN THAT ICONIC 1996 DARK
COMEDY.
MACY PLAYED A CAR SALES MAN WHO
HIRES TWO CONS KIDNAPPING HIS
WIFE.
>> YOU REALLY WANTED THAT ROLE
AND YOU KNEW WHAT THAT MOVIE
COULD BE AND YOU PURSUE IT WITH
THE COHEN'S BROTHERS VERY HARD.
WHAT DOES IT ENTAIL EXACTLY?
>> ETHAN SAID OH THAT'S REALLY
GOOD.
YOU WANT TO LOOK AT JERRY
LUNDERGUARD.
>> I KNOW I WAS BORN TO PLAY
THAT ROLE.
I FOUND OUT THEY WENT TO NEW
YORK SO I GOT MY JOLLY-JOLLY ON
THE AIRPLANE AND I CRASHED THE
AUDITION.
YOU GIVE THIS TO SOMEBODY ELSE,
I WILL SHOOT YOUR DOG.
HE JUST GOTTEN A DOG.
I DON'T RECOMMEND THAT, FOLKS,
THAT'S NOT A GOOD THING TO DO.
DON'T TREAT YOUR ACTORS, DON'T
DO THAT.
IT STRUCK HIS SENSE OF HUMOR.
>> IT IS MY IDEA.
>> MACY'S UNFORGETTABLE
PERFORMANCE IN "FARGO" EARNED
HIM A NOMINATION.
AFTER ALL YEARS OF AUDITIONING,
HE'S SUDDENLY IN DEMAND.
>> I HAVE READ "BOOGIE NIGHTS,"
I WAS SHOOTING SOME WHERE AND
THEY SENT ME THE SCRIPT.
MACY MET WITH PAUL THOMAS
ANDERSON, THE FILM DIRECTOR.
>> I MET PAUL AT THE CAFE, I
ONLY PITCH MYSELF FOR IT.
I COULD NOT GET A WORD IN.
PAUL TALKED ABOUT HE'S GOING TO
SHOOT IT AND EVERYTHING.
IT WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST
MOMENT IN MY LIFE, OH DEAR GOD,
I AM NOT AUDITIONING, HE IS, I
HAVE GOT THIS ROLE.
THAT'S WHEN I THOUGHT OKAY,
THINGS HAVE CHANGED.
>> WHO'S DIRK DIGLER.
>> THAT'S A NEW LOOKING KID.
>> THE SAME YEAR "BOOGIE NIGHT"
W
WAS RELEASED, MACY MARRIED
FELICITY.
TODAY THEY HAVE TWO TEENAGE
DAUGHTERS.
>> IS IT FUN TO MEET SOMEONE
EARLY IN YOUR CAREER AND SORT OF
RISE TOGETHER.
>> YES.
>> OUR MARRIAGE IS A FAIRLY TALE
MARRIAGE, I HAVE TO SAY.
I LOVED HER THE SECOND I SAW
HER.
>> IS SHE CENTRAL IN THE WAY YOU
PICK CHARACTERS AND SCRIPTS.
>> YES, WE TALK ABOUT SHOW BIZ A
LOT.
>> IS SHE FUNNY?
>> YEAH, SHE CAN BE TOUGH.
>> WE MET IN THE THEATER AND
THAT'S THE CORE OF OUR
RELATIONSHIP.
>> OVER THE COURSE OF NEARLY 50
YEARS OF WORK, MACY HAS EARNED
HIS PLACE AMONG HOLLYWOOD'S
FAVORITE ACTORS.
>> I USED TO MAKE THIS JOKE THAT
WHEN I STARTED MY CAREER, I
WANTED TO KNOW WHAT DOES THIS
SAY OF THE HUMAN CONDITION THEN
LATER IN MY CAREER I SAID HOW
MUCH WILL I GET PAID.
NOW I JUST ASK, WILL I HAVE TO
GET WET?
>> A NEW EPISODE OF "SHAMELESS"
AIRS TONIGHT ON SHOW TIME AT
9:00 EASTERN AND PACIFIC.
THANKS TO THE LOUNGE AT NEW YORK
FOR HOSTING OUR CONVERSATION.
TO HEAR MORE FROM WILLIAM H.
MACY WHY HE THINKS "SHAMELESS"
HAS CONNECTED WITH VIEWERS FOR
NEARLY A DECADE NOW.
DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR
SUNDAY SIT DOWN PODCAST TO HEAR
CELEBRITIES.
ARE THEY CHANGING THE WORLD OR
PRESERVING THEIR OWN?