William H. Macy Quotes
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If I like the story and it's well written, and it's a character I want to play and they'll pay me, then I decide to do it.
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The character and the actor in a long-running series slowly become one. I think there must be funny stories about actors who, in the pilot for a TV series, did some weird thing with their eyes, or some speech impediment or something, and the next thing you know, it's eight years later, and they're still doing that freaking gag.
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Yeah, I made it. It sneaks up on you. You're some schmuck and you wake up one day and you go, Good God, I'm the cheese.
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Somebody's gotta stand up and say pubic hair is good, murder is bad. Sex is good, violence is bad.
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I have a tendency to say 'yes' to a script or no to a script. Not 'yes' based on a rewrite.
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Women, in order to recharge their batteries, gather in groups. They can recharge their batteries with their sisters. I tend to recharge my batteries in solitude, therefore the motorcycle trips. I need to be alone. As a matter of fact, I have to be careful. I could turn into a hermit.
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When I watch a film I get swept away. I don't really watch the camera.
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When I was in New York, I was making a living. We had a summer house and a car that I could put in a garage. That's something for a stage actor.
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I don't watch rushes. My whole thing is to try to stay in the moment with the other actor, and to let it all hang. I'm not sure I'm right on that, though.
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That red carpet has to be felt to be believed.
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Sometimes, directors are afraid to stop shooting, because the second you stop and say, "We got it," and move on, you'll never get another chance. And they're terrified to get in the cutting room and not be happy. So they just keep shooting.
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Ultimately, a more experienced director realizes that you've got to stop sometime and just move on. They're braver about that.
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Shameless is a rough show, and it’s not for everyone, but it’s also beautiful.
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I introduced myself to Scorsese and I said, "If you need someone to do craft services, I'm there."
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I'm not religious. It's an issue, 'cause I've got two little kids, and I feel you can't grow up without knowledge of religion.
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A good director is very well prepared, and knows exactly how he's going to cut the film, so the shooting is as efficient as possible.
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I'm a firm believer that character is highly overrated. Character is a trick that we do with the audience's collusion.
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I got an agent. He said, what do you wanna do, and I said, I want an Oscar nomination. That's your job, that's what I'm paying you for. And I got it.
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I'm really proud of the writing on Door to Door, and I think that's the Emmy that meant the most - the writing.
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I love making movies, I love the differentness of it, I love writing. But I've always liked television. I grew up on television.
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All that back-story stuff doesn't help. What you get paid for is to stand toe-to-toe with the other actor and get him to do your will.
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I think theater is powerful. The best experiences I had in the theater are more powerful than the best experiences I had in movies.
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Just learn the whole script before you start shooting. That makes shooting a joy. Even if they rewrite, it's easy.
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Emotions are the natural result of striving for something. Every single scene has two or more people in it, and nobody wants the same thing, so they are negotiating this one way or another. The result of that negotiation will bring out all kinds of emotional stuff in you.