William H. Macy Quotes
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What actors are good at doing is walking into a situation that should make you incredibly self-conscious and frightened and doing it anyway. That's the gig, pretending that you are comfortable.
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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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That red carpet has to be felt to be believed.
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When I watch a film I get swept away. I don't really watch the camera.
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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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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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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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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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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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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 a big fan of rehearsal. I'm famous for pulling the cast together, not so much to formally rehearse, but just to run the lines. My theory of acting is that it takes all your attention just to stay in the moment, and keep your attention on the other person, and get him to do what you want him to do.
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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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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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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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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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Shameless is a rough show, and it’s not for everyone, but it’s also beautiful.
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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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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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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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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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To a certain extent. I'm a fan of rehearsal on the day [of the shoot], more than getting together a week beforehand.
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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.