William H. Macy

um this would be out here this is 90s okay yeah when they were called movies of the week yes and uh it was usually an hour and a half a special and um We were doing one and there was this actress who was just ad-libbing up a storm. I'm in the scene with her. And I went to the first and I said, she knows I wrote this, right? And she was just chattering away.

um this would be out here this is 90s okay yeah when they were called movies of the week yes and uh it was usually an hour and a half a special and um We were doing one and there was this actress who was just ad-libbing up a storm. I'm in the scene with her. And I went to the first and I said, she knows I wrote this, right? And she was just chattering away.

You never knew when your cue was coming because she'd never shut up. And just funny jokes she would slaughter by using different words and stuff like that. And I finally went up to her and I said, you... You're pretty funny. She said, thank you. And I said, yeah, you should write a script. And she said, it's funny you would say that. I'm thinking about it.

You never knew when your cue was coming because she'd never shut up. And just funny jokes she would slaughter by using different words and stuff like that. And I finally went up to her and I said, you... You're pretty funny. She said, thank you. And I said, yeah, you should write a script. And she said, it's funny you would say that. I'm thinking about it.

And I said, no, what I'm saying is I wrote this script. Shut the fuck up.

And I said, no, what I'm saying is I wrote this script. Shut the fuck up.

Congratulations. When you're number one on the call sheet, you can do that stuff. I have a similar story doing a sketch on Chappelle Show, which I did with Dave. Genius. Thank you. We're doing a scene, Dave and an actress. The actress is ad-libbing. And I just like quickly yell cut. And I'm like, hey, I need you to say do that. And she goes, I'm an actress. I can say whatever I want.

Congratulations. When you're number one on the call sheet, you can do that stuff. I have a similar story doing a sketch on Chappelle Show, which I did with Dave. Genius. Thank you. We're doing a scene, Dave and an actress. The actress is ad-libbing. And I just like quickly yell cut. And I'm like, hey, I need you to say do that. And she goes, I'm an actress. I can say whatever I want.

And she looks at Dave like, right? And Dave literally goes, lady, you just said that to the worst person on earth. Good, good for you. Yeah, it's like, well, if we wrote it, certain people... Go ahead, Natalie. I'm with you if you're... So there wasn't more... I would think that Boogie Nights and Magnolia had improv. It seemed a little improv-y. Not much. I mean...

And she looks at Dave like, right? And Dave literally goes, lady, you just said that to the worst person on earth. Good, good for you. Yeah, it's like, well, if we wrote it, certain people... Go ahead, Natalie. I'm with you if you're... So there wasn't more... I would think that Boogie Nights and Magnolia had improv. It seemed a little improv-y. Not much. I mean...

Paul is a magnificent director, and he's so attuned to what's happening on the set. And if he sees something he likes, he'll say, do more of that.

Paul is a magnificent director, and he's so attuned to what's happening on the set. And if he sees something he likes, he'll say, do more of that.

But he writes great scripts. And they're pretty loose, meaning it's there, but there's room if there's... Nope.

But he writes great scripts. And they're pretty loose, meaning it's there, but there's room if there's... Nope.

He writes good scripts. You've got to be pretty good to come up with a better line than he wrote. Dave's the same way. Dave Mamet, you would think probably greatest writer of our generation. You would think he would be precious about his lines, but he's not at all. I've heard him say, well, you keep saying it wrong. I must've wrote it wrong.

He writes good scripts. You've got to be pretty good to come up with a better line than he wrote. Dave's the same way. Dave Mamet, you would think probably greatest writer of our generation. You would think he would be precious about his lines, but he's not at all. I've heard him say, well, you keep saying it wrong. I must've wrote it wrong.

And then we change it. Well, does he go away and change it or he works it out with you? He's fast.

And then we change it. Well, does he go away and change it or he works it out with you? He's fast.

When you're doing plays, it's fabulous to see Dave. You see him out in the house there and he puts his hands over his ears and you can see him. He thinks of it and then he counts it out. There's rhythm in everything he does. It's iambic pentameter mostly. Yeah. I just... I adore his writing. It's really difficult. Really hard to learn.

When you're doing plays, it's fabulous to see Dave. You see him out in the house there and he puts his hands over his ears and you can see him. He thinks of it and then he counts it out. There's rhythm in everything he does. It's iambic pentameter mostly. Yeah. I just... I adore his writing. It's really difficult. Really hard to learn.