Neal Brennan interviews William H. Macy (Shameless, Fargo, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Seabiscuit, Pleasantville & many more) about the things that make him feel lonely, isolated, and like something's wrong - and how he is persevering despite these blocks. ---------------------------------------------------------- 00:00 Intro 1:19 Serendipitous 2:27 Becoming an Actor 5:32 Different roles he’s played 6:21 David Mamet 10:10 Meddler 16:00 Adlibbing vs writing 22:50 Sponsor: The Perfect Jean 24:46 Sponsor: Mando 26:23 Procrastinator 32:00 Going deeper in his acting 34:54 Aging as an actor 39:25 Sponsor: BetterHelp 40:40 Sponsor: The Ridge Wallet 42:31 Fatherhood 47:40 Too Honest 55:04 Fargo 57:23 Boogie Nights 59:15 What makes Phillip Seymour Hoffman great 1:01:00 Acting techniques 1:05:50 Accepting Himself 1:08:30 Seabiscuit & Pleasantville 1:11:30 Shameless 1:12:39 Woody Creek Distillers 1:15:40 Continuing to Work ---------------------------------------------------------- Follow Neal Brennan: https://www.instagram.com/nealbrennan https://twitter.com/nealbrennan https://www.tiktok.com/@mrnealbrennan Watch Neal Brennan: Crazy Good on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81728557 Watch Neal Brennan: Blocks on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81036234 Theme music by Electric Guest (unreleased). Edited by Will Hagle ([email protected]) Sponsors: F*%k your khakis and get The Perfect Jean 15% off with the code [NEAL15] at theperfectjean.nyc/NEAL15 #theperfectjeanpod Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @shop.mando and get $5 off off your Starter Pack (that’s over 40% off) with promo code [NEAL] at Mandopodcast.com/NEAL #mandopod This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/neal and get on your way to being your best self. Take advantage of Ridge’s once-a-year anniversary sale and get UP TO 40% Off right now by going to https://www.Ridge.com/[NEAL] #Ridgepod Sponsor Blocks: https://public.liveread.io/media-kit/blocks ---------------------------------------------------------- #podcast #comedy #mentalhealth #standup Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: Who is William H. Macy?
hi everybody my guest today is uh it's william h macy come on man i thought you had gone up no no no oh you thought i forgot my line yeah um listen to this resume he did a he did a whole bunch of mammoth plays and then they became movies and he was in those as well fargo Academy Award nominee.
Chapter 2: What makes William H. Macy feel lucky?
11.
Chapter 3: How did William H. Macy become an actor?
11. Who's counting? Well... um he's also uh got a alcohol he's going to tell us all about he's an interesting unique guy he's a wood woodsman woodcraft and craftsman carpenter carpenter and uh we have nice chemistry i think so far and his name he already told you bill macy welcome sir it's good to be here um now bill
From the outside in, it looks like things are going pretty well for you, for your life. It's correct. They are. Are you surprised or did you always think it might go well? Great question.
I'm a serendipitist, as my grandmother said when I was about five years old. Literally.
Literally.
Chapter 4: What is the significance of David Mamet in Macy's career?
She said, Billy, you're a serendipitist. Do you know what that is? I said, no. She said, one to whom good things happen. I've been a lucky guy. I mean, there have been bumps in the road. And I wrote a song. I said, and my tragedies were more dramatic than true.
That's probably true for everybody, I think.
Yeah. Yeah.
Well, some people have actual tragedies, but yeah, a lot of it's in our heads.
I've had my ups and downs, but I've always been optimistic and sometimes downright Pollyanna-ish. And I've loved my career. I married a great broad, got lucky there. My kids are extraordinary, two fabulous women. So it's all good. And I'm upright, you know, in good health with the exception of a few leaks here and there. And it's all it's all good.
Was it weird to become an actor when you became an actor? Because I always think about like it must you were in Chicago, Midwest. It's not like there wasn't much of a path, right?
No, but my parents were totally behind it, and I think my parents were smart enough to know, I'm not sure he can do anything else, so let's support this. I was not a good student. They totally supported it, and I... I actually never looked back from about age 20 on.
You just didn't... What do you mean by that? You just didn't consider how you got... You didn't look down, so to speak? You just keep walking?
Yep. Good stuff happened on a regular enough basis that... I mean, every once in a while, I'd say... I'm thinking of giving this up, but mostly I was trying to get laid in sympathy, but I never actually did. And I'm one of those lucky actors. My favorite part of this. is when everybody gets quiet and it's my turn to talk. I just love that moment.
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Chapter 5: How does aging affect acting?
A whole lot.
Yeah.
A whole lot. You're a comedian. The best jokes are the ones that have the fewest words possible. I know. I still can't get over it. I know. You just give your listener, your audience, every single thing they need and not a syllable more. That's the best joke. And... So you spend your time, how does the king feel? How would the king dress? It's wasted energy.
Do you find when you, if you're working with somebody else in there, you can tell they're doing that? Do you just stay out? Just like, you know what, Bill, that's their process. Don't get, let's just do the scene. I do now.
i was a jerk when i was a young actor i was a jerk and um you know we're going to talk about blocks to creativity and one of the blocks i had was i i worried about everyone's job and it made me mad when i didn't think they were doing a good job and um with maturity i
if I may. Please, because I still suffer from this. It's a hard thing not to meddle.
I know, but it's not our job. I did 11 years on Shameless and that's where I really learned how to act. I had a lot of theories, but the thing about Shameless was that it ran 11 years. So if you blew that scene, there's another scene coming, calm down. And if you blew the whole episode, there's another episode coming. And if you blew the whole year, also you just get exhausted.
And I realized if I'm worried about my fellow actor, and that he or she isn't doing a good job, dollars to donuts, I'm not doing a good job. Because my energy is being wasted on something I have no control over.
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Chapter 6: What does William H. Macy say about fatherhood?
Chapter 7: What are William H. Macy's thoughts on ad-libbing versus writing?
I've had my ups and downs, but I've always been optimistic and sometimes downright Pollyanna-ish. And I've loved my career. I married a great broad, got lucky there. My kids are extraordinary, two fabulous women. So it's all good. And I'm upright, you know, in good health with the exception of a few leaks here and there. And it's all it's all good.
Was it weird to become an actor when you became an actor? Because I always think about like it must you were in Chicago, Midwest. It's not like there wasn't much of a path, right?
No, but my parents were totally behind it, and I think my parents were smart enough to know, I'm not sure he can do anything else, so let's support this. I was not a good student. They totally supported it, and I... I actually never looked back from about age 20 on.
You just didn't... What do you mean by that? You just didn't consider how you got... You didn't look down, so to speak? You just keep walking?
Yep. Good stuff happened on a regular enough basis that... I mean, every once in a while, I'd say... I'm thinking of giving this up, but mostly I was trying to get laid in sympathy, but I never actually did. And I'm one of those lucky actors. My favorite part of this. is when everybody gets quiet and it's my turn to talk. I just love that moment.
I'm not crazy about the business or career stuff, the biz of the biz, but I really like acting.
You said something, and I don't know if you said it. Someone told me you said this to them. You said, when you see an actor taking a long dramatic pause, most of the time they're trying to remember their lines.
I'm sorry, fellow actors, but it's true. And it's true with me too. A lot of times that deep thought is just, the fuck is that word? Yeah.
But the idea that you like... So when you say you really like it when it's your turn, do you ever judge yourself for that? Is that a lack of generosity on your part as an actor? Isn't the ideal of acting in the moment, in the space, feeling the scene out, but you're saying in some ways like, no, I'm concerned about doing my part of this job.
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Chapter 8: How does William H. Macy define success in acting?
I know, but it's not our job. I did 11 years on Shameless and that's where I really learned how to act. I had a lot of theories, but the thing about Shameless was that it ran 11 years. So if you blew that scene, there's another scene coming, calm down. And if you blew the whole episode, there's another episode coming. And if you blew the whole year, also you just get exhausted.
And I realized if I'm worried about my fellow actor, and that he or she isn't doing a good job, dollars to donuts, I'm not doing a good job. Because my energy is being wasted on something I have no control over.
The speed is probably a little faster too, right?
Oh, it's a blessing. It's just a blessing. the amount of scenes you're shooting in a day. Yeah, because it's your first impulses always, which are the best.
Yeah.
I think one of the hardest things in acting, truly, is knowing when to quit. You do the moment, and if it's full and it's there, stop. Don't try to do it better. there was a great moment.
Uh, the shameless style of shooting was we had two camera crews all the time and, uh, we call it shameless shooting, but, uh, they would, they would shoot each other sometimes because we would do, there'd be a three page scene and it starts in the kitchen and it goes upstairs and then back down and then into the living room. We do them all as one.
And the poor camera crews were racing ahead, racing to keep. And I'd hear the guys, the, the, the camera guys go, I'm, I'm tired of shooting him. I'm going to shoot her. Okay. You shoot her. I'm going to take him. And the director is just sitting there going, okay, okay. As opposed to the curated thing, you know, that's off the shot list.
Um,
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