Macy to take stab at standup at Just for Laughs gala
‘Throw your hat as far ahead of yourself as you can, then you have to go get it,’ he says
With the same intonation and choice of words as one of his most memorable screen characters, mid-Western car salesman Jerry Lundegaard in Fargo, William H. Macy softly drawls: “That’s pretty swell.”
Macy is responding to the news that he has been nominated once again for an Emmy Award for his performance as the feckless Frank Gallagher in the hit TV series Shameless. He has already won the Emmy twice, as well as three Screen Actors Guild Awards, for his work on the show.
Incidentally, the two aforementioned characters couldn’t be more dissimilar. In Shameless, Macy is simply shiftless as the slacker Chicago patriarch. In Fargo — for which he was Oscarnominated — Macy is meek but desperate. In fact, few of Macy’s roles, be they in Boogie Nights or Magnolia, are similar to one another.
Macy, with the unforgettable sadsack mug, is equally unforgettable in whatever role he undertakes. He is an actor’s actor who studied under one of the best playwrights in the business, David Mamet.
“He made me love acting. He made acting a noble pursuit. From Dave Mamet on, I never looked back and never considered another way to make a living.”
But Macy may be up for the ultimate challenge when he heads here to host the closing Just for Laughs gala on July 29. He will be trying his hand at standup for the first time.
“I should have my head examined,” says Macy, 68, who prefers to be called Bill but took the more formal William H. so as not to be confused with actor
Bill Macy of Maude fame. “My MO my whole career has been: Just throw your hat as far ahead of yourself as you can, then you have to go get it. I think that’s what I’m doing here.
“I’ve never done standup. I’ve never even done hosting duties. So I thought, why don’t I just go to a festival where the funniest people in the world are and see if I can be funny in front of them?”
Macy’s track record indicates he has pretty much risen to every challenge thrust his way, be it on stage in a Mamet play, the small or big screen.
“I can find faults in a lot of what I’ve done,” says Macy, born in Miami, schooled in West Virginia and Vermont and now residing in L.A. “The first time I watch myself on film, I just stare in horror at my own visage. The second time, I can sort of see it. And the third time, I can watch the performance.”
Macy was particularly keen on landing the lead in Shameless, and he didn’t doubt the dramedy would resonate with audiences.
“I’ve always flattered myself that I have pretty good taste, and I thought this was going to be really good and we’re going to be doing this for a while. It’s hard for anyone to know that you’re going to run with a show for nine seasons and probably 10. That’s rare.
“I’m the luckiest guy in Hollywood. Frank Gallagher is so wrong. I’m as shocked as audiences are when I first read the scripts. I didn’t even know that (what Frank does) was even possible.”
Quite unlike single dad Gallagher, Macy has one of the more stable marriages in the business. He and his bride, actress Felicity Huffman — best known for, ironically, Desperate Housewives — have been married for 21 years and are the parents of two daughters.
“Marry Felicity Huffman, and everything will work out. She’s an absolutely remarkable wife and partner, and one of the smartest, most intuitive people I’ve ever met. I’m a naive jerk myself,” he blurts out. “It’s dangerous territory to have to have two actors in one household, but we’ve been able to avoid competition. She only wants the best for me, and I only want the best for her.”
Given the chilling role of the wood-chipping murder accomplice in Fargo, one might feel just a tad uneasy to learn that Macy’s favourite hobby, next to playing the ukulele, is woodworking.
“I almost bought that darn woodchipper, too, but they had taken it so far apart. Still, I so wish I had.”
All the same, don’t be too surprised if Macy is provided a woodchipper to accompany him on stage at Just for Laughs.
“Playing with my ukulele might be a little more safe.”
And not nearly as messy.