William H. Macy: I Dont Think Id Do a Series Like Shameless Again

After such a successful run on Shameless for the last 11 years, William H. Macy is not fully convinced on the idea of filming another long-running television series.

The timeline between William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman

“I don’t believe so, but one should never rule out the possibility. “I have a kind of bucket list of things I’d want to accomplish, and I’m working on that,” the recipient of an Emmy, who is 72 years old, tells Us Weekly in an exclusive interview. “However, if a series were to appear, that may be possible. I’d much prefer work on some more ambitious films. If I could play the villain, I would. I mean, someone with a terrible reputation. I’ve never done horror.”

From 2011 through 2021, Macy portrayed the popular character Frank Gallagher in the Showtime drama. Since then, he has made an appearance in the Hulu original series The Dropout and is presently starring in the romantic comedy Maybe I Do, which will be released in cinemas on Friday, January 27, opposite Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, and Richard Gere.

William H. Macy

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“I worked on Shameless for a total of 11 years. And in contrast to a major motion picture, which is one of those tent pole things in which you spend the most of your time in the trailer waiting for your small little part, they will shoot a quarter of a page in a single day. Every day, we would film 11 pages for the show Shameless. He thanked us laughing for their help by saying, “Thank you very much.” “That appeals to me because, while I was acting, I spent almost all of my time on sets. They were quite skilled at organizing the schedule. In addition, I pretended to be someone else while I was there. And it is the activity that I look forward to the most. When no one is talking and it’s finally my chance to speak, I find it to be really enjoyable. The portion of hanging around that might become irritating after a certain amount of time.

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Even though he has officially parted ways with his made-up family in Chicago, he continues to keep tabs on them. “Every single member of the cast of Shameless is currently employed. On his show The Bear, Jeremy (Allen White) is really bringing it home for the win. “Oh my God, he’s fantastic on that!” he said, gushing with admiration. It seems as if Shanola Hampton is always working on new projects.

Even more recently, he appeared with his on-screen daughter Emma Kenney in the latest episode of her ABC sitcom The Conners. When she first began appearing in Shameless, she was only a small child! She was incapable of driving, and she didn’t even have a partner at the time. “The very first time she kissed a male, it was captured on video in front of the whole country,” he recounted. “I couldn’t have been more pleased to see her in [The Conners. She never takes a break from her job. Everyone is hard at work except for me!

“Shameless” star William H. Macy in the role.

Showtime/Sterling/Wbtv/Kobal/Shutterstock

He continues by saying, “I’ve never done a comedy, and I love them.” I mean, it’s such a form of art, and we Americans have done such a good job with it. Those that are great are actually great, and they will continue to be great throughout their lives. I’m referring to “All in the Family,” “Friends,” and “Cheers,” respectively. It is incredible that they are able to keep going for five days straight. They perform this short morality play over the course of five days. I have no idea how they pull it off. It’s a good laugh.

It would seem that the actor from Fargo has done it all, from television to the theater, from major motion pictures to independent films. When he reads fresh screenplays, though, he still has one need that must be met.

“There’s just one thing that gets my goat, and that’s all the blood and gore in the movies. It sounds like hogwash to me. And I would that our business would do more to begin to address the fact that if you are going to depict violent content, you should at least be honest about it. But the violence shown in movies made nowadays is a load of bullsh-t. It is dishonest. It’s not genuine violence. In addition, I believe that it is detrimental to the political system. I believe that our society is being negatively affected by the fact that there is so much violence that is never punished. He tells Us that “no one should have to pay the price for that type of brutality.” Since we live up up the hill, the journey to the airport can be quite a lengthy one, and on this particular occasion, I was accompanied by both of my daughters, Sophia and Georgia. And we tallied the amount of billboards that featured a handsome actor brandishing a firearm in our general direction. And after roughly 15 movies, we started to lose interest… And I consider it to be worthless. That topic is closed to me. That eliminates a significant portion of the things that I can perform. Poor quality of writing.”

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A chuckle escapes him as he continues, “But I’m beating about the bush. Permit me to share with you my most honest opinion!

“Shameless” star William H. Macy in the role.

Showtime, Sterling, WBTV, Kobal, and Shutterstock are credited for this image.

Continue reading for additional insight from Macy:

Us: At this stage in your professional life, what is it about a particular project that compels you to want to be a part of it? And how has that line of thinking developed over the years?

WM: It already has. To put it another way, when I was in my twenties, I would read the screenplay, and while I did so, I would question myself, “What does this, how does this speak to the human condition, and what does it mean to be a human being?” This is how I like to phrase it. After that, when I was in my forties, I found myself wondering, “How much will I be paid?” [Laughs] And at this point, all I can think to ask is, “Will I have to get wet?” My work in selecting scripts has so far been limited to the aforementioned. But if we’re being really honest, back when [Maybe I Do]was still in production, the project went through a number of iterations that ultimately failed, and the creators were unable to launch it. I was farther along in the process when Michael Jacobs phoned me, but when I heard this, the cast, I was simply beyond myself with joy to get to work with these folks. I had been looking forward to this opportunity for quite some time. It’s a little bit like a dream coming true.

Us: Over the years, you’ve taken on the role of a number of oppressed people. When you read a screenplay, is it a particular element that piques your interest?

WM: I suppose that’s the case. [Laughs] within the scope of this industry to some degree. They will ask you to do something again if they think you did a good job the first time. And I was frightened as a young guy, when I was performing a lot of theater, that I was the naive kid who was repeatedly smacked on the back of the head. And when I did Fargo, I thought, oh my, am I going to be pigeonholed and always playing these characters of losers in the future? And funnily enough, the screenplay for The Cooler was finally out, and after reading it, I said to myself, “Nope, I’ve drawn the line.” No more losers.’ But praise be to God, they persisted after me to get it done… On the other hand, I wasn’t categorized as a player of the losers. I’ve been in roles where I had to be serious and where I had to make people laugh, and I have no complaints. I’ve had the opportunity to play a wide variety of instruments.

In the film “Maybe I Do,” starring William H. Macy.

With thanks to PMK BNC

Us: Does one genre provide you with anything that the other doesn’t, and is it difficult for you to decide which one you like more out of the two?

WM: Yes, since everyone of them have some wonderful qualities all on their own. Additionally, it has been altered. A few years ago, everything was different, and now things are shifting back to the way they were. They are working on additional independent films now. They are putting the movie in theaters again, and they are four walling it, so what was once old is now new. There are a number of them that are coming across my desk, and they are four walling it. What gets done gets undone, as the saying goes. I really like working on big movies. It is a particularly particular rate of speed. They give you much more money, the size of your trailer is increased, and you are allowed to leave work at a more appropriate hour. It is not always a matter of chasing after the sun. You spend $5 million on the movie, you spend $500 million on the movie, yet you’re constantly behind schedule and hurrying. Despite this, you know what? It’s hard to beat TV. Because it is a medium for actors, I have always been drawn to it. You get to be in front of people all day.

“The Conners” star William H. Macy in the role.

Eric McCandless and ABC.

Us: On film, we’ve seen you go through a number of different physical incarnations. Do you like sitting in the makeup chair, or do you find it uncomfortable?

WM: You’re right, it’s a metamorphosis. No, the makeup chair is not one of my favorite places to be. Check it out, since it’s a matter of fact. [He demonstrates his ponytail.] … That’s not me at all! It’s for a role that I have. I had no clue. Please accept my apologies on behalf of my wife, Felicity Huffman. They are quite difficult. They are rather painful. In addition to that, I’m curious as to how you maintain such beautiful hair. I’ve got this thing, and it’s always there in front of my eyes. When I go to the set, they’re going to trim it, but we’ll have to see how much.

Us: If you could offer your younger self any advise, what would it be?

WM: Take Fountain! It’s one of those old jokes. They posed the question to Bette Davis: “What piece of advise would you give to a new actress who is heading to Los Angeles?” She then instructed him to take Fountain Avenue, which is a one-way roadway running from west to east and having relatively few street lights. You are able to move quite quickly. My advise to myself is that I wish I had held everything more tenderly; of course, this is something that everyone wishes they had done. I wish I had held everything. I regret that I decided to perish on so many different hills. One of the most valuable things that practicing Shameless has done for me is to help me let go of certain habits. You know, back in the day, whenever I got a scene, I’d look at it and think, “Man, this is a terrible scene!” Put a stop to the press. Put the guard on alert. This is a terrible scenario. We have to make some changes to the setting.

And after 11 years of working on Shameless, sometimes when I’d perform a scene, I’d say to myself, “OK, I don’t think this is a very nice scene,” but when I’d see the things shown, they were fine. It worked out well. I was completely correct. Even if the scenario wasn’t very good, it’s not a big deal. It everything works out in the end. It is not necessary for you to dwell on each and every topic. If I could give my younger self any advice, it would be to put more effort into learning the lines of the play. Get an early start and continue working later. Aside from that, you should know that I only have the typical regrets. There were instances when I was both nasty and dumb. But I’ve been blessed with good fortune. I’ve been in a number of wonderful films, and I’ve worked with some very incredible individuals. And I can count on one hand the number of movies that I was a part of that bombed miserably and were a complete failure. I’ve been fortunate.