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William H. Macy

William H. Macy Quotes

Actor

William H. Macy, born on March 13, 1950, is an accomplished American actor known for his versatile performances in film and television. He gained widespread recognition for his roles in 'Falling Down' and 'Justified', and his performances have been highly praised by both critics and audiences.

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Famous William H. Macy Quotes

“Nobody became an actor because he had a good childhood.”

Actors Childhood Good Childhood

Author:William H. Macy

“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.”

Actors House Stage Car New York Summer Garage Making A Living Stage Actors

Author:William H. Macy

“Before I made it big I worked as a dishwasher, washing dishes in this place called Dishwasher House where people could just come in and do whatever they wanted to the dishes and we had to clean them with our hands till they bled. A lot of struggling actors worked there-Downey Jr., Joaquin Phoenix, Damon Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Keenen Ivory Wayans-and we actually all kind of wish we still did.”

People Kind Made Stills Hands Bigs Wanted Actors House Wish Struggle Clean All Kinds Made It Dishes Washing Phoenix Ivory Dishwashers Damon Washing Dishes

Author:William H. Macy

“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.”

Trying Whole Moments Actors Watches Not Sure

Author:William H. Macy

“I've always felt it's the directors purview to say what; it's the actor's purview to say how. It's not good for an actor to have the big picture in mind - it bollocks you up. An actor's purview is the tiny little... We measure our performance in seconds.”

Mind Littles Bigs Actors Felt Directors Performances Tiny Seconds Big Picture

Author:William H. Macy

“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.”

Thinking Knows Years Long Stills Character Stories Eye Running Next Actors Tvs Speech Series Eight Pilots Weird Things Impediments Tv Series Gags Funny Story Speech Impediment

Author:William H. Macy

“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.”

Should Self Actors Situation Walking Comfortable Conscious Frightened Pretending Gigs Self Conscious

Author:William H. Macy

“I'm not much of a preparer. I think sometimes as an actor you need to go out and learn some skills, but in terms of preparation for understanding the character, it's all on the page, and if it's not on the page, you're in trouble.”

Ifs Thinking Needs Sometimes Character Actors Understanding Term Trouble Skills Pages Preparation

Author:William H. Macy

“So many actors spend so much energy trying to remember the lines. It's so foolish. Guys are the worst.”

Trying Remember Guy Actors Energy Lines Worst Foolish

Author:William H. Macy

“A good actor's director, first of all, is prepared, so there's not an exorbitant amount of wasted footage.”

Firsts Actors Amount Directors Prepared Good Actors

Author:William H. Macy

“It's hard on an actor when you have to do a scene 45 times and you know damn well that three of the angles a director is shooting will never make it into the movie.”

Knows Wells Hard Three Actors Scene Directors Shooting Damn Angle

Author:William H. Macy

“The best thing for an actor to do is take your attention off of how you feel about it, and put it on striving to obtain a particular objective. The happy result is that it brings out all this unexpected stuff in yourself.”

Feels Actors Stuff Results Attention Particular Strive Objectives Best Things Unexpected How You Feel

Author:William H. Macy

“At the end of the day, what actors really want to do is act a lot and not wait around in the trailer.”

Want Ends Actors Waiting The End Of The Day Trailers

Author:William H. Macy

“I feel very secure about the role of the actor in the future. They need us, because stories are about people.”

People Needs Feels Stories Actors Roles Secure

Author:William H. Macy

“I think what all actors share is that, somewhere down in your solar plexus, there's this fear that you're not going to be able to come up with the goods, that this is the one movie where you're going to look like a fool, and they should have cast someone else. And you feel ugly, and you've got three chins, and you've gained too much weight, and you're losing your hair, and there are so many better actors who could do this. But if you've got chops, what you realize is that everybody feels that way, so just show up and do the job.”

Ifs Thinking Way Feels Should Looks Shows Able Jobs Three Actors Realizing Too Much Share Hair Fool Losing Should Have Weight Casts Come Up Ugly Goods Chins

Author:William H. Macy

“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.”

Helping Stories Actors Stuff Paid Toes

Author:William H. Macy

“Actors are embracing a new aesthetic, which is leaning more toward truthful and simple and direct, as opposed to what we would normally call sitcom acting.”

Actors Simple Acting Direct Aesthetic Truthful Sitcom

Author:William H. Macy

“I feel like a lot of the young actors that are just coming up are really good. I think directors are directing better.”

Thinking Feels Young Actors Directors Young Actors

Author:William H. Macy

“The actor has the advantage - or the liability - of knowing, "It's going to be my face up there on the frickin' screen, so I better keep my wits about me. Nobody's going to care that I was bad because I was not happy. They're only going to know I'm bad."”

Knows Care Faces Actors Knowing Advantage Screens Wit Not Happy Liability

Author:William H. Macy

“As an actor, early on, you learn that the audience is never wrong. And if you think they are wrong, you need to find a different way to make a living. Collectively the audience is smarter than you will ever, ever be.”

Ifs Thinking Way Needs Different Actors Audience Different Ways Smarter

Author:William H. Macy

“Ninety percent of the preparation we do as actors is just jive. It doesn't do anything.”

Actors Percent Preparation Ninety

Author:William H. Macy

About the Author

Born: March 13, 1950
Known for: Actor
Quotes: 116

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