William H. Macy - Interview

Interview, May, 2000 by Ed Stone

HERE'S AN ACTOR ALL DOGS (AND PEOPLE) REMEMBER

I always thought the man I really wanted to be was a combination of William H. Macy and Dirk Diggler. Macy for the obvious reasons--talent, heart, and smarts--and Diggler for the [ldots] obvious reasons. Otherwise, the next best thing would be to come back to life as Bill's dog. I talked to Bill and Walter, amazing Bernese mountain dog, at a cafe.

WILLIAM H. MACY: I'm living this incredible life. I'm doing [David Mamet's play] American Buffalo in New York. I'm married to this great broad, Felicity Huffman. We're pregnant. Got this super dog. Sit, Walter. Stay.

ED STONE: He does everything you tell him?

WHM: Oh, yeah. I think we communicate well because I was a dog in a past life. Really. I'll be walking down the street and dogs will do a sort of double take. Like, "Hey, I know him."

WALTER: I tell him it's because of Fargo. Bill, they remember you from Fargo. Gotta be a couple million dogs sat around watching the Oscars.

WHM: Right after the Academy Awards, I'm taking Walter for a walk and this Japanese tour bus pulls up and the guide wants to know if the group can take some pictures. I'm smiling and thinking, Finally, after all these years, I'm a star. Then it dawns on me--they're taking pictures of Walter. He's the star.

ES: Walter, do you feel like a star?

W: I don't like the term, but you have to like the treatment. Last week we were over at Brooke Shields'. She's got a looker little dog over there. I shtupped her. Dog, she was a hottie!

WHM: When I was a kid I had two huskies named Mush and Zuckie. Zuckie is short for some Russian word that means "little shit."

W: Huskies are gay. Everybody knows that. I'm just telling you. My best buddy in obedience school was a husky.

ES: What's next for you?

W: Eating, licking, and sleeping.

WHM: The movie Mamet is directing, State & Main, which comes out in December. And I got a baby coming out this summer.

Ed Stone was the lead writer and a producer of Happy, Texas. william H. Macy, photographed with his Bernese mountain dog waiter, wears a jacket and shirt by BOSS Hugo Boss.