Quotes from William H. Macy

I'm really proud of the writing on Door to Door, and I think that's the Emmy that meant the most - the writing.

The Spirit Awards are great too, they'll say anything because they're not televised. Another great drinking night.

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.

I got an agent. He said, what do you wanna do, and I said, I want an Oscar nomination. That's your job, that's what I'm paying you for. And I got it.

We must admit that it is quite common that people do have affairs with their leading ladies and men.

With an inexperienced director, a lot of times the days go on to 14, 15, 16 hours. It goes horrendously overtime. And because of the lack of money, they just keep you there, regardless of the hours.

Talk about putting your money where your mouth is. It's not right. Someone's gotta say it. They said it. I applaud them.

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.

Everyone hooks up with George Clooney. He's a genuinely cool guy. He's using his powers for good.

I'm sure I have a process, but it mostly takes place in my dreams.

Yeah, I made it. It sneaks up on you. You're some schmuck and you wake up one day and you go, Good God, I'm the cheese.

When I watch a film I get swept away. I don't really watch the camera.

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

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.

We thought sex was free. Sex is not free. There's a price to be paid emotionally, physically, even legally. Sex isn't a casual thing. It's a huge thing.

I'm sure I have a process, but it mostly takes place in my dreams.

I have a tendency to say yes to a script or no to a script. Not yes based on a rewrite.

When Fargo came out, I hired a publicist for the first time in my life. I thought, if ever I was going to make it, that was then.

I think theater is powerful. The best experiences I had in the theater are more powerful than the best experiences I had in movies.

The bar raises as you go.

It sure is boring to be around people who are in character all the time. I always find it's closer to mental illness than acting excellence.

That red carpet has to be felt to be believed.

You can skim those stage directions and go right to the dialogue. You can almost read the movie in the same amount of time it will take you to see the movie.

I love metaphor the way some people love junk food.