William H. Macy Movies,Takes a Walk on the Dark Side in 'Edmond' William H. Macy
FOR 20 years, Lionel Mark Smith yearned to see David Mamet's provocative play "Edmond" as a film. At a birthday party for Mr. Mamet three years ago, when talk again surfaced about casting for "Edmond," Mr. Smith, a veteran actor, suggested a lead. What about William H. Macy?
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William H. Macy as Edmond Burke in "Edmond."
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"I saw the Doody Man a couple of weeks ago," Mr. Mamet recalled saying, referring to Mr. Macy, whose affectionate nickname in the so-called Mamet Mafia is Howdy Doody. "He's beginning to look more like a human and less like a puppet."
To millions of television and film fans who have admired his diverse roles in "Fargo," "Boogie Nights," "The Cooler," "Door to Door" and "Thank You for Smoking," Mr. Macy has always seemed more an actor's actor than a movie star. In "Seabiscuit," he almost stole the movie from the horse, with his comedic turn as the racetrack announcer Tick Tock McGlaughlin.
William H. Macy Movies
"People love him," Mr. Mamet said. "You walk down the street with him, and people come up to him and they're smiling."
Mr. Mamet described Mr. Macy, a longtime friend, as a "deep thinker," and likened his studious approach to his craft to that of the pitcher Sandy Koufax. Mr. Macy is "a great, great actor," Mr. Mamet said. "Whatever you put him in, he's always telling the truth." The quality that Mr. Mamet calls Mr. Macy's "ungrateful honesty" will take on a decidedly darker tone, however, with his portrayal of Edmond Burke, the seemingly bland businessman who leaves his wife and embarks on a violent spree, raging against blacks, gays and women.
The challenge was not lost on Mr. Macy, 56, who first studied under Mr. Mamet at Goddard College in Vermont three decades ago after flirting with a career in veterinary medicine. During an interview at the Sarasota Film Festival, where "Edmond" was screened in April, he said, "I've done more Mamet than anybody." (That list of films and plays includes "American Buffalo," "State and Main," "Wag the Dog," "Oleanna" and "Homicide.") Of "Edmond," he said, "I had to do it, it had to be me," and his wife, Felicity Huffman, who took her own critically acclaimed walk on the wild side with "Transamerica" last year, agreed. She said she told Mr. Macy: "You've got to do it. It's the part of a lifetime."
Stuart Gordon, the film's director, who saw the original stage production of "Edmond" in Chicago in 1982 and says he considers it Mr. Mamet's "strongest work," said Mr. Macy was the first person to be cast. "It was the shortest conversation I've ever had with Bill," he said.
"Edmond" did not fare as well as some of Mr. Mamet's more familiar dramas, like the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Glengarry Glen Ross." (Walter Kerr reviewing a 1982 Provincetown Playhouse production of "Edmond," wrote in The New York Times, "Its stretch toward the mythic is unwarranted, pompous.")
More recently, however, it has become a favorite in acting classes, and it even brought Kenneth Branagh back to the National Theater in London in 2003. In its theme of "every fear hides a wish," Mr. Macy sees the "triathlon" of Mamet dramas. "There's something to push everybody's button," he said.
"I believe David through technique opened his subconscious and let it fly," Mr. Macy added. "It speaks to our racial fears and rage in a way that's true. It's sort of the same territory that 'Crash' explored. This is the unabridged version."
Mr. Mamet wrote the screenplay for "Edmond" and even added some notes for Mr. Gordon on how it should be shot. "I loved 'Crash,' " Mr. Mamet said of the Academy Award winner for best film during a recent phone interview from his office in Los Angeles. "I just adored it. A very important movie. The dark secret of America has always been and always will be race. It's a secret hard to be rational about because it's so much a part of our lives."
Audience members who questioned Mr. Macy after the screening in Sarasota also seemed slightly stunned by the film, which makes a considerable tour de force at 82 minutes. Mr. Macy is in every scene and undergoes an emotional and physical transformation after encountering a fortuneteller (Frances Bay) who turns tarot cards and tells him, "You are not where you belong."
"Edmond" is scheduled to open in New York and Chicago on July 14. Following last year's run of controversial but well-received independent films ("Crash," "Brokeback Mountain," "Capote," "Transamerica"), Mr. Macy asked: "Is this the time that we can tell these stories about prejudice and racial rage? I think the answer is yes. We can be a little more honest and candid because we've come so far. We've had to get to this point where we can talk freely about this, where people use words to hurt. That's why 'Crash' was so successful, because we've gotten to the point where we can call things by their right names."
The "Edmond" cast also includes Julia Stiles, Joe Mantegna, Rebecca Pidgeon and Lionel Mark Smith, all of whom are accorded intense moments. (Mr. Smith was in the stage production in New York and Provincetown, in the same role as a pimp, 24 years ago.) With a budget "under $2 million," and financing from 12 production companies with 27 producers, Mr. Gordon said, the film was shot in 16 days and 30 locations in Los Angeles, leaving no margin for mistakes. "It's the most difficult job I've had as an actor," Mr. Macy said.
William H. Macy Movies
His next two films will be decidedly lighter. Production is under way for "Wild Hogs," in which he will join John Travolta, Tim Allen and Martin Lawrence as motorcyclists in midlife crisis. During the Sarasota festival, he also appeared at a private party with his writing partner, Steven Schachter (they collaborated on the popular Emmy Award-winning "Door to Door"), to raise money for their domestic comedy "The Deal," which also stars Lisa Kudrow and is scheduled to begin production later this year. About a third of the film's $8.25 million budget is expected from Sarasota residents who have become more than casual regional film enthusiasts.
"People are starting to understand it's a business like any other," said Keri Nakamoto, a producer of "The Deal," who is also a board member of the film festival. "It's a calculated risk, but if you understand the calculation, the integrity and the type of film, these are calculations that can make money."
"Has any major studio picked up 'Edmond'?" someone asked Mr. Macy after the screening.
Mr. Macy broke into one of his all-too-familiar half-smiles. "Oh, grow up," he said.
