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CNN Live Today

Interview With William H. Macy

Aired December 19, 2003 - 11:48   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Do you remember that? did you see "Seabiscuit"? William H. Macy has a golden globe nomination for his role as Tick Tock McGlaughin in "Seabiscuit." He brought that character to the big screen. He's moving on to his next project called "The Cooler." It is also getting Golden Globe attention. It's about a Vegas loser who makes a career out of bad luck and that film open nationwide today.
Golden Globe nominee William H. Macy joining us from Los Angeles this morning. Bill, good morning.

WILLIAM H. MACY, ACTOR: Good morning, Daryn. How are you?

KAGAN: I'm doing great. Congratulations on this nomination. You took this little part which could have just gotten swallowed up by this big movie and just made it stand out.

MACY: Well, all hail Gary Ross. He wrote it, he directed it. It's more Gary Ross than me. But it's a great role. It just shows to go you that you can walk into these little roles and walk away with a film. Just ask Alec Baldwin.

KAGAN: That's your segue into our next topic and this is your movie "The Cooler." This is all been getting a lot of buzz. To set it up the cooler is you. And you're a bad luck guy.

MACY: I play a guy named Bernie Lootz.

KAGAN: Don't you love that name?

MACY: He's a cooler in a Vegas casino. A cooler is someone who cools the table when someone's on a hot streak. And what's interesting about our film is that it sort of vaguely hinted that Bernie almost has magical powers. He's such a loser that he's got an $800,000 gambling debt which he's working off. The way he cools the tables is just by being himself.

KAGAN: Now the movie has a twist in that he meets a lovely young lady. That changes his bad luck into good luck which is not necessarily a good thing. Let's look at a clip from the movie.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MACY: You know what I do at the Shangri La?

MARIA BELLO, ACTOR: I asked around. You're a cooler. Turn winners into losers. MACY: Do you know how I do that?

BELLO: Listen I know there's a lot of stuff that happens at casinos al the time.

MACY: I do it by being myself.

ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: Want to tell me what's going on out there? We're down almost a mil. Doesn't that seem strange to you?

MACY: She loves me. Should I get her flowers or candy?

BALDWIN: What is happening to you?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: It looks so enjoyable. Now we saw your two co-stars, Maria Bello and Alec Baldwin. They both received Golden Globe nominations for their performances. Now, interestingly you will be up against Alec Baldwin in best supporting actor in a drama.

MACY: Ain't that grand? Seems like a win-win situation for me.

KAGAN: Tell us about "The Cooler" and why you took the role.

MACY: I played a lot of losers and I was getting tired of. It but this is biblical in it proportions. This guy is an uber loser. So it was funny, it was unexpected when I read the script. I never knew where it was going. It's a romantic comedy. Well, it's romantic and it's funny. I don't know if you could call it a romantic comedy. I have never gotten to do that. It's got these real love rootin' tootin' love scenes and I have never done that.

KAGAN: Speaking of love scenes here, Bill. You have been named one of "People"'s magazines sexiest men alive this year. How about that?

MACY: I know. That just shows to go you that don't believe what you read.

KAGAN: And what was the response from your wife, Felicity Huffman, a fine actor in her own right?

MACY: She's -- you know, she's done more of these things than I have. And we both do the same thing. When it comes on the screen we just close our eyes and wish our spouse well. I want her to do it well. I just don't want to watch.

KAGAN: Right. If she has to then watch you do a love scene as well.

MACY: That's right.

KAGAN: Any disappointment for you that you didn't get a Golden Globe Nomination for your role in the cooler?

MACY: No, not at all. I wish Wayne, our director Wayne Kramer, had been nominated. It's quite an outstanding first time director.

But, no. It's just fine. And we're going into the awards season, as we call it out here, which I find it's interesting that it's the same as the flu season. The movie's great and it's going to get a lot of attention. It opens wide today.

KAGAN: People will be looking for it. The Golden Globes, you're not a newbie there. Nominated last year as well for "Door to Door" which was very enjoyable for cable viewers to watch. I'll be looking forward to seeing you on the red carpet.

MACY: Happy holidays to you.

KAGAN: William H. Macy, one of our better actors that we have today. Thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired December 19, 2003 - 11:48   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Do you remember that? did you see "Seabiscuit"? William H. Macy has a golden globe nomination for his role as Tick Tock McGlaughin in "Seabiscuit." He brought that character to the big screen. He's moving on to his next project called "The Cooler." It is also getting Golden Globe attention. It's about a Vegas loser who makes a career out of bad luck and that film open nationwide today.
Golden Globe nominee William H. Macy joining us from Los Angeles this morning. Bill, good morning.

WILLIAM H. MACY, ACTOR: Good morning, Daryn. How are you?

KAGAN: I'm doing great. Congratulations on this nomination. You took this little part which could have just gotten swallowed up by this big movie and just made it stand out.

MACY: Well, all hail Gary Ross. He wrote it, he directed it. It's more Gary Ross than me. But it's a great role. It just shows to go you that you can walk into these little roles and walk away with a film. Just ask Alec Baldwin.

KAGAN: That's your segue into our next topic and this is your movie "The Cooler." This is all been getting a lot of buzz. To set it up the cooler is you. And you're a bad luck guy.

MACY: I play a guy named Bernie Lootz.

KAGAN: Don't you love that name?

MACY: He's a cooler in a Vegas casino. A cooler is someone who cools the table when someone's on a hot streak. And what's interesting about our film is that it sort of vaguely hinted that Bernie almost has magical powers. He's such a loser that he's got an $800,000 gambling debt which he's working off. The way he cools the tables is just by being himself.

KAGAN: Now the movie has a twist in that he meets a lovely young lady. That changes his bad luck into good luck which is not necessarily a good thing. Let's look at a clip from the movie.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MACY: You know what I do at the Shangri La?

MARIA BELLO, ACTOR: I asked around. You're a cooler. Turn winners into losers. MACY: Do you know how I do that?

BELLO: Listen I know there's a lot of stuff that happens at casinos al the time.

MACY: I do it by being myself.

ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: Want to tell me what's going on out there? We're down almost a mil. Doesn't that seem strange to you?

MACY: She loves me. Should I get her flowers or candy?

BALDWIN: What is happening to you?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: It looks so enjoyable. Now we saw your two co-stars, Maria Bello and Alec Baldwin. They both received Golden Globe nominations for their performances. Now, interestingly you will be up against Alec Baldwin in best supporting actor in a drama.

MACY: Ain't that grand? Seems like a win-win situation for me.

KAGAN: Tell us about "The Cooler" and why you took the role.

MACY: I played a lot of losers and I was getting tired of. It but this is biblical in it proportions. This guy is an uber loser. So it was funny, it was unexpected when I read the script. I never knew where it was going. It's a romantic comedy. Well, it's romantic and it's funny. I don't know if you could call it a romantic comedy. I have never gotten to do that. It's got these real love rootin' tootin' love scenes and I have never done that.

KAGAN: Speaking of love scenes here, Bill. You have been named one of "People"'s magazines sexiest men alive this year. How about that?

MACY: I know. That just shows to go you that don't believe what you read.

KAGAN: And what was the response from your wife, Felicity Huffman, a fine actor in her own right?

MACY: She's -- you know, she's done more of these things than I have. And we both do the same thing. When it comes on the screen we just close our eyes and wish our spouse well. I want her to do it well. I just don't want to watch.

KAGAN: Right. If she has to then watch you do a love scene as well.

MACY: That's right.

KAGAN: Any disappointment for you that you didn't get a Golden Globe Nomination for your role in the cooler?

MACY: No, not at all. I wish Wayne, our director Wayne Kramer, had been nominated. It's quite an outstanding first time director.

But, no. It's just fine. And we're going into the awards season, as we call it out here, which I find it's interesting that it's the same as the flu season. The movie's great and it's going to get a lot of attention. It opens wide today.

KAGAN: People will be looking for it. The Golden Globes, you're not a newbie there. Nominated last year as well for "Door to Door" which was very enjoyable for cable viewers to watch. I'll be looking forward to seeing you on the red carpet.

MACY: Happy holidays to you.

KAGAN: William H. Macy, one of our better actors that we have today. Thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com