‘Shameless’ Star William H. Macy On Acting & Directing: ‘Acting Is A Piece Of Cake’

As those who keep up with all things Shameless know, William H. Macy – known for his role as Frank Gallagher – made an appearance during a panel at the Vulture Festival last week. According to Page Six, Macy opened up about his career as both an actor and a director.

Macy might not be cut out for directing

If anything, the opportunity to be a director appears to have taught William Macy to have a whole new appreciation for those who make a living directing. It also reminded him just how easy acting was and how much he loved his career as an actor.

“I directed three indies and the big takeaway for me was I’m not sure I’m a director, but more important, when I got back to Shameless I thought, ‘This is the best, easiest way to make a living in the world.’ I was so happy.”

While Macy appeared to hesitate a little with what he had to say next about being an actor, he decided to say it anyway.

“I shouldn’t say this, but it’s really a lovely life to be an actor and it’s such a piece of cake.”

As most fans know, Macy also had the opportunity to direct Shameless as well. Based on what the actor, who won three SAG Awards and two Emmy Awards, had to say about acting and directing, he prefers to be in front of the cameras as they are filming the latest season of Shameless instead of behind them. Macy also took a moment to reflect on the fact that actors have the convenience of having a lot of people to stand around and tell them what they are doing wrong and right.

“[With acting,] you got a whole lot of people making sure you don’t go off the rails and it’s a lovely way to make a living. That’s what I got from directing. I want to act.”

A director doesn’t necessarily have the same comfort level as an actor because the director is the boss on the set. When directing, Macy becomes responsible for making decisions someone else makes for him when he’s just an actor. Perhaps, that’s ultimately why he finds acting to be so much easier than directing.

Emmy Rossum joined Macy during the panel

As Vulture reminds us, Macy was joined by his co-star, Emmy Rossum, for the Shameless panel at the Vulture Festival. Emmy, who plays the role of Macy’s daughter Fiona in the show, spent some time talking about her decision to fight for equal pay. Rossum talked about how she never wanted to leave the show, and she just wanted to get paid to continue to be a part of the cast to “feel right.” She believed receiving pay equal to what her co-star William was receiving was the only way to do that.

William was very humble and supportive of Emmy’s decision to fight for equal pay claiming it was a “no brainer” and a “silly conversation.” While Rossum revealed the two had never really sat down and had a real conversation about the pay issue, Macy was always very supportive of her during interviews and panels.

The Inquisitr has already reported on the joke Macy cracked during the panel about how Frank and Fiona “could” have a baby together. Some fan theories regarding Season 8 have started to emerge questioning whether or not a baby was casually mentioned because there’s going to be a new baby in Season 8. Shameless fans can only hope Debs isn’t going to bring another baby into the world and Fiona is unlikely to have a baby given her decision the last time she was pregnant. Could Lip or Frank become a baby daddy in Season 8?

For now, all Shameless fans will have to continue to twiddle their thumbs as the release date for Season 8 has yet to be confirmed by Showtime. Don’t forget to share your thoughts on William H. Macy’s opinions on directing and acting with us in the comment’s section below.

[Featured Image by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Images]