William H Macy: “Joe Johnston was a wonderful director”
From his decade-long stint on the American television show Shameless to his appearances in Paul Thomas Anderson‘s films Boogie Nights and Magnolia, audiences are as familiar with William H Macy’s onscreen talent as his unforgettable set of expressions.
With small roles in films starting from 1980, Macy’s big break came when he starred as car salesman Jerry Lundegaard in the 1996 Joel and Ethan Coen film Fargo. It was a role that earned him an Academy Award nomination for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ and began his career on the big stage in earnest. Macy since has lent his talents to a variety of different roles, but he has cited one film in particular as “a great time.”
Macy’s career spans over four decades and includes many highly lauded films. However, there is one surprising picture that the actor noted their enjoyment of working on. When asked about his experience working on the 2001 film Jurassic Park III, Macy told the BBC: “Joe Johnston was a wonderful director.” Considering the filmmaking company Macy has kept over the years, this is by no means a small amount of praise.
Already an Academy Award nominated performer, Macy viewed Jurassic Park III as an opportunity to work on a big Hollywood movie. He explained: “It’s my biggest budget yet, and the most amount of work.” The film provided Macy an opportunity to challenge himself as an actor in a new, demanding role. He highlighted the physicality of the role, which involved “a lot of running around” and a minor stunt on a crane.
Macy also discussed interacting with the animatronic dinosaurs, which he described as “mind-boggling”.
He explained: “It’s hard to believe they were not alive. It’s all very scary.” Though working with machines can be challenging for some actors, Macy clearly enjoyed the challenge. And what’s more, he had a clear sense of respect for the time and skill required to make such a production successful.
Along with his praises of director Joe Johnston, Macy was impressed by the work of the rest of the cast and crew as well. He stated, “I watched the best and the brightest in Hollywood, which is saying something: do better work than they’ve ever done before.”
Though critics gave the film mixed reviews, the amount of work that went into the production is something to be proud of. Macy shared, “Whether you like a dinosaur movie or not, the work they did was unparalleled.”
It’s difficult to think of any cinematic feat being unparalleled, considering the wide range of movies made every year. But the Jurassic Park franchise is surely one of those rare things. It not only considerably advanced the robotics used in movies but, in later years, has seen a seamless transition between puppeteering and CGI. It allows the movies to possess a degree of realism that would otherwise be lost to fantasy. In a world where dinosaurs are kept in amusement parks despite the consistent catastrophes that unleash them on the public, this is a vital component.
