Movies - TV
The Coen Brothers' Fargo Script Made William H. Macy Lose His Mind
By LEE ADAMS
William H. Macy has played many roles throughout his over 40-year career, but he’s best remembered as the scheming car salesman Jerry Lundegaard in “Fargo.”
The Coen Brothers initially had a smaller role as a sheriff in mind for Macy, but had him also read the lines for Jerry, a role Macy says he lost his mind over.
As Macy said in an interview, Jerry was the role he was born to play, a part he intuitively understood. So he wasn't about to leave anything to chance.
Rather than waiting to hear back from the filmmakers, Macy took matters into his own hands to secure the role and crashed a casting session in New York.
Macy went to the casting session and said, “‘I want to audition again.’ Then I made the joke to Ethan [Coen], which was: ‘I’ll shoot your dog if you don’t give me this role.’”
Whether it was Macy’s audition or the death threat, the actor got the part and made it his own. The filmmakers' trust in Macy paid off, as his role was vital to the film’s success.