Academy Award nominee William H. Macy (“Fargo”) chatted about starring in the new film “Soul on Fire,” which will be in theaters on October 10th.
American author, speaker, and leader John C. Maxwell once said: “Dreams don’t work unless you do.” This quote applies to William H. Macy.
“Soul on Fire,” directed by Sean McNamara, is inspired by the true story and 2016 bestselling book “On Fire” by John O’Leary (Joel Courtney) whose story begins with his miraculous recovery from a near death accident when he was nine years old.
Given no chance of survival, John endures an unbelievable road to recovery with the support of his family, faith, community and the kindness of his all-time idol, Baseball Hall of Fame Announcer Jack Buck (William H. Macy).
Grateful for his miracle and shaped by life’s struggles, John’s mission to better the world inspires millions to do the extraordinary.
The movie stars Joel Courtney, John Corbett, Stephanie Szostak, Masey McLain, and William H. Macy, among others.
Experience filming ‘Soul on Fire’
On his experience filming “Soul on Fire,” Macy said, “It was great. Sean [McNamara] runs a great set. I loved the script. I loved this story the second I read it, and I loved the character.”
“It was great to play Jack Buck, and I’m glad to be back here. We filmed it a year ago, and it was so good to see everybody in the cast again last night,” Macy added.
Playing Jack Buck in ‘Soul on Fire’
Macy was drawn to playing Jack Buck for several reasons. “Jack Buck was an announcer for the Cardinals, and he was beloved by millions,” Macy noted.
“Jack is in the Broadcasting Hall of Fame. It was a little daunting to play a fellow that everyone loved, and I decided that I would look like him as much as I could, so I got that shock of white hair,” he said.
“Also, I got to meet his son, who is an announcer as well. Jack was an interesting fellow,” he observed.
“While he was very, very private, he did a lot of things, like the ones in this film. Jack would find somebody who needed help, and very quietly and anonymously, he would put his weight behind it,” Macy elaborated.
The digital age
On being a part of the digital age, Macy said, “Digital is a good thing except you should go to the theater. This is going to get a pretty wide release, and it’s just better in a movie theater.”
“Comedies are funnier and inspirational films are more inspirational, when you do it in a community. So, people should absolutely go to the theater to watch this,” Macy added.
Advice for young and aspiring actors, creatives, and storytellers
For young and emerging actors, creatives, and storytellers, Macy said, “Story is everything. The audience only really wants to know one thing, ‘what happens next?’ The story is paramount, which is another way of saying, the founder of the feast is the writer, and everybody should be serving the writer, i.e. the story.”
Success
Regarding his definition of the word success, Macy said, “For me, I feel very successful because I get to do something that I love doing and get paid for it.”
“Someone smart once said, ‘if you love what you’re doing, you’ll never go to work’,” Macy concluded.
To learn more about Oscar nominee William H. Macy, follow him on Instagram.
For more information on the movie “Soul on Fire,” visit its official homepage.
