Indies keep Macy happy

William H. Macy says he can easily divide his career choices into two categories: “You do some for money and some for other reasons.”

Mr. Macy is one of those rare actors better known for his roles in the latter category. He received an Oscar nomination for his turn in the Coen brothers’ quirky film “Fargo.” He went off the deep end in Paul Thomas Anderson’s chronicle of the porn industry, “Boogie Nights.” And he has made frequent appearances in films written and directed by playwright David Mamet, including “House of Games” and “Oleanna.”

There can be benefits to taking a pay cut for art, though. In “Bobby,” the Emilio Estevez film made for just $10 million that opened in theaters last week, Mr. Macy plays the manager of the hotel where Sen. Robert F. Kennedy is shot. His character’s wife is played by Sharon Stone, and his mistress is played by Heather Graham.

That must have been fun.

“What do you think?” he jokingly asked at the Toronto Film Festival in September. “I spent the whole day with Heather Graham, and she was in her underwear. She looks really good in her underwear.”

“Bobby” imagines the lives of the busy hotel workers preparing for the arrival of the presidential candidate on June 4, 1968. The issues the civil rights activist cared about are reflected in the film’s fictional story lines — a racist kitchen manager oversees Hispanic help, a teenager is marrying a friend to help him avoid the draft and the Vietnam War.

“What Emilio tried to do is give us a snapshot of where America was in 1968,” said Mr. Macy, who fell in love with the script’s fictionalized version of events. “It’s genius. The only way to do it. Otherwise it’s a biopic. It would have been kind of seamy. And unseemly.”

America has seen marked changes in the intervening 38 years. “Bobby” is no less apposite for that, Mr. Macy believes.

“It’s horrifying, but here we are in another stupid war. Another stupid war based on lies and deception, foisted on us by our leaders,” the actor remarked. “I wish it weren’t so relevant.”

RFK is a liberal icon, but Mr. Macy hopes “Bobby” will reach audiences of all political stripes.

“I don’t think you have to be liberal or conservative to appreciate that Bobby was a rare kind of politician,” he said. “His speeches were from the heart; they were pretty pure. He had guts enough to actually say something when he gave a speech, as opposed to speeches today. These politicians are just masters of talking for an hour and a half and saying absolutely nothing.”

After one of his frequent thoughtful pauses, Mr. Macy added, “Hollywood is not as liberal as you might think. It’s really a hodgepodge. I know some really, really conservative people in Los Angeles. I have some friends who voted for Bush — twice.”

“Bobby” could appeal to them, too, he said. “Even my conservative friends are pretty disgusted with the state of things,” he reported. “Maybe someone young will be inspired to enter politics” because of the film.

Mr. Macy’s celebrated career likely has inspired more than a few unconventional types to become actors. When he’s asked what makes him most proud, the actor’s first thought goes to a small movie that saw just limited release this year.

” ’Edmond’ was tough. I was really glad I got through it,” he said. “That’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

“Edmond,” directed by Stuart Gordon and written by David Mamet based on his play, was released in just a couple dozen cities; Washington wasn’t one of them.

“You’ll understand why when you see it. It’s a very harsh film. It really, really leaves the audience looking like a bomb went off in their faces,” Mr. Macy said. “I can’t wait for you to see it. Your head will start spinning on your shoulders when you see the thing.”

“Edmond” came out on DVD last month, and it turns out the actor wasn’t exaggerating: “Edmond” is the most shocking story on film this year. Mr. Macy’s businessman confronts his deepest feelings about masculinity and racism after a fortuneteller’s words send him into the seediest side of New York. It’s in the white-businessman-angry-about-incivility-goes-nuts genre of “Falling Down” but with Mr. Mamet’s trademark stylized dialogue and philosophical musings.

“If I ruled the world, I would do indie films, but they would have blockbuster budgets. The films I like, the scripts that I’m attracted to, tend to be independent films,” he said. “When you shoot from the hip, that’s where the truth lies. For artists of any kind, you have to access your subconscious. Sometimes the way to do that is to go quickly. Don’t let yourself think.”

Mr. Macy has learned a lot from Mr. Mamet — preparation is key, for example — and he’ll soon be putting the lessons to good use: He’s set to direct his first feature film after previously directing the HBO movie “Lip Service.” He hopes to start shooting “Keep Coming Back,” starring Salma Hayek, in January. “I’m nervous,” the actor admitted.

There’s one actress Mr. Macy would really like to work with again — his wife, Felicity Huffman of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives.” The two starred in the series “Sports Night” together.

“She’s stuck on a hit right now, so she’s not going anywhere,” he said with a laugh, “but when that’s over, maybe we’ll go to New York and do a play. That would be a hoot.”