William H. Macy Spills the Details on Whiskey & Hollywood Tales

Fargo. Shameless. Mystery Men. Jurassic Park III. Just a small selection representing William H. Macy's filmography over the years. From fan favorites to Oscar nominations Bill has certainly earned his stripes. He's also won the fandom of The Preston & Steve Show and the two parties got a chance to chat today.

He was calling to promote the fact he now has his very own signature whiskey! He ha partnered up with Woody Creek Distillers for the William H. Macy Reserve rye whiskey. When asked if he is is truly a whiskey man, it was not just an emphatic yes. William stated he's been “drinking professionally” for about 20 years.

That’s not just a throwaway line either. Macy has been deeply involved in crafting his own whiskey out in Colorado, where he says the magic all comes down to one thing: the water. He and his partners have known the farmers out there for years, and he got into the nitty-gritty of the chemistry behind it all. Experimenting with flavors, refining the process, and genuinely enjoying every second of it.

Of course, we had to dive into his legendary acting career. Macy lit up talking about working with powerhouse playwright David Mamet, making it clear that great writing is everything. In fact, he said his favorite projects are always the ones with top-tier scripts—because if the writing isn’t there, acting becomes a whole lot harder. He even mentioned that if he runs into someone who was in American Buffalo, they’ll instantly start trading lines like it’s a secret handshake.

One perk of being William H. Macy? He doesn’t have to audition anymore. “Thank God,” he added. These days, he reads scripts straight through in one sitting, focusing heavily on dialogue. That’s the hook for him.

Now, while he’s played his fair share of shady characters, William H. Macy made it clear he’s not a fan of violence in movies. He doesn’t find it funny and thinks Hollywood often gets it wrong. That said, when the writing is perfect (like it was in Fargo from Joel Coen and Ethan Coen)he doesn’t mess with it. Macy said he didn’t feel the need to change a thing because it was already flawless, though he did sneak in a few small personal touches behind the scenes.

Talking about Boogie Nights, Macy admitted he didn’t do a ton of research beforehand—but what he did do was unforgettable. He ended up visiting a real adult film shoot and even became friends with Nina Hartley afterward. His review of the experience? It started out interesting, quickly became awkward, and eventually… boring. As he put it, “that’s what the fast forward button is for.” We’ll just leave that there.

Then there's the relationship between Woody Creek and Hunter S. Thompson. Turns out, his whiskey is made in Woody Creek, the same town tied to the infamous writer. Macy shared the surreal story of Thompson’s ashes being shot into the sky in the direction of his house. The potatoes used in the whiskey even come from those same fields. So technically, there’s “a little bit of Hunter in every bottle.” That might be the most rock-and-roll tasting note we’ve ever heard courtesy of William H. Macy.